St. Goar On The Rhine
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Sankt Goar is a town on the west bank of the Middle Rhine in the
Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis is a district (german: Kreis) in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn, Mainz-Bingen, Bad Kreuznach, Birkenfeld, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Coc ...
(
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
) 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 ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde''
Hunsrück-Mittelrhein Hunsrück-Mittelrhein is a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' is in Emmelshausen. It was formed on 1 January 2020 by the merger of the fo ...
, whose seat is in
Emmelshausen Emmelshausen is a town in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Hunsrück-Mittelrhein, to which it also belongs. Emmelshausen is a state-recognized climatic spa (''Luftku ...
. Sankt Goar is well known for its central location in the Rhine Gorge, a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
since July 2002. Above the town stand the ruins of Burg Rheinfels, one of the
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
s for which the Middle Rhine is famous, and across the river lies the sister town of Sankt Goarshausen with its own castles,
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 ...
and
Maus ''Maus'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, serialized from 1980 to 1991. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The work employs postmodern technique ...
(“Cat” and “Mouse”). The famous Lorelei rock is close by, slightly upstream on the opposite bank.


Geography


Location

Sankt Goar lies in the Rhine Gorge and the narrow canal on the Rhine that flows through the Rhein Massive. This part of the gorge on the left bank borders on the edge of the Rhein - Hunsrück, on the right bank it Borders on the Banks of the
Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is ''Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and ''Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range spans ...
. The characteristic narrow-valley form came into use through
downcutting Downcutting, also called erosional downcutting, downward erosion or vertical erosion is a geological process by hydraulic action that deepens the channel of a stream or valley by removing material from the stream's bed or the valley's floor. The ...
in a massive that was undergoing an
uplift Uplift may refer to: Science * Geologic uplift, a geological process ** Tectonic uplift, a geological process * Stellar uplift, the theoretical prospect of moving a stellar mass * Uplift mountains * Llano Uplift * Nemaha Uplift Business * Uplif ...
. The nearest major Towns are the city of
Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...
, some 24 km to the north, and the town of Bingen am Rhein, some 25 km to the southeast, in both cases as the crow flies. Sankt Goar is linked by the Loreley Ferry with its sister town of Sankt Goarshausen directly across the Rhine. The Rhine's width here is roughly 250 m. In Sankt Goar and the Gründelbach, Rainwater flows from the Hunsrück and empties into the Rhine.


Constituent communities

The town is made up of several parts that belong to St. Goar, The main centre on the Rhine, also called Sankt Goar, two centres up on the heights, Biebernheim and Werlau, and two further centres on the Rhine, Fellen to the north and “An der Loreley” to the south.


