Eltz Castle

The origins of Eltz Castle date back to the early 12th century, when it was likely built on an important trade route between the Moselle region and the Maifeld. The name Eltz is first mentioned in a document in 1157. Before 1268, the property was divided among the brothers Elias, Wilhelm, and Theoderich, transforming the castle into a Ganerbenburg (a castle owned by a community of heirs) inhabited by several lines of the Eltz family. Each line named its castle sections after itself, such as Eltz-Kempenich, Eltz-Rübenach, and Eltz-Rodendorf. Between 1331 and 1336, the castle experienced its only major military conflict, the so-called Eltz Feud, when the Lords of Eltz resisted the territorial policies of Archbishop Balduin of Trier. To besiege the castle, he had Trutzeltz Castle built, which eventually forced the Eltz family to surrender. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Rodendorf Houses and later, between 1604 and 1661, the Kempenich Houses were built, shaping the castle's current appearance. During the War of the Palatine Succession, the castle escaped destruction because a family member served as an officer in the French army.