Katz Castle is a castle above the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 town of St. Goarshausen in Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....

. This magnificent castle stands on a ledge looking downstream from the riverside at St. Goarthe

Sankt Goar

Sankt Goar is a town on the left bank of the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel, whose seat is in the town of Oberwesel....

. It was first built around 1371 by Count Wilhelm II of Katzenelnbogen

Katzenelnbogen

Katzenelnbogen is the name of a castle and small city in the district of Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Katzenelnbogen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Katzenelnbogen.-History:...

. The castle was bombarded in 1806 by Napoleon

Napoleon I

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

 and rebuilt in the late 19th century, between 1896-98. It is now privately owned, and not open for visitors.

Etymology

Though commonly known as Katz, this is actually a contraction of Neukatzenelnbogen after the original Castle of Katzenelnbogen (Burg Katzenelnbogen). The name roughly translates into English as Cat's Elbow Castle, and so is popularly linked with that of the nearby Burg Maus

Burg Maus

Maus Castle is a castle above the village of Wellmich in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It lies on the east side of the Rhine, north of Katz Castle in Sankt Goarshausen and opposite Rheinfels Castle at Sankt Goar across the river.-History:Construction of the castle was begun in 1356 by...

, or "Mouse Castle".

Architecture

The castle is of compact layout, consisting mainly of a great hall and a massive bergfried

Bergfried

A bergfried is a tall tower typically found in medieval castles in German-speaking countries . Its defensive function is to some extent similar to that of a keep or donjon in English or French castles...

, originally 40 meters tall, on the side facing uphill.

In 1435 the Counts of Katzenelnbogen

County of Katzenelnbogen

The County of Katzenelnbogen was an immediate state of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed between 1095 and 1479, when it was inherited by the Landgraves of Hesse.The estate comprised two separate territories...

 were the first to plant Riesling

Riesling

Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. 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 white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...

 in their vineyard.
Burg Katz and its surrounds are the place of action for the Belgian comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 L'Orgue du Diable

L'Orgue du Diable

L'Orgue du Diable is the second book from Yoko Tsuno comic book series written by Roger Leloup and published in 1973. -Story:...

in the Yoko Tsuno

Yoko Tsuno

Yoko Tsuno is a comic book series created by the Belgian writer Roger Leloup published by Dupuis and in Spirou since its debut in 1970. Through twenty-five volumes, the series tell the adventures of Yoko Tsuno, a female electrical engineer of Japanese origin surrounded by her close friends, Vic...

 series by Roger Leloup

Roger Leloup

Roger Leloup is a Belgian comic strip artist, novelist, and a former collaborator of Hergé. He is most famous for the Yoko Tsuno comic series.- Biography :...

.

External links

• Burg Katz
• Cat Castle in the Lorelei Valley
• Burg Katz at the Lorelei