Drachenfels, Summit in Siebengebirge, Germany

Drachenfels is an extinct volcanic summit made of trachyte near Königswinter, rising 321 meters (1053 feet) above the Rhine valley. On the top stand the remains of a medieval fortress, which you can reach by a steep hiking trail or by rack railway.

Archbishop Arnold I of Cologne began the castle after 1138 and completed it around 1167, securing the Cologne territory against attacks from the south. In 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, it was slighted and never rebuilt; only the three-storey keep and a wall fragment with the "Cologne Window" remain. Quarrying for trachyte, documented since Roman times, undermined parts of the ruins.

The name comes from the dragons that, according to legend, lived here before Siegfried came and killed one of them. Today many hikers come to see the castle ruins and enjoy the view of the river.

The hike on foot takes about half an hour on a path with several curves and inclines. Those who take the rack railway travel comfortably up in a few minutes and can save their energy for the way back.

Riesling vines grow on the slopes, forming the northernmost wine-growing area in the Rhine valley. The harvest is done by hand on the terraced plots, as machines cannot be used on the steep terrain.