Also known as Burg Eltz, Eltz Castle is situated on the Elzbach River in southern Germany and is still occupied by descendants of the family that built it 850 years ago.
The castle is surrounded on three sides by the Elzbach River. Wolfgang Staudt/Flickr The biggest attraction of Burg Eltz is its architecture, with its eight residential towers that rise up to 115 feet tall, as well as its bay windows, roofs, trusses, and detailed stonework. Waldemar L/Wikimedia Commons The Dressing Chamber of Eltz Castle is decorated with 15th-century murals.Daniel71953/Wikimedia Commons The castle is located on a small rock outcrop within a larger valley and provides views for miles. Sebastian Ehlert/Pixabay The original structure that became Eltz Castle was begun in the 9th century and it was expanded over the next several centuries. The Eltz family permanently moved in in 1157 and has lived there ever since.Wikimedia Commons A dragon gargoyle next to a castle window disguises a rain runoff drain.mitko/Flickr One of the castle's many timber frame turrets that helps make this the epitome of a medieval fantasy castle.Derzno/Wikimedia Commons A stone entrance from the courtyard. Most of the castle dates to the 14th through the 16th centuries. Wikimedia Commons In the 17th century, Hans Jakob zu Eltz and his wife Anna Elisabeth von Metzenhausen undertook an expansion of the castle and commemorated their work by combining their family coats of arms around the castle. Left is the coat of arms of the Eltz family, and at right is the Metzenhausen coat of arms.Wikimedia Commons One of the many stone relief carvings that adorn the Eltz Castle's exterior. Wikimedia Commons The road leading to the castle. The Eltz Castle gatehouse was restored in the late 19th or early 20th centuries. immokoss/Flickr A view of Eltz Castle and its surrounding valley.Kora27/Wikimedia Commons Inside the Angel Room of Eltz Castle, used to store hunting weapons and trophies.Alex Hoekerd/Flickr The medieval Rodendorf Kitchen inside Eltz Castle has barely been altered since it was built in the 15th century. Daniel71953/Wikimedia Commons Inside Burg Eltz Chapel. tjflex/Flickr The castle Study was furnished in 1881 by Count Karl von Eltz so his wife could have a place to work. From 1845 to 1888, Karl embarked on a massive restoration of the castle that cost the equivalent of €15 million. National Office for Cultural Heritage/Wikimedia Commons Historical art items held in the castle Treasury. Heribert Bechen/Flickr Three gold-plated statues of Atlas, Chronos, and Hercules holding up the celestial, terrestrial, and planet globes held in the castle Treasury. These figures were originally conceived of as three of 12 for a clock by the German master horologist Abraham Drentwett II that was never completed. Wikimedia Commons The Eltz Castle Armory houses the world's oldest surviving cannon bolts in addition to one of the most extensive private collections of swords, piercing weapons, suits of armor, and firearms from the 14th to 17th centuries. isriya/Flickr From 1965 to 1992, Eltz Castle appeared on the German 500 Deutsche Mark note. Wikimedia Commons From the Elzbach River to the highest spire, Eltz Castle rises a staggering 300 feet tall. Wikimedia Commons A view of Eltz Castle from the west. The castle's original ground-level fortification walls were destroyed during a siege that ended in 1336 and were never rebuilt. Since then, the castle has never seen any battle action.Wolkenkratzer/Wikimedia Commons A view of the Eltz Castle gate and entrance bridge from the east. Wikimedia Commons A cobblestone path leads over a stone bridge to the castle gatehouse. molinarius/Flickr Burg Eltz contains 120 rooms in total, and today, the Treasury and Armory are the top tourist draws with their valuable collections of medieval artifacts. molinarius/Flickr
Inside Eltz Castle, Germany’s Majestic Medieval Stronghold That Hasn’t Changed In Hundreds Of Years View GalleryGermany's Eltz Castle stands as one of the most unique and awe-inspiring structures of its kind in the entire world. Called Burg Eltz in German, the castle is surrounded on three sides by a stream, while forests containing rare flora and fauna stretch for miles around in every direction.
Incredibly, it is one of only three castles on the left bank of the Rhine River in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate that has never been destroyed by the chaos and destruction of war.
And what's more, a line of the same family that built the medieval burg in the 12th century still owns it to this day. To date, 34 generations of the Eltz family have lived there since moving in permanently in 1157.
A Medieval Stronghold Surrounded By Forests And Lore
Wikimedia CommonsEltz Castle as it appeared around 1860.
Perched on a huge rock formation that itself sits inside a sweeping valley, Eltz Castle looks over the Elzbach River. There are no roads or modern buildings nearby, so it truly echoes the aesthetic of the middle ages. Eight towers stretch into the horizon and make for a truly breathtaking sight.
This fantastical castle garnered a cult following thanks to Instagram, as it isn't often promoted as a tourist attraction. The castle's exterior, location, and scenic hiking trails are photographed often — but photos of the interiors are not allowed. (So pictures of the inside of Eltz Castle that you see above have been taken by the rare rule-breakers.)
The family that owns Eltz Castle has done so through an unbelievable 34 generations. However, that doesn't mean there hasn't been any family drama.
In 1269, three brothers had a feud, and the estate was divided into three succession lines. Remarkably, that actually settled the feud. They simply divided up the fortress and occupied their own portions of the castle. They even wrote their own constitution.
Burg Eltz was not actually designed to be a fortress, even though it uses the German descriptor of "burg" instead of "schloss" for "the castle." It was meant as a residence. And a blueprint of this fairy-tale house was used as inspiration by Disney when designing Cinderella's castle for the animated film.
Inside Burg Eltz Castle And Its Ancient Rooms
Because only one branch of the Eltz family lives at the castle today, 80 of the 120 rooms inside Eltz Castle have been turned into a museum, including a treasury and armory that houses over 500 weapons, pieces of art, and other artifacts from the last 850 years.
And the inner courtyard showcases the different architectural styles that builders used as the castle grew over the years.
Wikimedia CommonsAerial image of the Eltz Castle (view from the south).
The most important room was likely the Knight's Hall, where festivals and meetings took place. However, a tourist hot spot is the Rodendorf Kitchen, which has remained all but untouched since the 15th century. It's as close to an authentic medieval kitchen as you're going to see.
There are the upper and lower Rübenach Halls, named after a minor branch of the family, that feature amazing stained-glass windows and murals on the walls. The lower hall even has the iconic Renaissance painting Madonna With Child and Grapes.
In the Angel Room, hunting trophies and weapons adorn the walls. The Wambolt Room houses a clothes press and spinning wheel. The Countess' Room features what is probably the oldest known painted Renaissance bed still in existence.
And in what's referred to as Banner Hall, the opulent gothic vault ceiling circa 1480 gives a nod to the fact this room was likely once a chapel. Since then, its main use was that of a dining or living room.
Other rooms include the dressing chamber, Elector's Room, and a study lovingly decorated in 1881 for the wife of Count Karl Graf zu Eltz.
If you want to feel like you're stepping right into a movie that's set in the Middle Ages, put the amazing Eltz Castle on your must-see list and take a look through the gallery above to see the stunning Burg Eltz in all its Medieval glory.
After learning about Germany's iconic Eltz Castle, step inside Neuschwanstein Castle, the fairy-tale castle with a heartbreaking secret. Then explore these seven famously haunted castles.
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