Eltz Castle is one of the most beautiful and most famous castles in Germany. Hidden in a dense forest near Koblenz, it has attracted crowds of curious tourists for almost a thousand years. I think it's time to join them!
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| Eltz Castle |
General information
Burg Eltz Castle is located on a large rocky hill surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Elzbach River. For more than 800 years it has been owned by the Eltz aristocrats and to this day it is a private property. For a long time of its existence, the fortress has never been robbed or destroyed, therefore its medieval interiors have been perfectly preserved to this day. Moreover, this citadel managed to survive several world wars and the bloody French Revolution, which left its mark on many architectural monuments in Germany, but for some reason did not affect Eltz.
And the point here is not trivial luck or the influence of miraculous forces, but the fact that the fortress is perfectly protected from an external enemy. Firstly, it is surrounded by a powerful stone wall, and secondly, there are only two ways to get to the territory. One of them runs through the main gate, to which a long and incredibly narrow bridge leads, and the other through additional ones located on the southeast side.
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| Eltz Castle |
To date, the castle is owned by the 33rd generation of the famous German dynasty. However, unlike his predecessors, its current owner, Count Karl von Eltz-Kempenick, chose to leave for the city, opening his house to tourists. Nowadays, sightseeing tours and historical films are shot here on a regular basis.
History
The medieval castle Burg Eltz in Germany has a long and very interesting history. The first mention of this place dates back to 1157, which makes Eltz one of the oldest citadels in the country. The construction of this historical object, which lasted more than one hundred years, began with a powerful defensive fortress that guarded the trade route between two cities - Eifel and Mosel. However, by the middle of the 13th century. it passed into the ownership of 3 brothers, who divided the premises among themselves and began to live each in their own half. This is how the main branches of the Eltz dynasty were laid, each of which had not only separate chambers, but also its own coat of arms.
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| Eltz Castle |
Over the next few years, the palace was actively completed and acquired new forms. This interested the local archbishops, who decided to use it for church needs. The confrontation between the priests and the inhabitants of the castle lasted for 2 years and ended with the signing of a peace treaty that took into account the interests of both parties.
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| Eltz Castle |
The building acquired its present appearance in 1540. Then a large-scale restoration of its interiors began, which required truly huge investments (today this amount would have amounted to about 8 million euros). Since then, noble persons began to regularly stay in Bur Eltz, including the last king of Germany, Wilhelm II.
Today this fortress is one of the most important and most visited sights of the country.