This Unique Castle Has Been One Family’s Home Through 34 Generations and for Over 800 Years

This Unique Castle Has Been One Family’s Home Through 34 Generations and for Over 800 Years
(Flowersandtraveling/Shutterstock); Inset: BeckenhamBear/CC BY-SA 4.0
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A fairytale castle in Germany has survived since the medieval era under the care of one single family. Thanks to a community effort and the family’s dedication, the castle stands unscathed by war and demolition and is now beloved the world over as a piece of history, a stunning photo hotspot, and a testament to beauty through the ages.

Eltz Castle, or “Burg Eltz,” is nestled in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier in Germany and has been owned and cared for by at least 34 generations of the Eltz family since it was built in 1157. Many of its original furnishings remain, as does an armory, a treasury, and a collection of gold and silver artifacts.

(Flowersandtraveling/Shutterstock)
Flowersandtraveling/Shutterstock

More of a home than a fortress, it was built to house the Eltz family and secure trade routes between the Mosel and Eifel regions. It was once even featured on the 500 deutsche mark bill.

The castle decorates the skyline, sitting on top of a 230-foot (70-meter) rock spur surrounded by the Elzbach river valley, dense forest, and numerous hiking trails. Eight stories high, the main structure of the castle houses the family’s living quarters, once home to up to 100 family members in 100 rooms.

Its eight towers soar up to 115 feet (35 meters) into the air, giving the castle its fairytale silhouette, according to the castle’s website. Staff and craftsmen servicing the castle were once employed from a village that existed on the south side of the castle, in the valley below.
The entrance to Eltz Castle circa  1860 (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schloss_Elz,_c._1860_IMG_4534a.jpg">BeckenhamBear</a>/CC BY-SA 4.0)
The entrance to Eltz Castle circa  1860 BeckenhamBear/CC BY-SA 4.0
Despite being conquered in the early 14th century by Elector Balduin of Trier, Eltz Castle remains one of only three in the Eifel region, alongside Bürresheim and Lissingen Castles, which has never been destroyed.
The care of Eltz Castle was regulated by formal contracts called “burgfriedensbriefe,” or castle peace deeds, that set rules for its community’s joint responsibility to preserve the castle. Ever since the 12th century, the oldest son of the Eltz family has been at the helm. Today, that man is Count Johann-Jakob zu Eltz, to whom his parents passed the baton in 2018.
The inner courtyard of Eltz Castle as pictured on May 25, 2017 (Don Mammoser/Shutterstock)
The inner courtyard of Eltz Castle as pictured on May 25, 2017 Don Mammoser/Shutterstock
(tzuky333/Shutterstock)
tzuky333/Shutterstock

Johann-Jakob, who lives nearby, grew up in Eltz Castle and still likes to spend time there. He enjoys and takes care of the fastness he still considers home.

“I have no staff looking after me, those days are long gone,” the count told Hannah Hummel of DW Travel during a castle tour. “I live a very modern life. ... I work here, so I get out my laptop in the morning, I drink my coffee that I made myself in my kitchen, in my coffee machine, and I answer my emails.

“I think many people would recognize it as being similar to their own lives, I’m just very, very fortunate that the surroundings are very beautiful.”

An antique medieval stone arch inside the castle (Titolino/Shutterstock)
An antique medieval stone arch inside the castle Titolino/Shutterstock
The natural beauty of Johann-Jakob’s surroundings owes to the rich endemic flora and fauna in the surrounding Eltz Forest Nature Reserve. Classified as an “arboretum,” the forest also boasts a variety of rare indigenous and introduced tree species.

The castle opened for tourism sometime around 1820. A team of 100 staff now runs the site as a business subsidized by government funding, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year searching for a unique insight into German architecture and castle life over almost nine incredible centuries.

(haveseen/Shutterstock)
haveseen/Shutterstock
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