Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle did not play any outstanding role in history, but is known because it is perfectly preserved and is considered one of the most beautiful medieval castles in Germany. For about eight centuries, it has been owned by representatives of the same noble family – already in the 33rd generation!
The castle is located in the Eifel mountain region, but it is usually listed among the sights of the Moselle, although from that river to the castle it is still a long walk. It seems to hide from the outside world near the Eltz brook, which flows into the Moselle, and was built in the Middle Ages to guard the trade route that passed here, connecting the Eifel with the neighboring wine-growing region.
The easiest way to get to the castle is by car, entering Munstermaifeld in the navigation system, then following the signs. The nearest major city is Koblenz, 30 kilometers away. Within a radius of just over a hundred kilometers are Trier, Cologne, and Wiesbaden. By train, you need to change in Koblenz, then along the Moselle to the Moselkern stop. From there, it's about an hour's walk along the brook.
The castle appears before your eyes unexpectedly – and love at first sight is inevitable. Built in the 12th century, it is first mentioned in a deed of gift from Emperor Barbarossa. For the first hundred years of its history, Eltz served knights who guarded the road here. For their services, the knights levied a toll from merchants. Then it became the ancestral castle of the current owners.
Eltz Castle hides from the whole world in a quiet forest near the Moselle
In the first half of the 13th century, it was divided among three brothers. After that, each line owned a separate house here. The families grew, and the castle on the rock grew like a kind of 'swallow's nest', or rather like several nests tightly pressed against each other. As needed, the owners added floors and built extensions, which explains its unusual appearance.
Representatives of the Eltz family held high state and church offices in the Holy Roman Empire, which saved their residence from destruction during the War of the Palatine Succession of 1688-1689, when many castles in this region were damaged. In its entire history, it was besieged only once, during which, however, it did not receive serious damage.
Eltz was one of the most comfortable castles in Germany. It had about four dozen fireplaces. In other castles, only three or four rooms were usually heated – for children and women. Toilets were located in bay windows, and flushing was done with water from jugs and rainwater – via special gutters from the roofs, which was a very unusual solution for that time.
All these and many other details can be learned during an approximately 40-minute tour of the castle. Tours start at short intervals and are conducted alternately in English or German. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside.
The furnishings of the castle are all original. The walls of the halls are decorated with antique tapestries. Among the paintings are works by representatives of the Cranach dynasty – German painters of the Renaissance era. The Eltz family themselves do not live in the castle now, but when you walk through its rooms, it seems that it is ready to receive its owners at any moment, and the cooks from the huge kitchen have just gone to the pantry for provisions.
The castle is a private museum; its maintenance and repairs are financed mainly from tourist revenues. A standard ticket costs 9 euros. It also includes a visit to the treasury with weapons, clothing, and jewelry. The castle is open from April to the end of October, daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
After the tour, before heading back, you can relax at the café on the terrace or go down to the brook – just sit on the bank or have a picnic with a view of the old walls and roofs. The castle is visited by about 250,000 people annually. Among the guests have been several American and German presidents.