Brömserburg Castle/ Niederburg Castle Once directly situated on the Rhine, this castle was the property of the Arch-bishops of Mainz from the beginning of the 10th until that of the 19th Century. It was converted to a residence castle in the 12th century. Its more than two-meter thick walls and vaults successful-ly withstood every attack. The Duke of Longueville was able to destroy only the southeastern portion in 1640. The castle was inhabitated until 1937, and acquired by the city of Ruedes-heim in 1941. Today it contains the collections of the Rheingau Wine Museum. Boosenburg Castle/Oberburg Castle The Romanesque defensive tower is in the immediate proximity of the Broem-serburg. CASTLES AND BUILDINGS Its construction reveals through its form that it had been erected around the 9th century. With its 38-meter height it dominated all other buildings in the city. The entire property is now privately owned and is not available for sight-seeing. Ehrenfels Castle Ruins In 1220 the Archbishop of Mainz orde-red, in place of a previously owned pri-vate castle, the construction of an im-pressive castle, which was to serve as a profitable source of income through the transit tax levies. Due to its strategically favourable location, it was hard-fought for in the 30 years-war and burned down in 1689. Since then the Ehrenfels, which is located in the vineyards bet-ween Rüdesheim and Assmanns-hausen, has been one of the most pho-tographed ruins on the Rhine. Mouse Tower The tower was built in the first half of the 14th century as a watch tower for the Ehrenfels Castle (on the right of the Rhine bank). Aside from being a signal tower at the “Binger´s Loch”, it also ser-ved as a border marker of the Prussian 9 Eagle Tower Once located directly on the river bank, the 20.5 meters high, Late Gothic tower is part of the former city fortification and was built in the 15th century. The underground dungeon was acces-sible only through a hole in the vaulted ceiling. In winter when the Rhine froze, a bas-ket with burning material served as a fire signal and was displayed on the tower. In the 19th century the Adler or Eagle Inn was housed here, which gave the tower its name. Goethe stayed here during his visits in Ruedesheim. Rüdesheim Noble Courts Situated in the Oberstraße are a series of beautiful old courts from various cul-tural epochs. Among them are the Frankensteiner Hof, the Ritter’sche Hof, and the Bassenheimer Hof. Undoubtedly the most beautiful of all of the Ruedes-heimer noble courts is the Broemser-hof, built in 1542. The former seat of the old Ruedes-heimer Broemser, the most impressive aspects are the Gothic chapel and the Hall of the Forebears decorated with lordly frescoes. Today the building hou-ses a Museum. Klunkhards Estate The imposing, two-storied half-timbe-red house with a slight bend in the middle dates from the first half of the 16th century. The solid back wall is the defensive wall of the oldest town fortification. The front side looking on to the street shows an attractive arrangement of half-timbe-ring and three dwarf gables also half-timbered, of which the middle one has a wooden bracket. The estate was formerly owned by the well-respected family Klunkhard who also produced a former abbot of the Monastery in Eberbach. Today it is one of the most splendid buildings in Old Rüdesheim. CASTLES AND BUILDINGS 8