Those who appreciate the heritage and history of knights, noblemen, a dams
Photography - Ivan Andrejić www.secretsedition.com
sel or a lady-in-waiting, will be impressed by what Luxembourg has to offer.
Text - Luxembourg Tourism board
Vianden Castle was built between the 11th and 14th
Century on the foundations of a Roman castle and a Carolingian refuge. This Castle-Palace bears the Hohenstaufen characteristics and is one of the largest and finest feudal residences of the Roman and Gothic eras in Europe. Until the early 15th Century it was home to the powerful Counts of Vianden who could boast of their close connections to the German Imperial Court. The greatest of them, Count Henry I (1220 -1250) was even married to a member of the Capetian family, which ruled France at the time. In 1417, the castle and its lands were inherited by the younger line of the German House of Nassau, which -in 1530- also acquired the French principality of Orange. The castle’s most remarkable rooms; the chapel as well as the small and the grand palaces were built in the late 12th and the first half of the 13th Century. The Jßlich building west of the great palace dates back to the early 14th Century, the so-called Nassau quarter was only built in the early 17th Century. In 1820 during the reign of King William I of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Count of Vianden, the castle was sold to a Vianden spice merchant who proceeded to sell it piecemeal, starting with the furniture and ending up with the roof slates. As a result the castle was exposed to the elements and fell into ruins. In 1890 the castle became the property of Grand Duke Adolphe of the elder line of Nassau and remained in the hands of the Grand Ducal family until 1977 when it was transferred into state ownership. It has been painstakingly restored to its former glory and today ranks among the most significant historical monuments of Europe.
Castle Bourscheid Triangular in shape, is situated on a steep promontory, perched 150 metres high above the Sûre river and accessible only from the northwest. Around the year 1000, a wooden fort was transformed into a stone-built castle. Excavations have identified structures of Roman, Merovingian, Carolingian and Ottonian origin. Of this first Gothic-Romanesque building only the main tower and the wall -known today as the inner wall- remain. The outer wall, fortified with eight towers, was completed in 1384. At the same time House Stolzembourg with its Gothic vaulted cellar was built. The current yard [the bailey] was built after 1477. The main gate is protected by an outer fence, by the powerful artillery bastion flanked by four towers, and by a moat which was secured by a drawbridge. When the last Lord of Bourscheid died without descendants in 1512, his heirs set up three different living quarters in the castle; the von Metternich family in the old palace and the castle keep, the Zant of Merl family in the lower part of the upper castle and the von Ahr family in the House Stolzembourg. The ruins were classified in 1936 as “historical monument” and acquired by the Luxembourg Government in 1972. Since then, House Stolzembourg and the porter’s lodge have been rebuilt and the towers have been reroofed. The restoration works are ongoing. The castle’s night illuminations create a fabulous atmosphere.
Ansembourg Castle Built from the first half of the seventeenth century as “House Forges� by Thomas Bidart, pioneer iron industry, the Grand Castle Ansembourg experienced a significant transformation in the eighteenth century, when the heirs of Thomas Bidart found themselves elevated to Baron (1728) and Earl of Marchant and Ansembourg and Count of the Holy Roman Empire (1749-1750). The gardens were laid out in 1750 and are adorned with statues, stairs and decorative fountains in the garden style regular time.
Bourglinster Castle As early as 1098, the village of Linster is mentioned as a property of St. Simeon in Trier. An ancient castle was said to exist in Altlinster. At the time, the new castle consisted of a residential tower, a chapel and a rampart. The husband and wife Beatrice Linster and Thierry de Fontoy, Seneschal of Luxembourg, received the castle as a fief of the Countess Ermesinde of Luxembourg in 1231. From the 2nd half of the 14th Century, the family of Orley lived in the castle. From this period dates the conversion of the chapel and the construction of a tower keep on the north side. In 1408 Jean d’Orley, provost of Luxembourg, is invested with the high court of Linster by Wenceslas II. The construction of the lower castle (House of Waldeck) with moat, fortified gates and two defensive towers dates from the late 14th and 15th Century. In the 15th Century, Linster is divided between the families of Orley, Hammerstein and Bettstein. In 1476 Bernard of Orley II is mentioned as the adviser and chamberlain to Charles the Bold. In 1477 Henry of Metzenhausen married Mary Antonetta Boos of Waldeck, heiress to a part of Linster. In 1527 Dietrich of Metzenhausen, governor of the Duchy of Luxembourg, marries Joan of Orley, and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, gives him Linster along with the high judiciary as a fief. Between 1542 and 1544, during the wars between Charles V and Francis I, both parts of the castle are largely destroyed. As of 1548, the construction of the Renaissance wing on the south side was begun, keeping a wall of the residential tower. Between 1682 and 1684, French troops again destroyed parts of the lower castle.