History

The area around what is now the town of Sankt Goar was already settled in
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
times. The name in the
Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
was ''Wochara'', after a short brook emptying into the Rhine here. The name by which the town goes today is from
Goar of Aquitaine Saint Goar of Aquitaine ( la, Goaris; 585 – 6 July 649 AD) was a priest and hermit of the seventh century. He was offered the position of Bishop of Trier, but prayed to be excused from the position. Goar is noted for his piety and is revered ...
, who came to live on the site where the town now stands during
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
,
Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
King
Childebert I Childebert I (c. 496 – 13 December 558) was a Frankish King of the Merovingian dynasty, as third of the four sons of Clovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511. He was one of the sons of Saint Clo ...
’s reign (511-538). Goar came as a young clergyman (actually, a monk) from Aquitaine in the southwest of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and at first lived as a
hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
in a cave on the Rhine. With leave from the Bishop of Trier, he worked as a missionary to the local people. He was well known for his great hospitality, particularly towards the Rhine boatmen. Later, he built on the site where the town now stands a
hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...
and a
chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
. Many legends gathered about him. After his death, about 575, Goar’s grave became a
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
site and the place was named after him. Frankish King
Pepin the Younger the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of t ...
transferred the hospice and chapel in 765 to the Abbot of the
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
Prüm Abbey as a personal
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
. From this grew the Sankt Goar Canonical Foundation, witnessed as early as the late 11th century. The ''
Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
'' notes that “a small church” was dedicated to
Goar of Aquitaine Saint Goar of Aquitaine ( la, Goaris; 585 – 6 July 649 AD) was a priest and hermit of the seventh century. He was offered the position of Bishop of Trier, but prayed to be excused from the position. Goar is noted for his piety and is revered ...
in 1768 “in the little town on the banks of the Rhine which bears his name (St. Goar).” It is also reported that
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
built a church over the site of Goar's hermitage. It is around this church that the town of Sankt Goar grew on the left bank of the Rhine between
Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...
and
Boppard Boppard (), formerly also spelled Boppart, is a town and municipality (since the 1976 inclusion of 9 neighbouring villages, ''Ortsbezirken'') in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, lying in t ...
. Beginning in 1190, the town was under military protection and the jurisdiction of 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 ...
, the monastery '' Vögte'', who had taken ownership. In 1245, Count Diether V of Katzenelnbogen built the
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
, Burg Rheinfels. When the last of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen died in 1479, Sankt Goar passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse. On 1 November 1527, Adam Krafft, who would later be a professor of
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
, began to introduce the
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
on a mission from
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567), nicknamed (in English: "the Magnanimous"), was a German nobleman and champion of the Protestant Reformation, notable for being one of the most important of the early Protestan ...
. In 1567, upon Philip's death, the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided among his four sons. His youngest son,
Philip II, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels Philip II of Hesse-Rheinfels (1541, Marburg – 1583), also called ''Philip the Younger'', was the first Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels. Philip was the third son of Landgrave Philip the Magnanimous and Christine of Saxony (1505–1549). After his ...
, was awarded the Lower County of Katzenelnbogen, and thereby the castle and the town. In 1580, 175 people in Sankt Goar fell victim to the
Plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...
; only 18 years later, in 1598, it claimed another 142. In 1635, in the midst of the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, more than 200 people died in another outbreak. In 1598, Franz Schmoll built the ''Rheinfels-Apotheke'' in Sankt Goar, only the third apothecary in Hesse, after the ones in
Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
and
Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
. As a result of a longstanding dispute between
Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
and
Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...
over the partitioning of the Landgraviate of Hesse, the latter had Burg Rheinfels and Sankt Goar besieged for several weeks in the summer of 1626 with help from
Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...
troops. which eventually led to the town's capitulation and its attendant plundering by Spanish troops. Between 1626 and 1647, Sankt Goar belonged to Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1647, troops of Landgravine Amalie Elisabeth of Hesse-Kassel conquered the castle and the town. On 14 April 1648, George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt ceded the Lower County of Katzenelnbogen along with Sankt Goar “in perpetuity” to Hesse-Kassel. While Hesse-Kassel was under Imperial law the rightful landholder, lordship over the Lower County of Katzenelnbogen passed to Landgrave Ernst I, who on 30 March 1649 made his entrance into Sankt Goar and founded the Hesse-Rheinfels(-Rotenburg) line. Landgrave Ernst ruled until his death in 1693 at Burg Rheinfels, his comital residence, as one who was tolerant in matters of religion, and one who took great interest in his office, contributing considerably to Sankt Goar's economic growth, something the town sorely needed after the ravages that it had sustained in the Thirty Years' War. In the
Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
(known in Germany as the ''Pfälzischer Erbfolgekrieg'', or War of the Palatine Succession), however, the town and the castle lay under
siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
yet again, this time by 28,000
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
troops. Despite attempts at storming the town, they could not penetrate its defences. In 1711, after a dispute over inheritance, Landgrave William of Hesse-Wanfried was awarded the Landgraviate of Hesse-Rheinfels; he then called himself William of Hesse-Rheinfels. The Emperor transferred the castle to him in 1718. In 1731, Christian of Hessen-Wanfried (known since 1711 as Hessen-Eschwege) inherited the Landgraviate of Hesse-Rheinfels along with the castle. The castle was ceded to Hesse-Kassel for good in 1735. In 1755, after Christian's death, the Landgraviate passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Rotenburg. In 1794, the castle was given up to French Revolutionary troops without a fight, and in 1796 and 1797, great parts of it were blown up. French rule lasted until 1813. In 1815, the castle passed into
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n hands and Sankt Goar became a district seat. After the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the town was for a while once again occupied by the French. The
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, too, came to Sankt Goar. In mid March 1945,
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
troops reached the town and occupied it, although occupational authority was transferred, once again, to the French in early July. Since 1946, Sankt Goar has been part of the then newly founded state of
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 ...
. In the course of administrative restructuring 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 district of Sankt Goar, whose seat the town had been, was dissolved in 1969 and the town was grouped into the
Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis is a district (german: Kreis) in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Mayen-Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn, Mainz-Bingen, Bad Kreuznach, Birkenfeld, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Coc ...
, whose seat was in
Simmern Simmern (; officially Simmern/Hunsrück) is a town of roughly 7,600 inhabitants (2013) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen. In the Rhinelan ...
. In 1972, the town also became part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel.


