Rolandsbogen shrouded in legend
Rolandseck Castle was built as a defence for the convent on Nonnenwerth island lying opposite at the start of the 12th century. Together with Drachenburg and Wolkenburg they were used by the Electorate of Cologne to safeguard the borders to the south. In the 17th century Rolandseck Castle collapsed during an earthquake, with only one window arch left standing - the current Rolandsbogen became the emblem of Rhine Romanticism.
The Rolandsbogen is named after Roland, the brave knight and count, who was the nephew and champion of Charlemagne. He is the subject of a dramatic legend. The poet Ferdinand Freiligrath, born in 1810 in Detmold, saved the Rolandsbogen: He had treasured memories of it from his explorations in the surrounding Rhineland. When news of the collapse of the arch reached him, he became involved in its reconstruction and initiated an appeal for donations. The Rolandsbogen was actually able to be rebuilt that very year in line with the plans of Ernst Friedrich Zwirner, the Cologne cathedral master builder at that time. A monument to remember the committed poet now stands on the path up to the Rolandsbogen.
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