Rolandseck

Crowning the vine-clad hills behind it lie the ruins of the castle, a picturesque ivy-covered arch, whence a fine view is obtained of the Siebengebirge and the Rhine valley as far as Bonn.

Rolandseck is connected to Bad Honnef by a car ferry, with the Lohfelderfähre district on the opposite bank of the Rhine.

Immediately below Rolandseck in mid-river is the island of Nonnenwerth, on which is a nursing school under the conduct of Franciscan nuns, established in 1850.

Tradition assigns the foundation of the castle of Rolandseck to Charlemagne's paladin, Roland.

It was certainly built at a very early date, as it was restored by Frederick I, archbishop of Cologne, in 1120, and it was a fortress until the end of the 15th century.