Amalgamations

In the course of administrative restructuring, the new ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel was formed on 22 April 1972 out of the towns of Sankt Goar and
Oberwesel Oberwesel () is a town on the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Hunsrück-Mittelrhein, whose seat is in Emmelshausen. Geography Location Oberwesel lies ...
, with its seat in the latter town. On 7 June 1969, the formerly self-administering municipalities of Biebernheim and Werlau were amalgamated with Sankt Goar.


Population development

The table shows population figures for selected years since the early 17th century.


Politics


Town council

The council is made up of 20 council members, who were elected by
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman. The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results: The voter turnout for this latest municipal election was 61.0%. This contrasts with 67.5% in 2004 and 70.4% in 1999.


Mayor

Sankt Goar's mayor is Falko Hönisch (SPD).


Coat of arms

The German blazon reads: ''Im geteilten Schild oben in Gold ein blaubewehrter roter Löwe (heraldisch Leopard), unten hinter einem goldenen Gitter goldene Lilien auf blauen Feld.'' The town's
arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...
might in English
heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
language be described thus: Per fess Or a demilion guardant gules armed, langued and crowned azure, and azure trellised with each space charged with a fleur-de-lis of the first. The charge in the upper part of the
escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...
is the heraldic emblem formerly borne by 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 ...
, who ruled Sankt Goar from the 13th century. Sankt Goar was the centre of the Lower County of Katzenelnbogen. The lilies in the lower part of the escutcheon refer to
Saint Mary's St. Mary's, St. Marys, or St. Maries may refer to the following places: Australia * St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** St Marys railway station, Sydney ** North St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * St Marys, South Austra ...
patronage of
Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
, the centre of the Upper County of Katzenelnbogen. The town colours are red and white.


Town partnerships

Sankt Goar fosters partnerships with the following places: *
Châtillon-en-Bazois Châtillon-en-Bazois is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Nièvre department *Parc naturel régional du Morvan Morvan Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional du Morva ...
,
Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
since 1973


Culture and sightseeing


Buildings

The following are listed buildings or sites 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 ...
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:


Sankt Goar (main centre)

