Sauerberg Castle, which lies in a picturesque and isolated site by Sauerthal, stands out above all thanks to its handsome, 32-metre bergfried and high dividing wall with timber frame top. The estate lies on an entry path from the Rheinsteig trail and is therefore of special interest for hikers.
Count Palatine Ruprecht I of the Palatinate received permission in 1355 from the Archbishop of Mainz to build one of the mightiest border strongholds in today’s World Heritage Site. Sauerberg Castle, which lies in a picturesque and isolated site by Sauerthal, stands out above all thanks to its handsome, 32-metre bergfried and high dividing wall with timber frame top. Despite the extensions and historicised upgrading in the 20th century, the complex has remarkable substance for monument protection. This is how it transmits an authentic image of a strong, late mediaeval to early modern age castle.Since 2021, various events fill the castle with life. It is also possible to stay overnight in vacation apartments inside the castle.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.