Sankt Goarshausen lies right next to Loreley Rock in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town combines a historic old town and distinctive buildings with trails exploring themes from church history to natural history. During your stay, you can choose from a range of interests: the town’s architectural history, the Loreley or a hike with geological and natural history information.
Loreley Rock and World Heritage
Loreley Rock is a 125-metre-high slate cliff at Rhine kilometre 555. Sankt Goarshausen lies right beside it, and the rock is part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. This gives you a specific landscape feature to connect with your visit to the town. The World Heritage Site also covers a larger stretch of the Middle Rhine, making the Loreley a local landmark within an extensive cultural landscape.
Old Town, Towers and Castles
The old town has two town towers and several listed half-timbered houses. At the end of the old town, a historic portal crane dating from 1917 stands beside the Rhine. The Round Tower is 22.60 metres high and still serves as a clock tower. Together, these buildings reveal different aspects of the town’s history: historic homes, towers and an industrial heritage landmark on the river.
Castle Katz rises above the old town on a steep rock. It has stood there since 1343, was destroyed on Napoleon’s orders in 1806, and was rebuilt between 1897 and 1905. This sequence links its medieval origins with its destruction and subsequent reconstruction. Castle Maus above Wellmich was built from 1356 onwards and is also known as Castle Peterseck, Deuernburg and Thurnberg. At Castle Katz, its eventful building history shapes how you see it; at Castle Maus, its various historical names do too.
The churches offer another glimpse into the area’s long history. The Catholic Church of St. Martin at the foot of Castle Maus was first mentioned in a document in 1042 and contains Gothic frescoes. The Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist was completed in 1925; its ceiling painting was influenced by the school of Lucas Cranach. The Evangelical Church, built between 1860 and 1863, is another building regarded as a landmark of Sankt Goarshausen.
Trails with Different Themes
The 700-metre-long Five Wounds Trail begins in the Sankt Goarshausen area between Wellmich and Dahlheim. Six wayside shrines line the trail. The first was erected around 1869, and four more followed by 1900. The Mining and Landscape Trail takes a different approach: it runs from Wellmich to Sankt Goarshausen-Ehrenthal, and information boards explain geological and natural history features. The trails therefore differ in theme: one focuses on the wayside shrines and their history, the other on geology and natural history. Check local trail conditions before setting out.
A Rhine ferry runs between Sankt Goarshausen and St. Goar. It also provides access to the left-bank trails Rhein-Burgen-Weg and Welterbesteig Oberes Mittelrheintal. If you are considering a route on the left bank of the Rhine, factor in the crossing and check the current timetable and trail conditions.
Visitor Attractions on the Loreley
The Loreley Visitor Centre is located on the Loreley and caters to visitors to the area. Check its opening arrangements before your trip. The Loreley Open-Air Theatre is right next to the visitor centre and regularly hosts cultural events. As event dates can change, it is worth checking the programme for your travel dates. The Loreley Museum displays objects related to wine and drinking culture; check its opening arrangements before visiting as well.
Rhein-Lahn in a Broader Context
Within the wider travel destination of Rhein-Lahn, the district’s right-bank stretch from Kaub to Lahnstein lies in the Loreley Valley and the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Site as a whole covers a 65-kilometre stretch between Bingen, Rüdesheim and Koblenz, with historic small towns, terraced vineyards and castle ruins. Riesling grapes grow on the steep slopes of the Middle Rhine in the Loreley area and are used to produce high-quality wines.
Discover more destinations: Sauerthal, Kestert, Dörscheid, Kaub, Braubach, Kamp-Bornhofen, Osterspai, Prath
Back to the main travel overview: Loreley.