* Burg Rheinfels (monumental zone) – one of the biggest castle ruins on the Rhine, noteworthy both for the castle-building technique of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen in the 14th century and for the palatial and fortification building work done in the 16th and 18th centuries by the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel
Founded in 1245 by Count Diether of Katzenelnbogen on the site of an older valley castle; in the 13th and 14th centuries expanded into a residence for the Lower County, in the 14th and 15th centuries a midpoint on the Rhine; 1567-1583 residence of Landgrave Philip II of Hesse-Rheinfels; from 1796 demolished by explosives in stages and used as a stone quarry
Four-sided inner castle with
keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
preserved only as a foundation; keep built up in 14th century into the “butterchurn shape” (that is, with a thinner turret on top), ''Frauenbau'' (“Women’s Building”),
shield wall A shield wall ( or in Old English, in Old Norse) is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation, but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder ...
with two towers; from 1480 to 1527 expanded into a fort; partial moat between inner castle and shielding wall covered by barrel vaulting, on the Rhine and Gründelbach valley sides outlying defences, at the Biebernheimer Feld, outer defences; about 1570/1580 expanded into
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
residence; early 17th century mine tunnels (among other things); in the latter half of the 17th century further expansion, 1657-1667 Fort “Scharfeneck” and “Noli me tangere”, “Neue Ravelin” (today outside) and “Hohe-Ernst-Schanze”
The monumental zone encompasses the fortifications including the mountain upon which they stand and which stretches spurlike towards the south to the town wall, whose remnants are included in the monumental zone. To this also belong the parade square, the so-called “White Villa” or “Rheinfels Estate”, built shortly before 1900 by the manufacturer Reusch; exposed location next to the Rheinfels ruin; plastered building with
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
elements, rusticated pedestal, gable risalto on the slope side,
bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. Types Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or r ...
on the valley side, lookout porch-balcony and tower (''see also below'') *
Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
Collegiate Church, Markt 3 – three-naved Late Gothic gallery hall church, eastern part on Romanesque crypt, Late Romanesque quire, towers flanking the quire, beginning of the tower expansion marked 1469; extensive reconstruction, 1889–1895, architect Heinrich Wiethase,
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
(''see also below'') * Saint Goar's and Saint Elizabeth's
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Parish Church (''Pfarrkirche St. Goar und St. Elisabeth''), Heerstraße 133 –
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
basilica, quarrystone, 1887–1891, architects Heinrich Wiethase and Eduard Endler, Cologne; in 1923 tower of the
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
predecessor building incorporated as a belltower (''see also below'') * Inner town (monumental zone) – The monumental zone ends in the north with the Catholic Church, there abuts on remnants of the town wall standing at the southwest facing the slope, which runs along to the modern bastion at the south end shortly before the tunnel, turns from there towards the northeast to the Rhine and ends at the no longer existing, but documented, town wall tower in the heights; on the Rhine the boundary runs along '' Bundesstraße'' 9 (side towards the mountains) * Town wall – only the side towards the mountains preserved: northern stretch of wall 14th century with three-floor ''Kanzleiturm'' (“Chancellery Tower”) and three-floor ''Hexenturm'' (“
Witches’ Tower Witch tower or Witches' Tower (german: Hexenturm) is a common name or description in English and other European languages for a tower that was part of a medieval town wall or castle, often used as a prison or dungeon. History The name is derive ...
”), ruin of the ''Taubenturm'' (“Doves’ Tower”, or perhaps “Dovecote”) in the southern half; ''Neuer Turm'' (“New Tower”) 17th century; ''Nappenturm'', great three-floor blockhouse, southern stretch of wall with bastion called ''Pastete'' (“pie”), after 1736 * Am Hafen 2 – former ''Amt'' courthouse; three-floor plastered building, marked 1898 * Am Hafen 4/6 – ''Städtische Schule'' (“Municipal School”); Late Historicist building with hipped roof with corner risalti, partly slated, partly
