Eltz Castle

Elz Castle is the most picturesque castle in Germany. It was built in the 12th century in the middle of the forest on a towering cliff at the foot of the river. Since the time of construction, the property has been owned by the Elts aristocrats, and to this day it is the property of the baron's descendants. Throughout its history, the architectural monument has never been subjected to conquest, destruction or fire. Nowadays, the original interiors are everywhere.

The castle was originally divided between the three Elts brothers, all of them with a well-founded clan lived under the same roof of the palace. Each subsequent generation of the Elts family, over the course of 5 centuries, expanded the premises of the palace according to their discretion and needs, resulting in an architectural creation of unusual beauty with features of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles.

The current owner of Eltz Castle, who is already the 33rd in a row, has opened the entrance for tourists, and the money for the visit goes to maintaining the castle in good condition. It is forbidden to take photos only in the middle of the castle. As a museum, the entrance is open to visitors from April to October. Sightseeing tours lasting 40 minutes are conducted every day.

The Elts Palace has 10 towers, the tallest of which reaches 42 meters in height. All the towers seem to be glued to each other, it's hard to see where one ends and the other begins. The fortified walls occupy a large area. The number of rooms in which members of the noble family lived is more than 100. The Platelz house, built in Romanesque style with a six-storey residential tower, is considered the oldest of them.

All 10 residences have a full complex of buildings, with utility rooms, a kitchen, a bedroom, a main hall and a chapel. Today, all residences converge on the fourth floor.

The castle has large collections of paintings, luxury items, weapons, furniture – all of them were collected by former owners and passed down from generation to generation. The walls are decorated with tapestries, art canvases, paintings by German painters of the Cranach dynasty. There are about 40 fireplaces here. You can see the hall of arms, the hall of knights, the medieval kitchen, the countess's room, the bedrooms with frescoes of very fine workmanship. Of particular value is the castle's treasury, which houses more than 500 masterpieces of art.

The image of Eltz Castle was depicted on a 500-mark bill in the period 1960-1990.