Germany Guide
Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland
Burg Eltz
Opening time: late March to Oct daily 9.30am–5.30pm
Price: €8
Telephone: 02672/95 05 00
Website: www.burg-eltz.de
Tucked in a hidden valley, 29km southwest of Koblenz, Burg Eltz is a hot contender for title of Germany's finest castle. The setting is absolutely perfect, with the fortification standing on a seemingly purpose-built knuckle of rock at the centre of a wooded and otherwise deserted small valley, and the structure itself is archetypal romantic castle. Its first stones were laid in the twelfth century, and though there have been plenty of later additions, with the greatest portion built between the mid-fifteenth and mid-sixteenth centuries, the compact turreted pile has never been destroyed or rebuilt. However, it did have its share of close shaves: it was once under siege for two years in the early fourteenth century and during the general destruction of the area by the French in 1689 it was only saved by the good fortune of having a family member in the French army. With such an attractive setting and exterior, tours of the interiors are a bit of an anticlimax, despite being well preserved. Its treasury contains all manner of family booty with some well-crafted gold and silver, and its armoury features some painful and unwieldy-looking items.
Burg Eltz is a little tricky to reach. The easiest way if you have your own transport is from the village of Münstermaifeld, 34km southwest of Koblenz and a turn-off from the Moselweinstrasse at Hatzenport 5km away, from where it's an 800m walk from the car park (shuttle bus €1.50). But a far more attractive route is from the town of Moselkern, 32km southwest of Koblenz: follow signs to the Ringelsteiner Mühle, an inn with a car park 2km behind town along the Eltztal road, from where an attractive trail follows the valley to the castle – reachable on foot in about 45 minutes. Moselkern has its own train station with regular connections to Koblenz and Trier, and a dock at which all passing passenger boats stop.