North Tower - Schloss Drachenburg

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The Library “The remarkable wooden ceilings, doors and wallpaper etc. are of the most tasteful and artistic design, just like the rest of the castle”. Drachenfels and Schloss Drachenburg near Königswinter on the Rhine, undated, c. 1904 In addition to its obligatory function as a study – and thus fi tted with desk, cabinet and bookcase – the Library at Schloss Drachenburg was planned with a representative role in mind, hence the high quality and artistic design. Indeed, the “private” study was located on the fi rst fl oor, which supports this interpretation of the Library on the ground fl oor as the “public” study. Together with the adjoining Hunt & Billiard Room, the Library functioned as a kind of Gentlemen’s Lounge and social room. Since the furnishings and the décor owed a lot to the advice of contemporary experts, both rooms underline Stephan von Sarter’s susceptibility towards the latest trends in living accommodation. The highly praised wooden fi ttings were made from 1884 to 1885 by the Cologne-based fi rm of Pallenberg in the then popular style known as “German Renaissance”. All the furniture items and furnishing elements were specially conceived for the Library. Even the glass paintings for the windows, which were made by the Munich-based Mayer’sche Institute of Court Art and which are now lost to posterity, were a part of the integrated spatial concept. They depicted the “various branches of knowledge” such as history, arithmetic, astronomy and geography as well as the North and South Poles (in a design by Anton Nepomuk Seder). In other words, the Library was purpose-built and has maintained that function over time, which is why the original wooden wall fi ttings have survived to a great extent. The present movable furniture has been reconstituted on the basis of historical pictures and descriptions. In other words, the room on view is more or less in its original state. Above the sofa, the oil sketch Handing Over of the Foundation Stone at Cologne Cathedral by the artist Friedrich von Keller was drawn circa 1884 as the draft to the same-named wall painting in the Main Staircase. It may, without a doubt, be considered one of the most valuable surviving testimonies from the construction years of Schloss Drachenburg. The subject of the picture refers to an event from the annals of local history. However, it also bears witness to the strong nationalist awareness of castle-owner Stephan von Sarter.
Library and Study Postcard 1903 (Archiv Schloss Drachenburg gGmbH) The Library in the 1930s. Illustration from a school brochure published by St Michael’s Boarding School/Schloss Drachenburg (Archiv Schloss Drachenburg gGmbH) Preparatory sketches for the windows in the Library. Illustration from the historical template books kept in the archives of the Mayer’sche Institute of Court Art in Munich Symbolism History: symbolised by the owl and the scroll. The owl is an ancient symbol of wisdom. As the creature symbolic of scholarship and knowledge and seeing through the darkness, today the owl is often found on the signets of academic publishing houses and bookshops. Arithmetic: symbolised by the set square, plumb line, ruler, compass, reckoning machine and numbers. But in addition to arithmetic, the objects so illustrated also bring in the subjects of geometry (set square) and architecture (plumb line). Astronomy: symbolised by the star, the planets, the astronomical globe and the signs of the zodiac. The central six-sided star, the Morning Star, on a blue background is surrounded by fi ve smaller stars representing the planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The scroll encircling the globe denotes various signs of the zodiac, including from left to right: Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus and Gemini. Geography: symbolised by ship, globe, telescope and exotic plants (coral and palm). In addition to its symbolism as the “ship of life”, the vessel also symbolises travelling. The billowing sails epitomise the winds while telescope and globe stand for the exploration of the world. The coral and palm here signify new and exotic discoveries. 31
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 and 36: Dining Room, postcard 1905 (Archiv
Page 37 and 38: Nibelung Room with a view through t
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: Hunt & Billiard Room, postcard 1905
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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