The Late Gothic Eagle Tower was built in the 15th century as a part of the Rüdesheim city fortification. It is 20,5 m high with a 5 m interior diameter, 1 m thick walls, four floors and an underground dungeon accessible only through a hole in the vaulted ceiling. It was located close to the river. In winter, when the frozen up Rhine was safe for crossing on foot, a basket with combustible material was put on the tower as a fire signal. In the 19th century, when the Adlerturm housed an inn called “Zum Adler” (In the Eagle), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany’s greatest poet and literary man, frequently stayed here during his Rüdesheim visits in order to enjoy the magnificent view of the Rhine. Today the Adlerturm is the property of a bank.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.