Katz Castle

The medieval fortress on this hill appears in the second half of the 14th century. The foundations of Katz was placed somewhere around 1371 by Count Wilhelm II of Katzenellenbogen. For a long time it was used as a fortification bastion and military base to protect the castle Rheinfels. Both the castle formed a strong unified system, which was the barrier of the Rhine and a place to collect the fees for crossing the river.

The place where Katz Castle rises was extremely well chosen. In practice the fort was impossible to capture by the river. Following the discovery of the firearm, it had emerged that the construction of the Maus Castle needed to be strengthened. For centuries both the Castle Maus and Katz were in contrast to each other.

Katz Castle was the official home of the Counts Katzenellenbogen. By 1479, however, the last of the influential family died. Previously, Katz became the place where the Counts of Katzenellenbogen first planted grapes from a special variety, beginning the tradition of wine making. The building of the castle Katz was bombed in 1806 and had undergone major repairs between 1896 and 1898. Today Katz Castle is privately owned and not open for public visits.

Shot from a riverboat on the Rhine River - July, 2006

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