timber-frame Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
, 1901 * Am Hafen 8 – representative Gothic Revival house, marked 1903 * Am Hafen 10 – plastered building on quarried-slate pedestal, about 1910; whole complex of buildings * Bismarckweg 1–3 – former District Chairman's Office;
Baroque Revival The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptur ...
plastered building, 1914–1916, side wings 1928 * Grebelgasse 4 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, hipped roof, marked 1780 * Gründelbach 4 – ''Haus Tusculum'', representative house, partly ornamental timber framing, conservatory, 1900; whole complex of buildings with garden * Heerstraße 5 – representative house, partly ornamental timber framing, marked 1892; garden * Heerstraße 9 and 11 – timber-frame villa, Swiss style, marked 1879; whole complex of buildings with garden * Heerstraße 13 – angled plastered building, about 1890 * Heerstraße 41, Oberstraße 81 – ''Loreleyhaus''; timber-frame house, partly solid, plastered, 18th century * Heerstraße 59 – plastered building, essentially from the late 18th century, shop front from the 1930s; timber-frame outbuilding in the back, plastered; in the back garden hoisting beams, quarrystone wall. * Heerstraße 63 – Hotel “Silberne Rose”; three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, 17th century * Heerstraße 71 – “Rheinhotel”, formerly “Goldene Kette” inn; three-floor plastered building, marked 1789 * Heerstraße 81 – ''Kreissparkasse'' (“District Savings Bank”); thirteen-axis, three-floor plastered building, marked 1936 * Heerstraße 82 – Hotel “Zum goldenen Löwen”; three-floor timber-frame building, partly solid, plastered, marked 1782 * Heerstraße 101 – timber-frame house, partly solid, marked 1675, essentially possibly from the 16th century, wooden sculpture * Heerstraße 105 – three-floor plastered building, early 19th century * Heerstraße 123 – three-floor timber-frame house, partly solid, marked 1682, essentially older * Heerstraße 130 – Town Hall; brick building with cross-shaped plan, mixed styles from Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival, marked 1880 * Kirchplatz – hand pump, possibly from Rheinböllen Ironworks, latter half of the 19th century * Inside Markt 1 – two-vaulted cellar, possibly
mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
* Markt 2 – former district electricity office; building with
mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
, 1922 * Markt 4 – former Collegiate building, so-called monastery; fifteen-axis plastered building, essentially timber-frame, marked 1724, essentially older * Opposite Oberstraße 3 – ''Hanbrunnen'' (well); well chamber inside quarried-slate wall, marked 1778 * Oberstraße 15 – nine-axis building with hipped roof, marked 1749 * Oberstraße 16 – three-floor representative building with hipped roof, mid 18th century, upper floor in the 19th century; whole complex of buildings with garden * Oberstraße 19 – building with mansard roof, timber framing sided, late 18th century * Oberstraße 20 – six-axis building with hipped mansard roof, marked 1764 * Oberstraße 27 – ''Haus Napp''; building with mansard roof, timber framing plastered, marked 1780 * Oberstraße 32 –
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
;
Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
quarrystone building, 1926–1928, goods clearing hall, 1909/1910; whole complex of buildings with underpass and track facilities * Oberstraße 34 – “Hoffmanns Weinstube” (wine parlour); quarrystone building, 1929, with parts of the 17th-century predecessor building * Oberstraße 38 – “Alte Weinstube zur Krone” (wine parlour); timber-frame building, partly solid, 18th century * Oberstraße 39 – three-floor house, partly timber-frame, early 20th century * Oberstraße 77 – Gothic Revival brick building, 1891 * Pumpengasse – two hand pumps, possibly from Rheinböllen Ironworks, latter half of the 19th century * Schleiergasse 9 – timber-frame house, partly solid or slated, 18th century; whole complex of buildings with brick stable, about 1900 * Schlossberg/corner of Bismarckweg, graveyard – Böcking tomb * Sonnengasse 6 – three-floor timber-frame house, plastered, marked 1779 * Sonnengasse 8 – two-floor timber-frame building, partly solid, plastered, building with mansard roof, marked 1750 * Winterhafen – diving bell “Kaiman” of the ''Rheinstrombauverwaltung'' (“Rhine Electrical Building Administration”), built in 1892, last of formerly two diving bell ships used between Cologne and
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
for underwater work on the riverbed


