Katz Castle (german: Burg Katz) is a castle above the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
town of
St. Goarshausen
Sankt Goarshausen (abbreviated St. Goarshausen) is a town located in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Nassau on the eastern shore of the Rhine, in the section known as the Rhine Gorge, directly across the river from Sankt Goar, in the German state Rhinel ...
in
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
. The castle stands on a ledge looking downstream from the riverside at
St. Goar. It was first built around 1371 by Count William II of
Katzenelnbogen. The castle was bombarded in 1806 by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
and rebuilt in the late 19th century, in 1896–98. It is now privately owned, and not open for visitors.
Description
Etymology
After the original castle "Burg Katzenelnbogen" (lit. ''Castle
fCat's Elbow'') this medieval fortress castle is officially known as ''Burg Neukatzenelnbogen'' (''Castle
fNew Cat's Elbow''). It used to be and still is, however, comfortably and commonly contracted to "die
urg
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a protein that stimulates cell growth and differentiation by binding to its receptor, EGFR. Human EGF is 6-k Da and has 53 amino acid residues and three intramolecular disulfide bonds.
EGF was originally desc ...
Katz" ("the
astle
Astle is an English surname of dual origins. In the East Midlands, the surname is certainly of patronymic origin. This is also a possibility in Cheshire yet the name there more probably originated as a locative surname.
Origin in the East ...
Cat").
As such, it is popularly linked with
Burg Maus
Maus Castle (german: Burg Maus, meaning ''Mouse Castle'') is a castle above the village of Wellmich (part of Sankt Goarshausen) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It lies on the east side of the Rhine, north of Katz Castle (''Cat Castle'') in Sankt ...
("the
astle
Astle is an English surname of dual origins. In the East Midlands, the surname is certainly of patronymic origin. This is also a possibility in Cheshire yet the name there more probably originated as a locative surname.
Origin in the East ...
Mouse"), which was indeed erected in closest possible vicinity as its military counterpart.
Architecture
The castle is of compact layout, consisting mainly of a great hall and a massive
bergfried
''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under German ...
, originally 40 metres tall, on the uphill side.
In 1435, the
Counts of Katzenelnbogen
The County of Katzenelnbogen was an immediate state of the Holy Roman Empire. Chatti Melibokus is a very old tribe who stayed on a high hill in the Bergstraße region of Hesse (the part that lies south), in Germany. It existed between 109 ...
were the first to plant
Riesling
Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...
grapes in their vineyard.
The History of the County of Katzenelnbogen and the First Riesling of the World
/ref>
Katz Castle and its surroundings are the place of action for the Belgian comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
''L'Orgue du Diable
''Yoko Tsuno'' is a comics album series created by the Belgian writer Roger Leloup published by Dupuis in '' Spirou'' magazine since its debut in 1970. Through thirty volumes, the series tell the adventures of Yoko Tsuno, a female electrical eng ...
'' in the Yoko Tsuno
''Yoko Tsuno'' is a comics album series created by the Belgian writer Roger Leloup published by Dupuis in '' Spirou'' magazine since its debut in 1970. Through thirty volumes, the series tell the adventures of Yoko Tsuno, a female electrical e ...
series by Roger Leloup
Roger Leloup (; born 17 November 1933) is a Belgian comic strip artist, novelist, and a former collaborator of Hergé, who would rely upon him to create detailed, realistic drawings and elaborate decoration for ''The Adventures of Tintin''. .
Gallery
Burg Katz, St. Goarshausen, Southwest view 20141002 2.jpg, Southwest view
Katz Castle, Goarshausen (i.e., Sankt Goarshausen), the Rhine, Germany-LCCN2002714108.jpg, The castle in the 1890s, before the reconstruction
Burg Katz, 5.jpg, View from Lorelei rocks
St. Goarshausen Burg Katz 2015-10-29 16.24.09.jpg, View from Lorelei harbor
Castle on the Rhine.jpeg, View from Rhine
Notes and references
External links
Katz Castle
Katz Castle
in th
Lorelei
Valley
Katz Castle
near the Lorelei
{{Coord, 50, 09, 06, N, 7, 43, 27, E, region:DE-RP_type:landmark, display=title
Buildings and structures completed in 1371
Katz Katz or KATZ may refer to:
Fiction
* Katz Kobayashi, a character in Japanese anime
* "Katz", a 1947 Nelson Algren story in '' The Neon Wilderness''
* Katz, a character in ''Courage the Cowardly Dog''
Other uses
* Katz (surname)
* Katz, British C ...