Beautiful! - Legendary Siebengebirge
There are many myths and legends about the Siebengebirge: Daniel Aßmann sets off between Königswinter and Bad Honnef in search of dragons and knights, sunken treasures and monks who have fallen out of time. He doesn't find any real Rhine gold while digging, but in the Nibelungen Hall below the Drachenfels ruins he discovers the dragon Fafir, who guards the treasure. Drachenburg Castle seems like a fairytale; the presidential suite in the luxury hotel Petersberg is full of anecdotes; and a sad love story belongs to the Rolandsbogen near Remagen. It is true that one of the world's oldest dog skeletons was found not far from Bonn-Oberkassel. And it is true that Chancellor Adenauer prevented the construction of a cable car between Rhöndorf and Löwenburg in the 1950s because tourists could have looked down on his house.
Daniel Aßmann hikes and cycles through the nature park + discovers: there is some truth to the legendary Rhine romanticism. Mystical Drachenfels and fairytale Drachenburg Castle The legendary dragon of Drachenfels, which according to legend Siegfried killed with his sword, is said to have lived deep in the mountain. Daniel Aßmann meets him in the Nibelungen Hall. The ruins of Drachenfels Castle stand at the top of the mountain - and offer a magnificent view of the Rhine valley. On the way down, the Neuschwanstein of the Rhineland is resplendent: Drachenburg Castle. Daniel Aßmann is allowed to sit in the throne chair during a private guided tour. Enjoyable hiking + cycling Daniel Aßmann calls the Siebengebirge the "pleasure mountains". Because the hikes are moderate: whether on the Rheinsteig, through the romantic Nachtigallental or to the Löwenburg ruins.
The hiking trail in the Tretschbach Valley, where everything is allowed to grow as it pleases, was laid out by the Siebengebirge beautification association. The mountain bike tour up the Grosser Ölberg is challenging, while cycling under lime trees along the Rhine and through the vineyards is more relaxed. Stones from the Siebengebirge for Cologne Cathedral There were once more than 40 quarries in the Siebengebirge, and Daniel Aßmann takes a look at two of them: the Weilberg and the Stenzelberg. He learns that the quarries played a major role in the construction of Cologne Cathedral + Bonn Cathedral, and that the former Heisterbach Monastery was built from stones from the region. And the lava rock gives the wines of the Siebengebirge, at least those from the Drachenfels, a very special flavour.
Broadcasting on 15th of April 2023 at 08.15pm on HR/ARD
Music: POPVIRUS Library