Eltz Castle · One Family for Eight Hundred Years

Eltz Castle is tucked into the woods of a valley. Since it was built in the 12th century it has been owned by the same family, passing through more than thirty generations without a change of owner; it is the only medieval castle in Germany never to have been destroyed outright.

It survived through its out-of-the-way position and a family arrangement of shared inheritance: several branches each held a tower, and they quarrelled for centuries without ever fighting.

Armour, ivory work and gold and silver pieces hang and stand inside. The old steward says that what a family’s heirlooms fear most is not theft, but being recognised.

Historical Mysteries / Rhineland · Germany / 12th century