2023-08-02 07:28:01
Tourists in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley are mainly busy with one thing: looking out for the Loreley. The legendary figure who robs passing men of their minds and lives on the Loreley rock near St. Goarshausen because of their beauty.
Clemens Brentano described her in 1801 in his poem “Zu Bacharach am Rheine” as a seductive sorceress from whose “love bonds” there was no rescue. Wilhelm Kray painted her around 1878 as a demonic femme fatale who, bare-breasted and with a mischievous grin, plunged captains into misfortune – distracted by the magical figure, they wrecked their ships.
Since the invention of the legendary figure, one has seen nothing on top of the picturesque hill. But since April 15, 2023, there has finally been a Loreley figure on the Loreley – which is controversial and has triggered a lot of criticism. The new bronze Loreley on the crag 132 meters above the Rhine measures 2.20 metres. It is not to be confused with the two older Loreley figures that are down in the valley at the port of St. Goarshausen and in a beer garden on a steep slope.
During the unveiling of the new Loreley statue on April 15, 2023, the Berlin artist Valerie Otte (right) explained her work
What: dpa/dpa/Thomas Frey
Point of criticism 1: Unfortunately, the new Loreley was not mounted directly on the edge of the summit, but was moved a few meters back. This means that it cannot be seen from the Rhine down in the valley, for example for ship passengers passing by.
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Point of criticism 2: The Loreley does not look like the Loreley is imagined. The figure is the work of sculptor Valerie Otte – and she created a simple, realistic depiction. A figure with a cool facial expression, the body (including the breast) covered by an inconspicuous skirt that hardly stands out from the subsequent bronze rock representation, just as the hair on the back seems to flow into waves in which sinking ships are indicated.
In contrast to the new sculpture, the older Loreley figure at the port of St. Goarshausen can be seen well from the Rhine
Source: pa/Jochen Tack
The Rhenish Association for the Preservation of Monuments and Landscape Protection commented that it was an “everyday figure” that lacked any aura. The simple representation does not do justice to the importance of the mystical, dazzling, powerful and fateful nymph.
A “concrete runway” leads to the statue on the Loreley rock
There were already debates about the design of the Loreley summit in 2015, when the then Rhineland-Palatinate Secretary of State for Culture, Walter Schumacher, described the site as follows in an interview with the “castle blogger” Jessica Schober: “The Loreley is for the fact that this is a world-famous place , relatively messed up”. This was followed by a thorough polishing and transformation of the summit into a landscape park, which opened in 2019.
The view from the Loreley rock downriver to the Rhine and St. Goarshausen is worthwhile
Quelle: Getty Images/Andreas Rentz
In its center is a dead-straight “radiation path”, called a “concrete runway” by critics, which now leads to the new statue. A visitor center provides information about the “Myth of Loreley” and the region. In the neighboring restaurant “Am mythischen Fels” the farmer’s aspic “Felsplatte” and a “Loreley noble Riesling lovely” are served to strengthen the tourists.
After all, you have a beautiful view of the Rhine Valley from above. Wonderful how the river meanders through the dark slate mountains, the houses and towers of St. Goarshausen crowd the narrow strip of shore and Katz Castle is enthroned on a cliff above steep vine-covered slopes and the sparkling water.
There is also an older Loreley figure in a beer garden on the steep slope
Quelle: Getty Images/Andreas Rentz
“Bold castles on wild rocks” is how the philosopher Friedrich Schlegel described the panorama at the beginning of the 19th century; “The most beautiful stretch of land in Germany”, enthused the poet Heinrich von Kleist. The enthusiastic verses soon attracted tourists to the “Romantic Rhine” – this is how the discovery of Germany as a travel destination began.
You cannot see the Lorely from a ship on the Rhine
Meanwhile, down on the Rhine, the steamer “Goethe” is passing the Loreley rock and tooting in greeting. A trip on the restored paddle wheel ship from 1913 on the “Nostalgia Route” with stops between Koblenz and Rüdesheim is the most leisurely way to move through the Middle Rhine Valley.
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The well-known Loreley song with the melody by Friedrich Silcher and the text by Heinrich Heine (“I think the waves are swallowing up / At the end of Schiffer and Kahn; And that has done with their singing / The Lore-Ley”) sounds from the on-board loudspeakers. Even at the top of the crag, the music can be heard, at least until a freight train thunders along the bank, drowning out the lovely singing.
From above you can see how the people on the steamboat look up to the rocky peak – but they don’t get to see the Loreley. Because, see above, it was mounted too far back. On the other hand, this also has something good: because the captain doesn’t see the Loreley either – and therefore has no reason to distract himself from the “most beautiful maiden” and let the “Goethe” run aground.
Source: Infographic WORLD
Tips and information:
Getting there: By train: Long-distance trains to Frankfurt or Wiesbaden and continue with the “Rheingau line” in the direction of Koblenz/Neuwied to St. Goarshausen. Or from the north from Koblenz with the “Rheingau Line” in the opposite direction to St. Goarshausen. By shuttle bus 535 to the Loreley plateau or a one-hour hike via Katz Castle and the district of Heide.
By car: From Wiesbaden or Koblenz to St. Goarshausen to the parking lot (chargeable) at the visitor center on the Loreley plateau.
Loreley-Plateau: The culture and landscape park is open all year round, admission is free.
Accommodation: Kaiser holiday apartments in Patersberg with a view of Katz Castle and the Loreley in the background, from 75 euros plus 40 euros final cleaning, dreiburgenblick.com. “Rheinhotel St. Goar”, on the left bank of the Rhine in St. Goar, some rooms with a view of the Rhine and St. Goarshausen, which can be reached in five minutes by ferry, double rooms from 100 euros, rheinhotel-st-goar.de.
Nostalgia-Road: The steamboat “Goethe” operated by the Cologne-Düsseldorf Rhine shipping company runs on the route Koblenz-Rüdesheim-Koblenz (15 stops) until October 3rd, Tue-Sun and on public holidays. k-d.com/de/schiffstouren/nostalgie-route
Information: Loreley Touristik, loreley-touristik.de
“Bronze figure to be removed without further justification – this could have been solved differently”
Because students and female teachers felt “uncomfortable”, a bronze statue of a naked woman was removed from the foyer of the European University in Flensburg. Björn Demmin (independent), district administrator in the Plön district, says at WELT that he was very surprised by the discussion.
Source: WELT/ Marcus Tychsen
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