Der sagenumwobene Mäuseturm
Quelle: Benedikt Schinke
There are historical records and legends about the tower on the small island in the Rhine just in front of Bingen. It is a fact that the Romans built a small defensive fortification here. During the period of the Franks it decayed more and more. Only when Hatto II took over the leadership in Mainz in 968 and ruled over Bingen the tower awoke from its long slumber. Up to then Bingen had not been part of the empire, but the severe regency demanded considerably more taxes and placed the population under subjection. According to the legend, Hatto II restored the tower and stayed there sometimes when he visited the town, because he felt relatively safe there. A sudden illness forced him to stay on the island, where he was said to have been attacked by thousands of mice and died soon afterwards in
Mäuseturm und Ruine Ehrenfels
Quelle: Stadt Bingen
Bingen in 970. Since then the tower has been known as the Mäuseturm (Mouse Tower).
In 1298 the tower was part of the customs system involving Ehrenfels Castle. French troops destroyed the building in 1689. It was not until 1855 that people remembered its significance. The Prussians erected a signal tower for the Rhine ships, and it can still be seen today.