Biebernheim

* Evangelical church, Dorfstraße 8 – building with mansard roof with trapezoidal quire, 1702–1705, with parts of the predecessor building; whole complex of buildings with surrounding area * An der Bach/corner of Linnenstraße – cast-iron hand pump, Rheinböllen Ironworks, latter half of the 19th century * Auf der Schanz 2 – Late Classicist plastered building, latter half of the 19th century * Dorfstraße 2 – timber-frame house, early 18th century * Kuhweg – cast-iron hand pump, Rheinböllen Ironworks, latter half of the 19th century * Linnengasse 52/54 – two-winged timber-frame building, hipped roof, 18th century


Fellen

* Prussian milestone, obelisk, about 1820/1825


Werlau

*
Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
’s Evangelical Church (''St. Georgskirche''), Kirchstraße – 1692-1698 new building an
aisleless church An aisleless church (german: Saalkirche) is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways on either side of the nave and separated fro ...
, tower 1789–1791, prayer room 1892, conversion 1905, new construction of tower, 1906/1907 * Rheingoldstraße 52 – former rectory; Classicist building with hipped roof, sided (timber framing?), 1832/1833, building inspector F. Nebel, Koblenz * Forsthaus Brandswald (forester's house), northwest of the village – one-floor quarrystone building, commercial wing, barn, bakehouse and well, early 19th century


More about buildings

The castle, Burg Rheinfels, stands – or rather lies in ruins – above Sankt Goar and was founded in 1245 by Count Diether of Katzenelnbogen. After it had been expanded into a fort, it was the biggest defensive complex in the Rhine Gorge and set the standard for castle building throughout the Empire. In the late 18th century, French Revolutionary troops destroyed the fort, after which the complex was used as a stone quarry for other building work. In 1843, Prince William of Prussia, later Kaiser Wilhelm I, acquired the ruin, thus preventing further destruction. Since 1925, the town of Sankt Goar has owned the castle. Today the complex houses a hotel operation and an inn. Also, it houses the town's local history museum. The Evangelical Collegiate Church, consecrated to Saint Goar, in the centre of Sankt Goar is a church with Romanesque and
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
features. The three-vaulted Romanesque
crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
comes from the late 11th century. In the three-naved church up above are wall paintings from the latter half of the 15th century. The ''Katholische Pfarrkirche zum Hl. Goar'' (Catholic Parish Church) was built in the late 19th century in the
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style. Worth seeing are Saint Goar's Late Gothic tomb slab and a
retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate structur ...
from 1480, which is among the most valuable works of Middle-Rhine painting.


Museums

The ''Deutsches Puppen- und Bärenmuseum'' (“German Doll and Bear Museum”) on Sonnengasse (lane) in Sankt Goar has since 1985 been giving visitors a review of the dolls,
teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...
s and other toys from various generations. In an area of 600 m2, more than 3,000 pieces from various collectors are exhibited. Moreover, the museum provides knowledge about dollmaking, doll tailoring and the work done in the museum's own doll and bear clinic. The ''Wahrschauer- und Lotsenmuseum'' in Sankt Goar, dedicated to boat signalling and
pilotage Piloting or pilotage is the process of navigating on water or in the air using fixed points of reference on the sea or on land, usually with reference to a nautical chart or aeronautical chart to obtain a fix of the position of the vessel or air ...
on the Middle Rhine, is found at a former pilotage and signalling station at the ''Bankeck'' at river kilometre 555.43. The museum collects and keeps extensive information about the history of shipping on the Rhine. Just outside the museum is an outdoor area where exhibits from the pilots’ and signalmen's daily life may be viewed. The museum is open from May to September. At the local history museum at Burg Rheinfels are exhibits from the town's and the castle's history.


