Eltz Castle

Wierschem, Germany

Eltz Castle (Burg Eltz) is surrounded on three sides by the Elzbach River, a tributary on the north side of the Moselle. It is situated on a 70m rock spur, on an important Roman trade route between rich farmlands and their markets. It is still owned by a branch of the same family that lived there in the 12th century, 33 generations ago. The Rübenach and Rodendorf families' homes in the castle are open to the public, while the Kempenich branch of the family uses the other third of the castle. The Palace of Bürresheim (Schloss Bürresheim), the Castle of Eltz and the Castle of Lissingen are the only castles on the left bank of the Rhine in Rhineland-Palatinate which have never been destroyed.

The main part of the castle consists of the family portions. At up to eight stories, these eight towers reach heights of between 30 and 40 meters. They are fortified with strong exterior walls; to the yard they present a partial framework. About 100 members of the owners' families lived in the over 100 rooms of the castle. Platteltz, a Romanesque keep, is the oldest part of the castle. In 1472 the Rübenach house, built in the Late Gothic style, was completed. Remarkable are the Rübenach Lower Hall, a living room, and the Rübenach bedchamber with its opulently decorated walls. Between 1490 and 1540, the Rodendorf house was constructed, also in Late Gothic style. It contains the vaulted 'banner-room'.

The Kempenich houses were finished about 1530. Every room of this part of the castle could be heated; in contrast, other castles might only have one or two heated rooms. From 1965 to 1992, an engraving of Eltz Castle was used on the German 500 Deutsche Mark note.

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Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Richard Krogh (6 months ago)
The tour was interesting. We went in the morning on a weekday and it was fairly quiet, but it quickly got busier towards mid day. There is a shuttle option from the car park for 2 euro pr person. It is nice walking through the forest and suddenly spot the castle. It is quite well hidden in a river valley.
Artem Babikov (7 months ago)
Amazing magnificent place ! Excursion takes 45 minutes. There is a free toilet and 2 cafes inside. Entrance price is around 15€ plus 2€ is one way bus . Castle is surrounded by mountains so you can walk down to get there and take a bus to go back up the mountain to leave the place.
Hashim Fakhreddin (7 months ago)
Beautiful historical castle, amazing views and landscape. We really enjoyed our English guided tour that was part of our ticket. The tour was really insightful and interesting. If you're able to hike, would recommend walking down to the castle, see how you go, then at the bottom decide whether you can hike up or take the shuttle for €2 Entrance to the castle was €14, which is alright considering it comes with a guided tour. Also the souvenir shop was amazing, lots of great items for great price
Joseph Buckles (7 months ago)
It's a beautiful drive up to the castle. Car park was €8. While you can take a bus for €4/pp each way the walk along the trail is very easy and makes the reveal all the better. It's a pretty castle with a lot of history. But it isn't exciting. The tour was bland and rushed. No real time to really enjoy and appreciate it. I'd like to suggest that maybe they get period dressed guides in the rooms to tell stories. The cafe is reasonably priced. The food was also tasty. I'd like to have spent more time hiking around. That will be a return trip.
Abdulkareem Fallaha (8 months ago)
The castle is magnificent. The valley is awesome for a small hike You can take photos outside and in the treasure place, but it is not allowed to take photos inside the castle The guide was very nice and told us about the history of the castle, the family Eltz, who still, until this day, owns the castle You will see their pictures inside
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