Zell Castle - Zell (Mosel), RLP, DE - Castles on Waymarking.com

The Moselle town of Zell was founded by the Romans after 70 A.D. In 1144, the area around Zell, which was under the control of the Count Palatine of the Rhine (Otto II (Bavaria) at the time), became part of the Electorate of Trier and fortifications and castles were built. In 1222, Elector Theoderich II von Wied gave the town of Zell the right to surround itself with a wall (town charter). In 1535, Elector Johann III von Metzenhausen of Trier, who was born in the neighbouring village of Neef, commissioned the newly appointed Zell bailiff Konrad von Metzenhausen (not directly related) and the waiter Johann von Senheim to build a castle in Zell. It is unclear today who had the largest share in this. There are several von Senheim house marks on the castle, indicating that he probably played a significant part in its construction. The coat of arms stone also recognises the importance that the waiter had for the sovereign. He lived in the castle together with the bailiff (who is also referred to as the mayor). In the years 1542, 1551 and 1552, the successors of the client, the Electors of Trier Johann IV. Ludwig von Hagen and Johann V von Isenburg resided here for a time. In 1847, the castle was also home to Frederick William IV of Prussia.

Recurring mentions that the castle was built by Balduin of Luxembourg as early as 1342 prove to be untenable, as there is no evidence of this. This misinterpretation is more likely due to an incorrectly read date on the rear wing of the castle. After its construction in 1542, the castle replaced Arras Castle as the provincial castle for controlling the Moselle loop ("Zeller Hamm").

The castle consists of three very different wings, which together form a floor plan in the shape of an L. The main building, erected between 1535 and 1542, is set back approx. 30 metres from Schlossstrasse. At the rear, its east façade borders on Jakobstraße. The style of the building is exemplary for the post-Gothic period of the 16th century. Although the concept with the two round corner towers already had modern forms at the time, the high gabled house with its pointed gable in the south and the cloverleaf arch friezes still show Gothic forms. These arched friezes, which separate the three storeys, are a typical late Gothic motif that persisted on the Moselle and Middle Rhine until well into the 16th century.

On its free left side, the "short leg of the L" has three round towers (the buildings further to the left were added later). The southern, or right-hand tower of the west façade is a stair tower, while the northern one houses vaulted rooms with ribbed vaults. Both towers are connected at the level of their fourth storey by a balcony with a wooden balustrade. On the rear side at the north-east corner there is a recognisably slimmer tower. The building material used for the castle was plastered quarry stone, with red sandstone used for the structural elements.

The part of the castle bordering Schlossstrasse (the "long leg of the L"), the original gatehouse, is three storeys high towards the street and has a double-leaf wooden gate. Two flanking towers, round at the bottom in the plinth area and changing to an octagonal shape close to the ground and slated on the top floor, give the gatehouse a fortified appearance, despite its large double windows above. An open staircase led from the enclosed castle courtyard to the new hall. Today, a connecting wing between the two existing buildings incorporates this staircase. This two-storey intermediate building, which connects the southern wing of the main building and the gatehouse, was only built in the 18th century and is still in the largely unrestored state in which it was built (as of 2021). At the same time, the courtyard and garden were given an enclosure whose pillars bore rococo sandstone sculptures (Diana, Apollo and presumably also Minerva). The gatehouse was also raised by a further storey, visually separated by a threshold cornice with decorative profiles.

The timber-framed upper storey with the tower bonnets and the curved gable was rebuilt. The old building was given a new entrance (now the hotel entrance).

In 1803, in the course of secularisation, the former electoral property came into private hands for 3,800 French gold francs. Since 1948, the castle has been home to a restaurant and was run by the Bohn family. In 1990, the Bohn family sold it to the Schneiders family, who thoroughly renovated the castle. Following a remodelling in May 2010, the main building is now a 3-star hotel. The tower building and the connecting building leading to the main building are owned by a winegrower. While the tower building is run as a restaurant under the name "Schlosskeller", the large connecting building has remained unused despite restoration announcements.

Source Wikipedia, translated with deepl

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