Germany · Still standing
Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle is a medieval hilltop castle on a 70-metre rock spur above the Elzbach in the Moselle region of Germany, owned by the House of Eltz since the 12th century. It is a multi-wing Ganerbenburg made of linked stone towers and residential houses, notable for never having been destroyed and for remaining largely intact and occupied. Parts of the complex are open to the public seasonally.
Its prime
1615
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1615
The shape it held in its prime.
Perched on a narrow 70 m rock spur and surrounded by dense forest, the castle reads as a compact cluster of tall stone towers and linked residential wings behind low outer curtain walls. Up to eight vertical towers rise to 30–40 m with steep slate roofs and conical or pyramidal caps; several inner-facing gables show exposed timber-frame facades. The main mass is pale brown dressed stone; lower defensive walls follow the spur and enclose an irregular courtyard beside the river valley.
Its story
The story of Eltz Castle.
The rock spur above the Elzbach guarded a trade route in use since Roman times; after the Western Roman Empire collapsed the area passed to the Franks, and under Louis the Pious a simple manor hall with an earthen palisade occupied the site. The House of Eltz later raised the Romanesque keep of Platteltz over the old hall — still the oldest part of the castle — and by 1157 the fortress served the Holy Roman Empire under Frederick Barbarossa, protecting the routes between the Moselle valley and the Eifel.
Eltz is a Ganerbenburg — a castle divided among co-owning branches of a family. The three branches of the Eltz family each added a complex of buildings, and about 100 family members lived in the castle's more than 100 rooms, with a village of servants and craftsmen below its south side. The ten-storey Greater Rodendorf House, begun in 1470 by Philipp zu Eltz, takes its name from the family's holding in Lorraine. The only serious military conflict of the castle's life came in 1331–1336.
With Bürresheim and Lissingen, Eltz is one of only three Eifel castles never destroyed — spared in part because its lord Hans Anton zu Eltz-Üttingen was a senior officer in the Royal French Army of Louis XIV. The Rübenach and Rodendorf wings are open to the public, while the Kempenich branch of the family still occupies its third of the castle.
Step inside
11 places to explore in 1615.
The record describes 11 distinct spots at Eltz Castle — including 5 interiors: greater rodendorf — flag hall (interior), little rodendorf — banner room (interior), rübenach lower hall and bedchamber (interior) and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Eltz Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1615 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Eltz Castle.
The families that held Eltz Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Eltz
Home of the House of Eltz since the 12th century; three branches of the family shared the Ganerbenburg, and the Kempenich branch still occupies its third of the castle today.
