Eltz Castle

The castle in the valley of the river called Eltz was supposedly built in the XII century . The castle has survived to the present. On three sides, the castle is surrounded by a river and rises on a 70-meter high cliff. Around the castle is a wonderful landscape.

The castle was divided between three brothers: Elijah, Wilhelm and Theodoric, where they lived together with their families and servants.

In 1331–1336 there were only serious hostilities that the castle experienced. During the so-called "Eltsian feud", the lords of the elts, along with other free imperial knights, opposed the territorial policy of the archbishop of Trier and the elector Baldwin of Luxembourg . For the siege of the castle of Eltz, the Archbishop of Trier ordered to build on the slope of a cliff above the castle the siege fortress of Trutzelz, whose walls have survived to our time. After the surrender of the castle, his masters became vassals of the archbishop of Trier.

In the period from 1490 to 1540. Rodendorf houses were built in the castle. Inside, their facade is decorated with a vaulted portico , resting on three pylons . They got their name by the name of the spouse of one of the owners of the castle, whose wedding took place in 1563, Katharine von Rodendorf. Next to the portico on the outer wall in the XIX century. a mosaic with the image of the Madonna was laid out.

Kempenich houses in the castle were built from 1604 to 1661 . Their successful architectural composition and the beauty of the half-timbered completes the picturesque appearance of the inner courtyard of the castle. Under the massive tower staircase there was a well, which supplied water to the whole castle.

During the war for the Palatinate inheritance in 1688 - 1689 . Most of the castles in the Rhine Valley were destroyed. The Eltz Castle was safe and sound thanks to its owner Anton Eltz-Uttingen , who had a high officer rank in the French army.

In the XIX century. Count Karl Eltsky engaged in the restoration of his castle. In 1845 - 1888 A large amount of 184 thousand marks was spent on large-scale construction work, which in terms of the purchasing power amounts to about 8 million euros. The restoration was carried out very carefully and preserved the historical architectural appearance.

The Eltz Castle has been owned by the Eltz family for over 800 years. Today, the entire complex belongs to Count Karl Eltsky. Since 1815, the ancestor of the current Count Karl Eltsky bought out the rights to full ownership of the castle. The current owner of the castle lives in Frankfurt am Main. He provided the castle for the inspection of the public, cares about its preservation.

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  Eltz Castle

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  Eltz Castle

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  Decoration gutter in the castle Eltz

During the summer period from April 1 to November 1, sightseeing tours of approximately 40 minutes are held daily in the castle. The treasury in the basements of the ryubenakh house, where about 500 unusual works of art dating back to the 12th — 19th centuries are collected, deserves attention. In addition to the masterpieces of jewelry art, the exhibition displays various curious objects.

Ryubenakh House

The construction of the house was completed in 1472 in the time of Wilhelm von Eltz and his wife Katharina (their portraits can be seen in the chapel of the bedroom above). The 8-storey building got its name from the castle and the lands near the city of Koblenz , which were inherited from the Silver Lion branch. And since then, this branch has been called Ryubenakhskoy.

Armory

In the lobby of the Ryubenakh house today there is the Armory Room, where a collection of medieval weapons is displayed: armor , chain mail, helmets, etc. (originals). The armory appeared here in the XIX century during the heyday of romanticism and pilgrimage of romantics to the knightly castles that became fashionable. During the Middle Ages, weapons, as one of the values ​​of the castle, were stored in a well-protected room. Today this room gives an idea of ​​medieval objects and their purpose, as well as the decoration of housing. In the Armory you can see a full set of mail and helmets of the XV-XVI centuries, a small arquebus cannon, a set of arrows used by the defenders of the Eltz castle in 1333, a collection of firearms, as well as bronze and iron halberds, axes and pikes, special tearing axes, designed to drop riders off a horse. Here you can also see a collection of Oriental weapons of the XVII-XVIII centuries, which was allegedly used by the Turks in the battle of Vienna in 1683. One of the representatives of the family Eltz took part in the victorious battle over the Turks and brought these trophies home.

Lower Hall

This room gives an idea of ​​the typical housing of the rich aristocratic inhabitants of the castle of the beginning of the XV century. Powerful oak beams and fireplaces are preserved in the original. The walls are covered with woven carpets of the 16th century Flemish manufactory with the image of exotic animals ( leopard , ostrich , crocodile and one-humped camel ). The windows in the room were replaced in the XIX century in full compliance with the windows of the XV century. At the same time, the technology of glass blowing, stained glass production and assembly on the spot was fully preserved. The hall is decorated with a large number of valuable paintings, painted mostly on oak, which at that time preferred more than canvas. Particular attention is the picture "Madonna and Child with a bunch of grapes" (author Cranach, Lucas (Senior) , XVI century). Between the windows is the "Crucifixion Scene", made in 1495 in Cologne. Two other interesting objects - the lamp "Mermaid" of the XV century and the clock, which the Eltz family has owned since 1500.

