Niederheimbach

My Image of Niederheimbach at Imagekind

Niederheimbach in the Heimbach valley is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. First settlements appeared in the Neolithic period (1000--1800 BC). The Celts inhabited the area around 450BC, and the Romans occupied the area between the first and fourth centuries AD. The Heimbach stream was first mentioned in 955, and the village of Heigenbach was recorded in 1059. The town flourished until the http://www.pipeline.com/~cwa/TYWHome.htm (1618-1648). It was burned and looted in 1639, and was scourged by plague (1625 and 1666). In the eighteenth century its main revenue came from wine and navigation. It was a main centre for Rhine pilots. In 1794, the area was taken over by France and incorporated into the Bacharach prefecture of Koblenz. Under terms of the Congress of Vienna (1815) it was awarded to the Prussian Lower Rhine. From 1830 to 1832, and between 1892 to 1901 the fairway section of the river was widened and deepened, although passage remained problematic until 1974. The Märchenhain fairytale-themed park opened in 1926, but for many years was left in a state of neglect until a private firm undertook its restoration at a new location in 1997. In 1999, the assets of the Märchenhain were turned over to Niederheimbach

Burg Sooneck

My Images of Burg Sooneck on Imagekind
Sooneck 1
Sooneck 2

Sooneck protected the Trechtingshausen estates belonging to Kornelimunster Abbey near Aachen. The knights of Bolanden and lords of Hohenfels (after 1241) were stewards of Sooneck and Reichenstein during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. These robber barons angered the alliance of Rhenish towns, which besieged the castles in 1254. In 1270/1271, robber baron Philipp von Hohenfels was forced to sell Sooneck to the church of Mainz. In April 1346, Johann Marschall zu Waldeck, leased Sooneck from Erzbischof Heinrich III von Mainz and rebuilt it in the following years. In 1689, during the Nine Years War, Sooneck was blown up by the French. Between 1842 and 1861, Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and his brothers, Carl and Albrecht, converted Sooneck into a hunting lodge. Sooneck was the last Rhine castle to be rebuilt by the Hohenzollerns, and the restoration was planned and executed by architect and engineer, Major Karl Schnitzler The restoration retained the castle’s 14th century elements. Attractions include exposed landscapes and collections of weapons, Empire and Biedermeier furniture, and the castle pub.

Legend states that Siebold of Sooneck and Hans Veit of Furstenberg came to quarrel. Hans was a great bowman, and Siebold was a great swordsman. Siebold challenged Hans to a sword duel, which Siebold won. Siebold ordered that Hans be blinded. Hans became Siebold's captive, and suffered in the dungeon. During a party at Burg Sooneck, Siebold decided to humiliate Hans by mocking Hans’ inability to draw bow. Siebold stated that if Hans could shoot a goblet thrown into the air, he would be freed. When Siebold tossed the goblet upward, instead of firing at the goblet, Hans released an arrow into Siebold’s neck, killing him instantly. Afterward, Hans lowered his bow and cried, either from the joy of being free or from delight at the prospect of shooting his bow.