A bright yellow marvel
Just like the Rolandsbogen castle ruins and the Loreley, Stolzenfels Castle is a prime example of "Romanticism on the Rhine". Documented for the first time in 1250, it started off like many other castles along the Rhine as a toll station. Sharing the fate of many of its neighbouring buildings, it was destroyed by the French in 1689. In 1823, the beautifully situated castle ruins were presented as a gift to the Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, who went on to become King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia - the Romantic king. He ordered its reconstruction and adaptation as a summer residence in 1842 according to plans submitted by the great Prussian architect Schinkel. The interior is richly furnished with paintings, works of art and displays of weaponry and armour. The wall paintings in the chapel and small Knights' Hall are among the most important works associated with the heyday of Rhine romanticism. If you visit the castle in summer, you'll be captivated by the romantic garden with its beautiful covered walkways.
