Just outside Trechtingshausen, looking towards Burg Sooneck and Bacharach
Just before he reaches Trechtingshausen on his way from Bacharach, Turner is presented with this peaceful vista of the Rhine – similar to the Hirzenach scene (Artwork 8). He looks back at this wonderful cluster of sunlit castle ruins, all combined in a single field of view. Bacharach and Castle Stahleck are faintly discernable in the distance, also bathed in sunlight. In the foreground Turner shows people harvesting grapes. The castles of Heimburg and Sooneck can be identified on the left bank of the Rhine. On the right bank Turner gives a suggestion of Lorch in the shadows and Castle Nollig. Today Castle Sooneck is owned by the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate and is open to the public. Castle Stahleck is owned by the Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege (Society for Monument Conservation) and is used as a youth hostel. The Heimburg and the ruins of Castle Nollig are privately owned.
Watercolour, 1817
Medium: watercolour on grey-washed paper
Dimensions: 220 x 360 mm
Collection: The British Museum; Turner Worldwide
Reference: TW0409; Wilton 671
Trechtingshausen is a veritable castle hotspot: the castles Sooneck, Reichenstein and Rheinstein are all in the immediate vicinity – and you can visit all of them.
Hiking: The RheinBurgenWeg hiking trail is approx. 15 min. away.
Address: Mainzer Straße, Trechtingshausen
Site: The Turner plaque is located on the sidewalk at the northern entrance to Trechtingshausen.
Public Transport: Trechtingshausen railway station: approx. 10 min. walk
By bike: slight detour from the Rheinradweg cycle route: approx. 5 min.
Parking: Parking available in Trechtingshausen