Eltville Castle

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Eltville Castle
The electoral castle in Eltville

The electoral castle in Eltville

Alternative name (s): Electoral Castle, Electoral Castle Eltville, Eltville Castle
Creation time : before 1300
Castle type : Location
Conservation status: Preserved essential parts
Standing position : Nobles
Place: Eltville on the Rhine
Geographical location 50 ° 1 '29.5 "  N , 8 ° 7' 22"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 1 '29.5 "  N , 8 ° 7' 22"  E
Height: 95  m above sea level NN
Eltville Castle (Hesse)
Eltville Castle

The electoral castle is a town castle in Eltville am Rhein in the Hessian Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis and the symbol of the city.

history

Eltville Castle around 1832 on an engraving after Tombleson

In 1301 an older tower castle was destroyed in the same place in the customs war. After the election of the Archbishop of Trier Baldwin of Luxembourg as Archbishop of Mainz by the Mainz Cathedral Chapter and the simultaneous appointment of Heinrich von Virneburg by the Pope, Eltville became the bishop's residence due to this double occupation of the Mainz Arch Chair . The construction of the castle began in 1330 under Archbishop Balduin and was completed in 1345. Further construction work followed up to 1419, such as installations in the residential tower.

During the Thirty Years War, the castle was destroyed by the Swedes in 1635. Only the residential tower was preserved and was partially rebuilt in 1682.

In 1938 the existing castle complex was restored. Further substance-preserving construction measures were carried out in the 1980s. The construction work started in 2008 is expected to continue for several years.

investment

Location of the castle on the Rhine

The castle has its access via a battlement and a moat bridge that leads to the north gate of the castle. To the left of the gate is the east wing with the castle and elector hall. On its south side is the 24-meter-high defensive residential tower with an attached stair tower , via which the various levels of the tower are accessible. A 40-step spiral staircase leads down to the castle dungeon . The ground floor previously served as the lounge for the former castle servants . On the first floor of the tower is the Count's Chamber, the most elegant room in the castle at the time, which was used as a study and living room with its richly decorated walls and the mighty fireplace.

To the west of the castle tower is the Palas, a former three-story residential building, of which only parts of the outer walls remain today. A battlement with the south gate, which leads to the moat, borders to the west and the official garden to the west of this. Towards the Rhine, the southernmost part of the castle is the Untere Zwinger, accessible through a gate that has only recently been built into the west side of its wall.

The electoral castle is now a listed building and is classified as a “cultural monument of national importance” because of its special importance .

Todays use

Gutenberg memorial

The " Elector's Castle" now houses the Eltville Tourist Information Office and a castle shop on the ground floor of the castle tower. A museum is housed on the upper floors of the tower, which includes a Gutenberg memorial with a historical collection on the art of printing. On the third floor, the Canon Chamber , the “Alta Villa Collection” presents documents on the Eltville city history and important engravings by Eltville. The weir plate on the fourth floor, which can be reached via 118 steps, now serves as a viewing platform with views of the Rhine Valley, the city of Eltville and the vineyards on the foothills of the Taunus.

The electoral castle also offers a "gallery in the tower" for art exhibitions and is the venue for many cultural events, such as the Burghofspiele Eltville until 2007. Furthermore, the seat of the local registry office is located in the east wing .

literature

  • Rudolf Knappe: Medieval castles in Hessen. 800 castles, castle ruins and fortifications. 3. Edition. Wartberg-Verlag, Gudensberg-Gleichen 2000, ISBN 3-86134-228-6 .
  • Walther Ottendorff-Simrock (ed.): Castles on the Rhine . 1989
  • Rolf Müller (Ed.): Palaces, castles, old walls. Published by the Hessendienst der Staatskanzlei, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-89214-017-0 , p. 99f.

Web links

Commons : Burg Eltville  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Information according to the flyer tour of the electoral castle