Regular events

* Easter Monday: Festival of the Flying Bridge * First weekend in June: Castle Market and Knightly Tournament at Burg Rheinfels * Third weekend in July: Marksmen's and Local History Festival * Fourth weekend in July: Traditional Werlau Local History Festival in the outlying centre of Werlau. * First weekend in August: ''Hansenfest'' * Third weekend in August: St. Goar fire brigade promotional association's festival * First weekend in September: Traditional ''Biewerumer Quetschekerb'' in the outlying centre of Biebernheim * Third weekend in September:
Rhein in Flammen Rhein in Flammen (English: "Rhine in Flames") is the name of five different firework displays along the river Rhine in Germany. The displays take place annually, at various locations along the river. On the five different dates, brightly illuminat ...
fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...
from Burg Katz near Sankt Goarshausen, Burg Rheinfels near Sankt Goar and from the middle of the Rhine.


Economy and infrastructure

The town's main industry is
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
. Other industries are
winegrowing Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
and
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
.


Winegrowing

In 1240 the Counts of Katzenelnbogen owned a
vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
called Amererberge. Sankt Goar's
vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s lie in the winemaking subregion of ''Rheinburgengau'' within the Middle Rhine wine region. The local winemaking appellation – ''Großlage'' – that belongs to this subregion comprises four smaller operations – ''Einzellagen'' – around Sankt Goar. Three of them, ''Rosenberg'', ''Frohwingert'' and ''Ameisenberg'', lie on the Gründelbach valley's steep slopes, while the fourth, ''Kuhstall'', lies on the slope on the side of the Rhine Gorge opposite the Loreley. The vineyards are all steeply terraced and are planted mainly with Riesling.


Language

In German linguistics, the
Sankt Goar Line In German language, German linguistics, the Sankt Goar line, line, or line is an isogloss separating the dialects to the north, which have a ''t'' in the words (English ''that'') and (English ''what''), from the dialects to the south (includin ...
is an
isogloss An isogloss, also called a heterogloss (see Etymology below), is the geographic boundary of a certain linguistic feature, such as the pronunciation of a vowel, the meaning of a word, or the use of some morphological or syntactic feature. Major d ...
separating dialects to the north from those to the south. See
High German consonant shift In historical linguistics, the High German consonant shift or second Germanic consonant shift is a phonological development (sound change) that took place in the southern parts of the West Germanic dialect continuum in several phases. It probably ...
.


Transport


Road

Running through Sankt Goar (main centre) and the outlying centre of Fellen is '' Bundesstraße'' 9. Sankt Goar is linked to the
Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
A 61 (
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...
-
Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border. Geography Municipal subdivisions Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...
) by ''Landesstraße'' (State Road) 213, which leads to the
Emmelshausen Emmelshausen is a town in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Hunsrück-Mittelrhein, to which it also belongs. Emmelshausen is a state-recognized climatic spa (''Luftku ...
interchange (no. 42) 14 km away. For some years, planning has been under way for a Middle Rhine bridge between Sankt Goar and Sankt Goarshausen. It would be the first bridge across the Middle Rhine on the roughly 100-kilometre-long stretch between
Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...
and
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
.


Rail

The Sankt Goar
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
lies on the
West Rhine Railway The West Rhine railway (German: ''Linke Rheinstrecke'', literally 'left (bank of the) Rhine route') is a famously picturesque, double-track electrified railway line running for 185 km from Cologne via Bonn, Koblenz, and Bingen to Mainz. It i ...
(
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
 –
Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
 – Bingen –
Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...
 –
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
; DB route book no. 471) and is no longer staffed. Tickets can now only be bought from vending machines.


Ship

Sankt Goar has landing stages on the Rhine for various companies that run ships on the river, among them the Köln-Düsseldorfer line. The pedestrian and car ferry ''Loreley VI'' links Sankt Goar on the Rhine's left bank with its sister town Sankt Goarshausen over on the right bank. The town's harbour, “Rheinfelshafen”, lies right below the Burg Rheinfels ruin. Since 1994, the harbour has offered a
marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
for leisure craft of up to 15 m. Another harbour, for
yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
s, called “Hunt”, is found farther north in the outlying centre of Fellen.


