Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Highest Castle Tower Lookout:
Enjoy a great view of the river, the castle, and the
forest. Remember, the fortress once covered five times the land it does today. Notice how
theothercastles(acrosstheriver)don'tpokeabovethetopoftheRhinecanyon.Thatwould
make them easy for invading armies to see.
From this perch, survey the Rhine Valley, cut out of slate over millions of years by the
river. The slate absorbs the heat of the sun, making the grapes grown here well-suited for
wine.Todaytheslateisminedtoprovideroofing.ImagineSt.Goarsettlinghere1,500years
ago, establishing a place where sailors—thankful to have survived the treacherous Lore-
ley—would stop and pray. Imagine the frozen river of years past, when the ice would break
up and boats would huddle in manmade harbors like the one below for protection. Consider
the history of trade on this busy river—from the days when castles levied tolls on ships, to
the days when boats would be hauled upstream with the help of riverside towpaths, to the
21st century when 300 ships a day move their cargo past St. Goar. And imagine this castle
before the French destroyed it... when it was the mightiest structure on the river, filled with
people and inspiring awe among all who passed.
• Return to the catapult balls, walk downhill and through the tunnel, veer left through the
archmarked
zudenWehrgängen
(“tothedefensegalleries”),andgodowntwoflightsof
stairs. Turn left and step into the dark, covered passageway. From here, we'll begin a rect-
angular walk taking us completely around (counterclockwise) the perimeter of the castle.
Covered Defense Galleries with “Minutemen” Holes:
Soldiers—the castle's “minute-
men”—hadashortcommute:defensivepositionsontheoutside,homeintheholesbelowon
the left. Even though these living quarters were padded with straw, life was unpleasant.
• Continue straight through the dark gallery, up the stairs, and to the corner of the castle,
where you'll see a white painted arrow at eye level and a red signpost with the number
.
Stand with your back to the arrow on the wall.
CornerofCastle:
Gapeup.Athree-story,half-timberedbuildingoriginallyrosebeyond
the highest stone fortification. The two stone tongues near the top just around the corner (to
the right) supported the toilet. (Insert your own joke here.) Turn around and face the wall.
The crossbow slits below the white arrow were once steeper. The bigger hole on the river-
side was for hot pitch.
•Followthatwhitearrowoutalongthebacksideofthecastle.Noticethestairsontheright,
which lead down to the Small Mine Tunnels—if you'd like to visit them, see the “Option-
al Detour” on
here
. You'll rejoin this tour at the prison. Otherwise, keep going, and at the
corner, turn left.
Thoop...You're Dead:
Look ahead at the smartly placed crossbow slit. While you're ly-
ing there, notice the stonework. The little round holes were for scaffolds used as they built
