If you like Castles and Nature then this castle will definitely get to be on top of your list. The Eltz castle is a medieval castle which's construction began before 1157. The castle still belongs to the heirs of the Eltz family which lived there in the 12th century.
Getting there
We drove there all the way from Belgium as it makes as a perfect day trip. We arrived around 12:00 in the parking in Wierschem from there the self guided tour of Traumpfade starts.This is a 12.7 km trail.
you can get the app of the Traumpfade on your phone and you can keep an eye on the map. you will need to share your location. It is very accurate and very helpful especially if you get caught by the night (like we were). iOPS & Android
Once you park take the road that's perpendicular to the main road until you reach a marking. You can choose to start with 5k now and 7k on the way back or the other way around. For some reason the route suggests you to start with the 5K. if you choose to follow the route counter clock wise and here you need to turn right.
Just follow the route it is well indicated and you should normally not get lost.The road is mainly through the forest so hiking shoes (sport or boots) are recommended.
if you go like us in October you'll fully enjoy the incredible autumn colors you can spot all around.
and at the end of our 5k you end up with such a view :)
Mini History and relevant information
The Ruebenach and Rodendorf families' homes in the castle are open to the public, while the Kempenich branch of the family uses the other third of the castle.
Platteltz, a Romanesque keep, is the oldest part of the castle, having begun in the 9th century as a simple manor with an earthen palisade. In 1472 the Ruebenach house, built in the Late Gothic style, was completed. Remarkable are the Ruebenach Lower Hall, a living room, and the Ruebenach bedchamber with its opulently decorated walls. Between 1490 and 1540, the Rodendorf house was constructed, also in Late Gothic style. It contains the vaulted "banner-room". The Kempenich houses were finished about 1530. Every room of this part of the castle could be heated; in contrast, other castles might only have one or two heated rooms. (Wikipedia)
Castle is opened for visiting from 20th of March till 1st November. Here you can keep an eye on the latest updated information.
the tours are regular in English and German. You are not allowed to take picture in the castle.
The castle is nice and worth visiting, the guide that we had seems to be like a recording machine unfortunately but even so i think it is interesting to visit. Here if you have time to read some interesting pictures and details of the rooms that you can see.
Eating
I enjoy eating and most of my friends enjoy it as much or some even more than me so when it comes to ordering it is very hard so we end up taking the whole menu ;)
We paid 79 Euro for 2 Bratwurst + fries or Kartoffelsalat, 1 Currywurst, 1 Wild Goulash, 2 Goulash soups, 1 Flammkuchen, 3 beers and 1 apple pie. I would say reasonable.
Hike back
after food we started walking back, there are 7.1km
the walk was easy and relaxing
until you reach a hotel, from there you have a good 700m quite steep
but we managed (it is not very hard, but as said steep and unexpected after the super relaxing hike)
we continued, but once we reached some paved road we managed to get a tiny bit lost and we forgot to check the signs but followed road. the good thing is that we reached this spot
the bad was that it got completely night so was not very easy to reach the car.
Anyway we reached the car at exactly 19:16 so 7h after we started our tour. I would say that hiking was about 4h. This makes out for a great day in the nature and a must see added to your hiking routes :)
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