Public institutions

Located in Sankt Goar is a court of first instance that has within its responsibilities the functions of ''Rheinschifffahrtsgericht'' (a court pertaining to matters involving shipping on the Rhine) and ''Moselschifffahrtsgericht'' (the same again, for the
Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
). In this capacity, the court is directly subordinate to the ''Rheinschifffahrtsobergericht Köln'' or ''Moselschifffahrtsobergericht Köln'', as the case may be. These are both administered through the ''
Higher Regional Court of Cologne The Higher Regional Court of Cologne (german: Oberlandesgericht Köln; abbreviated: ') is one of the three Higher Regional Courts of North Rhine-Westphalia. History The Higher Regional Court of Cologne is the successor of the Appellate court ...
''. Sankt Goar is the seat of a '' Wasserschutzpolizei'' station, which is responsible for the stretch of river between
Bacharach Bacharach (, also known as ''Bacharach am Rhein'') is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not withi ...
and
Osterspai Osterspai (formerly ''Osterspey'') is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. References External links Picture of Osterspey, J.F. Dielmann, A. Fay, J. Becker (painter): F.C. Vogels Panorama d ...
(river kilometres 544–575). Furthermore, there is a Sankt Goarshausen–Sankt Goar branch location of the financial office.


Notable residents


Sons and daughters of the town

* Nikolaus Burgmann (1360–1443), cathedral deacon, professor at the
University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
,
Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...
* Justin Göbler (1504–1567), jurist *
Diederich Thomas Fretz Diederich is both a German surname and a masculine German given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Benjamin W. Diederich (1903–1974), American politician *Bernard Diederich (1926–2020) American author, journalist and historian ...
(1743-1815), merchant for the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
and commander of Galle Fort in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
between 1792 and 1796 *
Johann Samuel Eduard d'Alton Johann Samuel Eduard d'Alton (July 17, 1803 - July 25, 1854) was a German anatomist born in Sankt Goar. He was the son of engraver Eduard Joseph d'Alton (1772–1840). He studied medicine at the University of Bonn, and subsequently taught anat ...
(1803–1854), anatomist * Adolf Friedrich Graf von Schack (1888–1945), Major, participant in the
20 July plot On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. The ...
* Richard Stöss (1944–    ), German political scientist * Eliezer ben Yaakov, also knowns as Zalman of St. Goar, a disciple of Maharil who published the latter's works


Famous people associated with the town

* Landgrave Ernst I of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (1623–1693), chose Burg Rheinfels as his comital residence, had it expanded into a fort, and in 1649 moved in. He contributed considerably to Sankt Goar's economic growth in the wake of the Thirty Years' War.


Sister Cities

*
Siem Reap Siem Reap ( km, សៀមរាប, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap has French colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old F ...
, Cambodia, since 13 May 2015


Further reading

* F.C. Vogel: ''Panorama des Rheins, Bilder des rechten und linken Rheinufers'', Lithographische Anstalt F.C. Vogel, Frankfurt 1833Panorama des Rheins, Bilder des rechten und linken Rheinufers, St. Goar: Ansicht 2
, retrieved 24 November 2009
* Josef Heinzelmann: ''Der Weg nach Trigorium… Grenzen, Straßen und Herrschaft zwischen Untermosel und Mittelrhein im Frühmittelalter'', in: Jahrbuch für westdeutsche Landesgeschichte 21 (1995), S. 9–132. * Josef Heinzelmann: ''Die Landgrafen-Grablege in der Stiftskirche St. Goar'', in: Jahrbuch für westdeutsche Landesgeschichte, 29 (2003), S. 25–61.


References


External links

*
Map of Sankt Goar
(PDF file; 399 kB) {{Authority control Populated places on the Rhine Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Middle Rhine