Upper Hall

Here the original design of the dwelling has been fully preserved. This room has been the master bedroom for centuries. A 1520 bed was raised high above the floor to keep it warm. Along the perimeter, it is covered with a late gothic canopy with scenes of hunting, combat tournaments and family emblems from the front. The canopy also served the purpose of keeping warm. The walls of the room are painted with frescoes of the XV century. The last works on the wall painting were completed in the XVI century and for more than 300 years do not require restoration. The late gothic bay window with a stained glass window has retained its original appearance. It housed the home chapel . The painting of the bay window begins with the depiction of the scenes of the Annunciation to Mary on the arch, continues in the stained glass windows with the scenes of the worship of the Magi and ends at the walls, with the depiction of the crucifixion and removal from the cross. Hugo Eltz consecrated this chapel in memory of his parents, Wilhelm and Catherine Eltz, whose portraits are located in the lower part of the stained-glass window of the beginning of the 16th century. The owners of the castle went to the trick, staging a chapel in the bay window, protruding beyond the main walls of the castle. The fact is that the church forbade people to live in the room where the altar was installed, so the chapel was placed, as it were, outside the castle walls. Another feature of this room is the built-in toilet (one of the 20 medieval toilets of the castle). A wooden panel enclosing it appeared only in the 19th century, although the toilet itself has been located here since the 15th century. Drainage mines were drained using rainwater. A large collection of rainwater was under a removable roof, mines went down from it, through which sewage freely left the toilets and was drained by rainwater. Then, bypassing the castle, wastewater, as well as liquid and non-food kitchen waste, was dumped down the shafts in the mines.

Rodendorf House

Construction of the house was begun in 1477 under Philip Eltsky. The 10-storey Large Rodendorf house received its name from the hereditary possessions in Lorraine. The small rodendorf house is located on the south side of the castle and was built in the middle of the 16th century. According to the latest discoveries of scientists, the house was built in 1290.

Choice Room

Extremely influential were 7 German electors, that is, electors , who had the right to choose the German kings. Three of the seven electors were at the same time spiritual rulers, archbishops (Trier, Main and Cologne). They also had the right to intercede with the Pope, if they considered the identity of the king worthy of the title of emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Two representatives of the Eltz family had the fullness of this power - Jacob, Archbishop of Trier, who ruled in 1567-1581) and Philip Karl, Archbishop of Mayne, who ruled in 1732-1743). Their portraits can be seen in this room.

Great Hall

This hall is the largest room of the castle complex. It was intended for family holidays, balls, family councils, where all the adult representatives of the three branches of the Eltz family gathered. If separate branches were built for each branch of the family and families lived separately, this hall was accessible to all buildings. The tactics of the military and political defense of the castle were discussed here. The fools' masks under the central beams and in the corners of the hall symbolize freedom of speech, and a rose is engraved on the door lintel - an allegorical symbol of silence, indicating that what is said in the walls of this hall cannot be spoken beyond. It also presents weapons and knightly armor, including 3 luxurious sets of equipment of the XIX century, which were forged for strong and enduring men, at least 1.8 m tall (armor weight 60 pounds). On the wall is the carpet of the Gobelin family manufactory ( Paris , 1700), depicting the feast of the Greek sun god Helios with his sister, the goddess of the moon Selena. The room also presents 15 paintings of easel painting. Wood painting represents Old Testament scenes decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay (late 17th century). In the medieval chest, equipped with a complex mechanism of the castle, coins were stored. With a simple turn of the key, 7 latches came into motion at the same time.

Princess Room

The room received its name in the XVIII century, when a portrait of a noble lady appeared here. Here is one of the many bedrooms of the castle. The original, characteristic ceiling with open powerful beams-overlaps, in order to avoid fires, they were covered with a thick layer of clay, and then whitened with lime. The bed of 1525 presented in the room is a rare, miraculously preserved specimen, part of the simple decor of the room. This bed is recognized as the oldest Renaissance bed of those preserved throughout Germany. Next to the bed is a small staircase leading to another room (bedroom or nurse's room). The room contains armor - a chest shell of almost child size. The legend attributes it to Agnes Eltz, who protected the castle from the treacherous applicant of her hand, who, having been refused, attacked the castle, and his chosen one defended her family nest at the cost of her own life.

Hall of

The most valuable and richest hall of the castle, although the real value of this hall is not known. Perhaps the home church was originally intended here. Most often the hall was used for arranging dinner parties and large celebrations. A characteristic feature of this hall is its late gothic ribbed vault. The stone edges of the vault not only carry the load of the walls and ceiling, but also are a decorative ornament of the hall, a stone ornament. The tiled stove of the XIX century is an exact copy of its predecessor of the XVI century. It is called the "Evangelical Oven", because next to the family coat of arms are 4 evangelists. The floor of the hall is partially preserved from the 13th century, and partly from the 15th century.

Kitchen

Since the three branches of the Eltz family divided households, there were 3 kitchens in the castle. The kitchen of the Rodendorf house was built in 1500. A huge oven was used to smoke hams and sausages, which were then hung from the ceiling. In order for food stocks not become prey of rodents, almost all products were kept in limbo. For these purposes, rings were attached to the ceiling to which suspended products were attached. The furnace inside is lined with tuff - a volcanic natural stone. When the firewood burned through, the tuff was so hot that the bread was baked right on the stone, after having cleaned it of ashes and ashes. A large chest, preserved from the 15th century, served to store flour stocks. Virtually all preserved furniture - the original of the XV century.

Treasury of the castle

In the treasury collected more than 500 exhibits. These are precious forged works of gold and silver, ivory miniatures, jewelry, porcelain, engravings on glass, crystal goblets, swords, sabers, daggers and much more.

• Eltz // The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 t. (82 t. And 4 extra.). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Ute Ritzenhofen: Burg Eltz, Deutscher Kunstverlag (2002), broschiert, 96 S., ISBN 3-422-06248-3

•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eltz Castle
• Official site
• Castle Eltz, Germany
• Castle Eltz - Castle Eltz: Recalling 500 German marks. Deutsche Welle Report