Luxury, romance and a fairytale atmosphere — that’s how we imagine life at the medieval Eltz Castle. But what is it really like to live there? Spoiler: there are 80 rooms, all of which require a little maintenance.
DW’s Hannah Hummel asks owner Jakob Graf zu Eltz about life at the castle back then and now. The castle resident has even set up his home office there. Would that be something for you, too?
Burg Eltz is a hilltop castle from the 12th century and one of the most famous of its kind in Germany. It is located in the Elz valley, a left tributary of the Moselle, in the district of Wierschem in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Owned by the noble Eltz family for more than 800 years, the building has been largely preserved. Like Bürresheim Castle and Lissingen Castle, it is one of the fortifications in the Eifel that were never conquered by force. The castle is open to the public and a popular destination.
Time travel to the Middle Ages: Explore Erfurt’s Old Town with DW reporter Lukas Stege! Next to the famous cathedral, he takes a stroll around the historic Krämerbrücke.
The Merchant’s Bridge is the longest inhabited bridge in the world. Then, Lukas takes on a special culinary quest: trying to get hold of a vegetarian Thuringian bratwurst in Erfurt. Find out whether he is successful in the video!
Castles, palaces, vineyards, and a romantic river valley: experience a train journey along the Rhine with DW’s Hannah Hummel. It is considered the most beautiful train route in Germany! Let’s start in Cologne!
Although most of Germania was never conquered by the Romans, some of its western parts were incorporated into the Empire. Here the Romans brought all the hallmarks of their civilization, and left behind many impressive structures like bridges, baths, palaces and monuments. In this video we look at seven of these that are still standing in Germany.
This is an extract from Julius Caesar’s ‘Commentaries on the Gallic Wars’, first published between 58 and 49 BC. In 60 BC Rome was not yet an empire, but soon it would be. The momentous events of the next decades, many of which were put into motion by the famed politician Julius Caesar, were some of the most important and formative of the Western World.
We tell this story directly from the words of Caesar himself. Starting with his masterpiece ‘Commentaries on the Gallic Wars’ – first published over two thousand years ago yet still widely read all over the world today.
German history dates back over two thousand years. Back to when the Romans controlled the German lands west of the Rhine River. The history of the Germanic tribes, however, goes back centuries further.
This one hour documentary unravels the history of the Germans from their prehistorical arrival on continental Europe in 2000 BC up to the unification of the German people under the flag of the German Empire, orchestrated by Otto von Bismarck of Prussia in 1871, followed by the horrrors of the 20th century – the first and second world wars, which resulted in the final unification of Germany as we know it today.
The Middle Ages. Germany has a lot to offer when it comes to this time period: Historic city gates, church towers and half-timbred houses.
In German cities and towns, you’ll find a lot of well-preserved Medieval architecture, much of it on the UNESCO World Heritage list. From Lübeck in the North to Bamberg in the South – we show you seven cities and towns which will make you feel like you’re in a fairytale.
Nürnberg was one of Germany’s — in fact Europe’s — leading cities 500 years ago, and was an industrial marvel. The scenic remnants of its hard medieval past are now just an added dimension of a delightfully people-friendly historic center.