North Tower - Schloss Drachenburg

Private Floor
In contrast to the stately reception rooms on the ground fl oor, the second fl oor of the castle
accommodated two self-contained private apartments. Facing north was the private apartment
of castle owner Stephan von Sarter which consisted of a study, a dressing room, a
bed room and a breakfast room. Facing south was the guests-of-honour suite reserved for
special visitors to the castle and it consisted of a living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom.
These two apartments were separated at the centre by the Music Room also used for social
occasions. The rooms of the private apartments could be reached by corridors to the north
and south. Moreover, it is from these corridors that the modest side staircases branch off –
for use by staff to access and service all fl oors.
Despite their private character, the two apartments rated highly in terms of both quality and
prestige. Only shortly after completion of the building in 1882, the writer Elise Polko was to
enthuse about the romantic-styled “living and sleeping chambers” kept for guests of honour.
Indeed, the fi rms commissioned to furnish the premises enjoyed the best reputation.
The Parisian fi rm of Jouvenau, for example, supplied the palisander furniture for the study,
dressing room and bedrooms while the Mainz-based fi rm of Bembé supplied the furniture to
the breakfast room. When the castle was modifi ed in the 1930s, all this furniture was auctioned
off so that the apartments could be used as classrooms. The Music Room, however, retained
its furniture and purpose.
One of the original items, a porcelain painting showing a facsimile of Rubens’s famous work
Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus was re-acquired in 2002. At fi rst, it had hung over the
bed of the owner but, when the castle was sold in 1910, the second owner, J. H. Biesenbach,
took it with him and later sold it himself.
Worthing singling out here are the wood-grained painted stucco ceilings of the rooms. The
ultimate effect is ceilings made of wood. In parts, they have also been stencilled to give the
appearance of inlay technique.
The last private owner, Paul Spinat, did not attempt to furnish the rooms in line with the
original use or provide Wilhelmine-type furniture. Instead, the dressing room and study of the
private apartment, which had been made into one room in the 1930s, were now renovated as
a bedroom, as the Pompadour Room – including, it was claimed, Madame Pompadour’s bed.
Today, though, following restoration on the basis of earlier descriptions and inventories, the
rooms have been fi tted with items of furniture from the time Schloss Drachenburg was built.
The rooms on this private fl oor are open for viewing as part of the guided tours.