Prince's View

From Prinzenplatz there is an excellent view of Altenberg Cathedral and the former monastery complex.

It was at this historically significant site that the fate of Altenberg Cathedral is said to have taken a decisive turn around 200 years ago: After the dissolution of the monastery in 1803, the buildings south of the cathedral were used as a chemical factory at the beginning of the 19th century. An explosion destroyed the roof structure, and the gables and vaults were severely damaged. The ravages of time took their toll on the unstable tracery, and by 1830 the once stately church had become a ruin.

The then Crown Prince Frederick William IV, in his capacity as governor of the Rhenish province, visited the ruins of Altenberg Cathedral. As he gazed upon the ruins from this spot on the hillside, he is said to have resolved to champion their reconstruction. One of the reasons may have been the tomb of Sibylla of Brandenburg, an ancestor of the Prussian royal family. 

Frederick William attached one condition to his involvement: he himself was a Protestant, and the Catholic church should henceforth be used simultaneously, that is, by both denominations. Thus, to this day, both congregations are based in Altenberg Cathedral.

In 2021, the long-forgotten Prinzenplatz was made accessible again with the help of the "Heimat-Zeugnis" funding program and attractively furnished with information boards and places to linger.