Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Km557—St.GoarandRheinfelsCastle: Crosstotheothersideofthetrain.Thepleas-
ant town of St. Goar was named for a sixth-century hometown monk. It originated in Celt-
ic times (really old) as a place where sailors would stop, catch their breath, send home a
postcard, and give thanks after surviving the seductive and treacherous Loreley crossing. St.
GoarisworthastoptoexploreitsmightyRheinfelsCastle.(Foraself-guidedcastletourand
accommodations, see here . )
Km 556—Katz Castle (Burg Katz): Burg Katz (Katzenelnbogen) faces St. Goar from
across the river. Together, Burg Katz (built in 1371) and Rheinfels Castle had a clear view
upanddowntheriver,effectivelycontrollingtraffic(therewasabsolutelynoduty-freeshop-
ping on the medieval Rhine). Katz got Napoleoned in 1806 and rebuilt in about 1900.
Today,the castle isshroudedbyintrigue andcontroversy.In1995,awealthy andeccent-
ric Japanese man bought it for about $4 million. His vision: to make the castle—so close
to the Loreley that Japanese tourists are wild about—an exotic escape for his countrymen.
But the town wouldn't allow his planned renovation of the historic (and therefore protec-
ted) building. Stymied, the frustrated investor abandoned his plans. Today, Burg Katz sits
empty...the Japanese ghost castle.
Belowthecastle,noticethederelictgrapeterraces—workedsincetheeighthcentury,but
abandonedinthelastgeneration. TheRhinewineisparticularly goodbecausethelocalslate
absorbs the heat of the sun and stays warm all night, resulting in sweeter grapes. Wine from
the flat fields above the Rhine gorge is cheaper, and good only as table wine. Wine from the
steep side of the Rhine gorge—where grapes are harder to grow and harvest—is tastier and
more expensive. Rumor has it that 2011 was an especially good year.
AboutKm555: AstatueoftheLoreley,thebeautiful-but-deadlynymph,combsherhair
at the end of a long spit—built to give barges protection from vicious ice floes that until
recent years raged down the river in the winter. The actual Loreley, a cliff (marked by the
flags), is just ahead.
Km 554—The Loreley: Steep a big slate rock in centuries of legend and it becomes
a tourist attraction—the ultimate Rhinestone. The Loreley (flags and visitors center on top,
name painted near shoreline), rising 450 feet over the narrowest and deepest point of the
Rhine, has long been important. It was a holy site in pre-Roman days. The fine echoes
here—thought to be ghostly voices—fertilized legend-tellers' imaginations.
Because of the reefs just upstream (at km 552), many ships never made it to St. Goar.
Sailors (after days on the river) blamed their misfortune on a wunderbares Fräulein, whose
long, blond hair almost covered her body. Heinrich Heine's Song of Loreley (the CliffsNotes
version is on local postcards) tells the story of a count sending his men to kill or capture
this siren after she distracted his horny son, who forgot to watch where he was sailing and
drowned. When the soldiers cornered the nymph in her cave, she called her father (Father
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