During the 2nd quarter of the 18th Century, the baroque facade at the back of the courtyard was erected. In 1750 Eve of Metzenhausen married infantry captain Peter George of Zitzwitz receiving the fief of Linster in 1759. From the 18th to the 20th Century successive nobles and commoners own the castle until its acquisition by the Luxembourg State in 1968. Between 1969 and 1988, consolidation works, repairs and restoration of the castle and its outbuildings are undertaken. In 1982 the association “Friends of Bourglinster Castle� was founded. They organise the Bourglinster Music Festival as well as exhibitions, concerts, lectures and receptions in the castle. The barns opposite the castle have been restored as art workshops. A renowned restaurant is within the castle walls.
The old castle of Beaufort The old castle, protected by a moat, was built in four periods. The oldest part of the castle dates from the early 11th century. It was a small square-shaped fortress on a massive rock, surrounded by a wide ditch and a second wall facing the valley. Around the first half of the 12th century, a flanking tower was added and the access gate was moved and enlarged. The wing containing the well and the upper rooms as well as the lower part of the main tower date from 1348. The castle of Beaufort was ruined by the Thirty Year War and the owner was forced to sell up.
In 1639, Johann Baron de Beck, governor of the province of Luxembourg on behalf of the Spanish king, acquired the greatest part of its properties. It’s likely he built the wing with the large Renaissance style windows in the main tower and the northwestern cannon tower. After 1643 he ordered the building of the new renaissance chateau.
The old castle slowly decayed. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was even used as a quarry. In 1850, the Luxembourg government declared the castle a cultural heritage. In 1928 Edmond Linckels cleared the rubble from the castle and the well and made the site available to the public.
Clervaux Castle The majestic castle is perched on the slopes of a rocky promontory, the so-called "Lay". The origins of the castle are lost in the mists of time. Some historians believe it was rising on a former Roman fort, while others believe it was built on celtic foundations. The West wing is the oldest part of the castle, it was built in the 12th Century upon the initiative of Count Gerhard von Sponheim, a brother of the Count of Vianden. At the beginning of the 15th Century, under the reign of the powerful House of Brandenburg, Clervaux castle was greatly extended. To protect the southern flank of the castle, Frederic I built the massive Burgundy tower which also housed the castle jail. Later, the living accommodation was improved, the cellars were converted and -more importantly- the mighty “Witch Tower” was built in the main courtyard for defense purposes. In 1634 Claude de Lannoy orders the redevelopment of the rather shabby dwellings and stables that extended to the north, and has them transformed into luxurious spacious reception rooms, including the Hall of Knights in the Flemish-Spanish style. A quarter of a Century later, Albert Eugene de Lannoy added administrative buildings, stables and barns but demolished a local church. In 1671 a watchman's lodging was erected at the castle entrance. Today this houses the castle's café-restaurant 'Au Vieux Chateau'. In 1721 new stables were built to the left of the witches tower. Albert Eugene de Lannoy's additions were demolished in 1887 and the recovered stones were used to build a modern mansion for the Count de Berlaymont in the park opposite the former castle. From 1927 to 1930 the castle became private property. In the last throes of the second World War, during the Battle of the Bulge, the castle was badly damaged. Subsequently the Luxembourg State acquired the burnt out ruins and undertook a magnificent restauration.
Luxembourg
The name was first mentioned in 963 when count Siegfried exchanged lands for a small fortified castle by the name of Lucilinburhuc. Throughout the Middle Ages, the House of Luxembourg considerably extended its territory and power. Between 963 and 1443 Luxembourg was independent, at first as a County, then since 1354 as a Duchy. In the 14th Century and the first half of the 15th Century, four Holy Roman Emperors and four Kings of Bohemia came out of the House of Luxembourg.
