A Majestic Medieval Pile Owned by the Same Family for 800 Years
Eltz Castle is a majestic castle located on top of a rock
within a small wooded valley in Germany. Whether through luck or strategy, the
castle has been mostly averted from the scourge of war. Aside from the stunning
appearance, another interesting fact about this castle is that it has been
owned by the same family for more than 800 years.
Eltz Castle (known in German as Burg Eltz) is a medieval
castle located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. In
addition to its picturesque location, Eltz Castle is also one of the few German
castles on the left side of the Rhine that has not been affected over the
centuries. Moreover, the castle has been in the hands of the same family, the
Eltz family, for more than eight and a half centuries.
The Zabakh River, a tributary on the northern side of
Moselle, surrounds the castle on three sides, protecting it from the attacks of
any potential invaders. Thus, Eltz Castle occupies a very strategic position in
the landscape.
Who Owns Eltz Castle?
Today Eltz Castle is owned by Dr. Karl Graf von und zu
Eltz-Kempenich, alias Faust von Stromberg, the 33rd generation of his family.
There are two judges (guards or policemen) in Frankfurt or Main, who are
responsible for handling tourist business and preserving artifacts on site.
Castellans had been running the castle for centuries.
Eltz Castle dates back to the twelfth century. In 1157, the
instrument of donation was issued by Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman
Emperor. One of the witnesses who signed and stamped the act was Rudolf von
Eltz. Although the current castle did not yet exist during this time, there was
already another smaller castle occupying the same place.
Portions of Rudolf Castle, such as Romanesque, Platt-Eltz,
and four floors of the ancient Roman "palace" (living neighborhood),
have been preserved and incorporated into the Kempenich homes, and can still be
seen today.
During the next century, a dispute arose between Elias,
Wilhelm and Theoderich - three brothers of the Eltz family. As a result of this
conflict, the family spilled into three branches - Eltz-Kempenich (Eltz of the
Golden Lion), Eltz-Rübenach (Eltz of the silver lion) and Eltz-Rodendorf (Eltz
of the buffalo horns).
The castle and property also spilled out into three parts,
which made it "ganerbenburg", a term used to denote the castle
occupied by several families/family branches at the same time. Eltz Castle
continued its expansion by the three families over the following centuries, and
the building only reached its present form during the latter part of the
seventeenth century.
Eltz Castle was Besieged
Regardless of the encirclement during the fourteenth
century, Eltz Castle has not seen much military action throughout its long
history, despite being a fortified structure strategically located. In 1331,
Baldwin of Luxembourg, Archbishop of Trier, sought to impose peace on his
electorate.
The Free Knights viewed this as a violation of their right
to special war, and an alliance, including the princes of Eltz Castle, was
formed to confront Baldwin. As a result, the Archbishop-Elector built a siege
outside the castle of Eltz, through which he was able to bomb his target.
However, it was the cut-off of supplies to Eltz Castle that eventually forced
the knights to surrender. While most of the castle's fortifications were
demolished, the castle itself was not destroyed.
Splendid Eltz Castle Today
In subsequent centuries, Eltz Castle was saved from the
ravages of war. In 1618, the Thirty Years' War broke out in central Europe.
Over the course of this conflict, several castles along the River Rhine were
destroyed by the invading French army. However, Eltz Castle was preserved,
thanks to a combination of its location and the diplomatic skill of its
masters.
In 1786, the Eltz-Rodendorf family branch of the family
ended, and its share of the castle moved into the hands of the Eltz-Kempenich
branch. In 1815, the property of the Eltz-Rübenach branch was purchased by
Count Hugo Philipp of the Eltz-Kempenich branch. As a result, Eltz Castle again
became the property of one owner, and it has remained that way ever since.
Tourism has now become a major part of the castle's
existence, and visitors can now ask about medieval architecture and the
different features of the castle as they learn its history. One of the
interesting features is the clown heads located in the Knights Hall. These
heads are symbols of freedom of expression - clowns were allowed to
"express their minds" in the Middle Ages - and they also issued a
warning not to overestimate oneself.
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