North Tower - Schloss Drachenburg

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Nibelung Room “Heroes and heroines, everything in splendid harmony with the rest of the artistic designs in this room which no visitor will ever forget”. (Drachenfels and Schloss Drachenburg at Königswinter on the Rhine, undated, c. 1904).) The “Nibelung Room” gets its name from the subject matter of the large-scale wall paintings by Frank Kirchbach (1859- 1912) depicting ten key scenes from the Song of the Nibelungs. The glass paintings for the windows once showed protagonists and motifs from the Germanic saga. Indirectly conveying the intentions of the castle owner – by refl ecting the notions of (state) loyalty, political conviction, manhood and martial virtues – the mural also points to the function of the room as a kind of gentlemen’s lounge. It was the conversation room or smoking room to which the men withdrew after dinner for political discussion or a simple chat. At the same time, the medieval ambience of the room served the lord of the manor as a kind of haven – the place for a fantasy journey into the past. Over the course of the castle’s changing history, the Nibelung Room served a number of purposes and was redesigned accordingly. Until 1930, the room could be viewed in its pristine condition. From 1931 to 1938, it served as a school staffroom for the Christian Brothers. During the Second World War, the glass paintings and parts of the interior decoration were destroyed. After the war, in 1948, the college accommodated at the castle by the German Railways Board used the room as the Principal’s Offi ce and, when the castle stood empty during the 1960s, the wall paintings suffered severe damage whether in the form of water or theft by degrees. However, with the coming of the Spinat era from 1971 onwards, the fi ttings and furnishings saw some return to former Gründerzeit splendour. Parts missing from the canvas were replaced. Fluctuations in temperature, damp and unprofessional handling also beset the woodwork and the paintings. And so, in 2006, to preserve these unique witnesses to the 19th century, the entire Nibelung Room was meticulously restored with close reference to the way it looked at the time of building – i.e. lovingly restored and historically refurnished. Designs for the glass paintings in the Nibelung Room: middle window wing with skylight and right-hand window wing (Archiv Mayer’sche Hofkunstanstalt München)
Nibelung Room with a view through the Reception Room and Dining Room Postcard 1905 (Archiv Schloss Drachenburg gGmbH) Main Picture: The Quarrel of the Queens from the Nibelung Room Coloured lithograph, c. 1904. (Archiv Schloss Drachenburg gGmbH) Layout of the Nibelung Room Frank Kirchbach’s cycle of pictures contains ten scenes from the Song of the Nibelungs (oil on canvas … 1. King Gunther presents Brunhilde as his queen to the people 2. The quarrel of the queens outside Worms Cathedral 3. Siegfried’s leave of Kriemhild after the plotting by Gunther and Hagen 4. Siegfried’s death: murdered by Hagen at the spring 5. Siegfried’s body outside Kriemhild’s chamber 6. The revenge: the ride of the Burgundians to Rüdiger’s castle at Bechelaren 7. The betrothal of Giselher to Dietlind, Rüdiger’s daughter 8. In Etzelburg: Volker the Fiddle and Hagen on night watch against the Huns 9. Kriemhild beseeches Rüdiger to take his men to battle and destroy the Burgundians. The Burgundians on the stairs. 10. Kriemhild cuts off Hagen’s head over Gunther’s body. A: Glass painting with the dragon slain and the fi nal verse of the Song of the Nibelungs 26
Page 1 and 2: Schloss Drachenburg Visitors’ Gui
Page 3 and 4: Intro Dear Visitor, It is a great p
Page 5 and 6: Architectural Decoration The design
Page 7 and 8: Venus Terrace The Venus Terrace pla
Page 9 and 10: „Save the Petersberg!“ The Pete
Page 11 and 12: The Icon of Rhine Romanticism: the
Page 13 and 14: Nordic Summer Houses The second own
Page 15 and 16: Wotan Summer House After Jacob Hube
Page 17 and 18: Sea of Rocks Geologically speaking,
Page 19 and 20: Roland‘s Arch, Rhine Romanticism
Page 21 and 22: Nature Conversationists and the Dra
Page 23 and 24: A view from the east into the Main
Page 25 and 26: Joseph Flüggen: Sleeping Beauty Po
Page 27 and 28: Looking into the Hunting Trophy and
Page 29 and 30: Lacunae in the Main Staircase paint
Page 31 and 32: Reception Room, postcard 1905 (Arch
Page 33 and 34: For further information about the C
Page 35: Dining Room, postcard 1905 (Archiv
Page 39 and 40: West side of the Art Gallery with b
Page 41 and 42: Uhland window with lacunae Found 20
Page 43 and 44: Looking into the Tavern Room with t
Page 45 and 46: Hunt & Billiard Room, postcard 1905
Page 47 and 48: Library and Study Postcard 1903 (Ar
Page 49 and 50: Music Room, postcard 1905 - showing
Page 51 and 52: Layout of the Private Floor Porcela
Page 53 and 54: Preserved glass painting entitled Y
Page 55 and 56: Guest Bedroom, postcard 1905 (Archi
Page 57: Reconstructed stencils in the south

North Tower - Schloss Drachenburg

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