North Tower - Schloss Drachenburg

Wood Engravings
Based on Wall Paintings at
Schloss Drachenburg
(1) The Handing Over of the Foundation Stone at Cologne Cathedral
Wood engraving based on Friedrich von Keller’s mural in the Main Staircase at Schloss
Drachenburg, c. 1900.
The visitor arriving in the Main Staircase is greeted by The Handing Over of the Foundation
Stone at Cologne Cathedral under Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, from the Drachenfels
Quarry in 1248, which hangs on the north wall. Friedrich von Keller (1840-1914) was the artist
who painted the blessing of the foundation stone. Certain stones for the building of the
cathedral came from the Drachenfels. Apart from the emphasis on local history, the pictorial
topic also pays tribute to the signifi cance of Cologne Cathedral as a symbol of 19th century
German unity. After all, only a few years prior to the construction of Schloss Drachenburg, the
Cathedral was completed following a construction period of 632 years! However, the depiction
of the group of fi gures on the left-hand side of the painting no longer refl ects the original
condition you see on the engraving. We can only assume that, when the building stood empty
during the 1960s, a piece of canvas was cut out. After 1971, the new castle owner Paul Spinat
commissioned a young artist, working from original documents, to re-imagine the missing part.
(2) The Meeting of German King Heinrich I with Charles III of France near Bonn
Wood engraving based on Friedrich von Keller’s sketches for the wall painting, 1897
At the historic meeting held on 7 November 921 near Bonn, the two kings conducted
negotiations as to the annexation of Lorraine to East Francia. The contemporary allusion
was the renewed annexation of Lorraine by Germany following the Franco-German War of
1870/1871. Friedrich von Keller’s painting, located in the Main Staircase next to the Handing
Over of the Foundation Stone, is the complete original.
(3) The Contest of Song
Wood engraving based on a wall painting by Heinrich Heim, c. 1890.
The Contest of Song on the Island of Nonnenwerth before the English King Edward III anno
1339 – to give the picture its full title – hangs on the south wall of the Main Staircase in its
complete original condition. It was painted by Heinrich Heim (1850- 1921). The contest of
songs here symbolises the furtherance of music and poetry in general.
(4) Riding out to the Hunt
Wood engraving based on Ferdinand Wagner’s wall painting, c.1890.
Hunting themes were the chief source of inspiration for the ornate decoration in the Dining
Room. The Munich artist Ferdinand Wagner (1847-1927) portrayed in fi ve paintings the course
of a hunt carried out by the Knight of Drachenfels Castle in the 14th century, the scenery
being that of the Rhine embankment. Only the right-hand part of the east wall with its main
painting of a stag hunt has been preserved. The Riding out to the Hunt originally acted as the
introduction to the series of paintings.
(5) The Quarrel between Kriemhild and Brunhild outside Worms Cathedral
Wood engraving based on a wall painting by Frank Kirchbach
The fi ctional link of the Siegfried legend with the Drachenfels was probably the reason why
a room at Schloss Drachenburg, the Nibelung Room, was dedicated to the saga. Its artwork,
consisting of ten key scenes from the Song of the Nibelungs was created by the Munich
painter Frank Kirchbach (1859-1912). The best-known and most publicised scene features
the quarrel between the two queens outside Worms Cathedral.