Thanks to its strategic position in Europe and its formidable fortress - referred to as “Gibraltar of the North� - Luxembourg was much coveted. Thus -between 1443 and 1815- the castle of Siegfried had to endure a succession of Burgundian, Spanish, French and Austrian rulers who each shaped the fortress and the surrounding countryside. After the defeat of Napoleon, the Powers of the time gathered at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to reorganise Europe. Due to the importance of the fortress they decided to create a new country around the fortified castle on the Bock: the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
By strategic calculation, the king of the Netherlands was appointed in personal union as Grand Duke of Luxembourg and at the same time Luxembourg became part of the German Confederation, its capital a federal fortress. At the 1867 Congress of London Luxembourg was declared “perpetually neutral”. This meant that the Prussian Garrison had to withdraw from the fortress of Luxembourg which was to be dismantled, an operation that took 16 years. In 1890, the dynasty of Orange-Nassau lacking a male heir, passed the crown of Luxembourg to the Nassau-Weilburg which meant that the Grand Duchy once again had its own dynasty. The Grand Duke’s official residence is within walking distance of the ancient castle of the counts of Luxembourg.
Esch-sur-Sûre
The first written evidence of is found in the “Liber aureus Epternacensis”, the golden book of Echternach abbey according to which a certain Nebelungus is said to have donated his properties and serfs to the abbey. This act was written in the third year of Charlemagne’s reign, between 9th October 773 and 9th October 774. On 3rd June 927, Meginaud (aka Maingaud) acquired the site of Esch-sur-Sûre in a deal with the abbey of Stavelot. He erected an 8x8 metre square residential tower as well as buildings for agricultural use. At the end of the 11th Century, the brothers Henry I and Godfrey I took part in preparations for the First Crusade and hence they could not work on the castle. The last two counts of Esch expanded their castle and its territory considerably. At the time the county of Esch-sur-Sûre included 19 hamlets and villages and extended down to Diekirch. The first buildings of the castle were thus constructed in the Romanesque period, whilst its development took place in the Gothic period. With the advent of gunpowder in the 15th Century, it became necessary to adjust the defensive system. To this end the whole village was surrounded by a 450 metres long and 1.5 metre thick rampart with two defensive towers. The round watchtower was fortified at the same time. The castle declined from the mid-16th Century to the 19th Century. After the capture of the fortress of Luxembourg in 1684, the troops of Louis XIV began dismantling the country’s strongholds. In Esch-sur-Sûre, the rampart was not destroyed because private houses were backing onto the walls. In fact some are still standing now, check out the lane next to the town hall. By the mid 19th Century the castle passed into the hands of citizens who lived there. When Victor Hugo visited the village on the Sûre in the summer of 1871, the castle was still inhabited by several families. The chapel was restored in 1906. Today, only consolidated ruins are left to remind us of the proud history of the counts of Esch-sur-Sûre. The new illuminations give the castle a fairy tale look, well worth the detour.
Useldange Castle The division of estates created the lordship of Useldange around the year 1100. The first Lord was Theobald of Useldange and his wife Azeka. This dynasty became extinct around 1250. John of Rodemacher becomes the legitimate lord of the manor by his marriage to Irmgart of Boulay in 1415. Due to intrigues in the course of the war between France and Burgundy the Rodemachers didn’t survive for long. Maximilian Ist confiscated Useldingen in 1479 and handed it over to Christopher of Baden. As a result of these upheavals, the castle and chapel suffered serious damage. William of Nassau-Vianden inherited the stronghold only to sell it to François Sebastian Bauer of Everlange in 1674. There follows a period when the feudal castle falls into total ruin ending up as a stone quarry. The chapel was demolished in 1903. Mrs Kuhn-Wolff, a native of Useldange who had emigrated to the United States at the age of 18, purchased the ruins in 1924 and returned to Useldange to renovate the castle. Although the new owners started strengthening the walls and the keep, they did not respect the original architecture and by 1934 the large entrance gate and palace were replaced by a modern villa which is used today as the town hall.
A trail for partially sighted visitors is being set up under the patronage of UNESCO. It leads around the castle and inside the tower and presents local culture in twenty stages. The partially sighted are literally offered the opportunity to feel, hear and touch History. The cultural itinerary also aims to present the local wildlife and integrates the aromatic herbgarden to encourage visitors to discover the great variety of local plants and herbs - well marked by specially designed pannels for partially sighted visitors.