Burg Eltz, the Unconquerable Castle in the Mosel ValleyBurg Eltz is a real deal of a castle. Unlike Neuschwanstein, which we saw later in the trip, Burg Eltz was a real fortress built in an era when neighboring city-states might try to invade. With tall turrets, tightly winding staircases, and sections that look like they were added on without pre-planning, it was easy for us to envision battles raging throughout the corridors or cannonfire striking the walls. Burg Eltz's reputation as "unconquerable" might be questionably earned; the ruling Eltz family made some deals so soldiers would skip it during Napoleon's invasion. But it still is an impressive example of when foot-wide stone walls were necessary for keeping bad guys out.
Our favorite thing: Small working sample cannons that were used by merchants to better sell their ware; it made selling vacuums door-to-door look like lightweight work |
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The Sleeping Beauty of BeilsteinAfter departing Trier, we wound along the scenic Mosel River making a stop in Beilstein, one of many tiny towns tucked along the river valley. Founded in the 1200s, Beilstein still has dozens of historic buildings crowded around a central square close to the river and is often known as the "Sleeping Beauty of the Moselle." We had lunch in the Hotel Haus Lipmann which had a low ceiling, cozy fire and classic rich German dishes like onion quiche and beef stew. We also got some free time to hike to the ruins of Castle Metternich with scenic views of Beilstein and several surrounding cities.
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Medieval Eltz CastleBurg Eltz is a real castle. It was started in the 9th century and has been owned by the Eltz family, of which most were named Karl or Jacob, for over 30 generations. As such it is a fantastic telescope into the past and reveals much about the actual reality of castles. It is a majestic hodgepodge of narrow turrets, cramped corridors, and spiraling stairways that initially seem to have been haphazardly tacked on over the course of seven hundred years. In reality though, we learned that each stage of construction was practically motivated by the needs of the times and painstakingly designed to best make use of the limited resources available. What resulted was a building with extraordinary character. For example, all of the staircases spiral clockwise in order to advantage right-handed swordsman, who would be guarding the castle against enemies attacking from below. While castles are often romanticized, the reality of their practical nature is superbly illustrated by Burg Eltz: after seven hundred years of painstakingly building defensive fortifications, the castle was saved from destruction through backroom political maneuvering with Napoleon not by a heroic battle.
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