Loreley
"She combs it with a golden comb
and sings a song;
it has a wondrous,
powerful melody"
Excerpt from "Die Loreley" by Heinrich Heine
The steep rock, the narrow valley and the Rhine with its whirlpools and shallows still pose dangers for Rhine shipping today. So it's no wonder that numerous ships have crashed here in the past and that the rock has given rise to myths and legends. The legend of the Loreley is more closely associated with Rhine Romanticism than almost any other. It was Brentano who created the figure of the singing maiden on the rock in his ballad "Zu Bacharach am Rheine..." and Heinriche Heine who wrote one of the most famous songs about her. Since then, the legend of the Loreley has been sung in various languages all over the world.
According to legend, the Loreley was a mermaid who sat on this rock and combed her long, golden hair. With her beautiful song, she distracted the sailors so much that they no longer paid attention to their course in the dangerous current and the ships wrecked on the rocky reefs.
The Loreley open-air stage, which regularly hosts major events, is just a few steps away from the viewpoint.
