Luxembourg and its castles

Luxembourg, a small European country, is famous for its beautiful castles, which are a major draw for visitors. These castles have a rich history, and each of them comes with fascinating stories about how it was built and how it functioned. Below I present a few of the most important castles in Luxembourg.

Vianden Castle - Luxembourg's top attraction

Vianden Castle is one of the most impressive and best-preserved castles in Europe. The town of Vianden itself, in the north-east of Luxembourg near the German border, is worth exploring. The castle towers over the town and, for Luxembourgers, it is more than just a building. It is a symbol of the country's culture, history and identity. For tourists it is the number one attraction - as many as 200,000 people visit the castle every year.

The first records of buildings on the hill at Vianden date from the year 400, when a Roman watchtower was built here to guard the road to Trier (now in Germany). At that time a large tower and a small building stood out among the structures, both surrounded by a moat. The moat was later built over, but traces of it were recently found beneath the present buildings. After the fall of the Roman Empire the watchtower lay abandoned for as long as 300 years. Then the towers were rebuilt and wooden buildings were added. The first castle was built in the year 1000 and was surrounded by ring-shaped walls one metre thick. At that time there was also a small chapel within the walls. The complex was entered through a side entrance protected by a wooden door; interestingly, this door has survived to the present day. The year 1100 is the point at which we can identify the first residents: Berthold and his retinue. After that, aristocratic families lived in the castle permanently. In 1170 the walls were rebuilt so as to create a passage along their inner side around the three main buildings. Great arches were built to support walls as much as 5 metres thick. It was not until 1200 that the outer bailey was built, also enclosed by a wall, and the castle grew until it covered the entire hill. The main building rose upwards to three storeys. The chapel grew along with it: during services the ground floor was occupied by people of lower rank, while only the aristocracy could use the upper floor. In 1250 the buildings were given a Gothic style, the layout of the outer bailey was changed, and access to the main part of the castle was strengthened with two more gates. In tracing the history of building on the hill, a breakthrough came with the discovery of a copper engraving dated 1643, the first pictorial representation of the castle. The year 1820 was a tragic one for the castle, when the King of the Netherlands decided that it would be sold off to the inhabitants of the surrounding villages and serve solely as a source of building materials. Nevertheless, in the years that followed it was often visited by tourists and admired as a 'romantic ruin'. 1977 brought a real turning point, as everything that remained of the castle became the property of the State of Luxembourg and reconstruction began. Thanks to this, today we can once again admire the castle in all the splendour of its heyday.

The castle's attractions include many halls, corridors, galleries and a chapel whose brightly painted interior is astonishing. The castle operates as a museum and displays armour, weapons, furniture and tapestries. A separate, modern building houses a café and an exhibition that 'tells' the castle's story. Interestingly, many discoveries were made only in 2015, when professional drones scanned the castle. When the scans were compared with the archaeological finds, the castle revealed more of its secrets. Today, in one of the museum rooms, you can watch an interesting computer animation of the successive stages of building on the hill. During the tourist season the castle hosts numerous events and festivals, including a medieval festival that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Bourscheid Castle above the Sauer valley

Bourscheid Castle is another beautiful and impressive stronghold in Luxembourg. It stands on a hill above the picturesque valley of the River Sauer, about 20 km north-east of the country's capital.

The known history of Bourscheid Castle begins in 1095, when its first lord, Bertram, is mentioned. We know, however, that construction itself began about 100 years earlier. In the Middle Ages the castle was considered impregnable. Perched on a 150-metre hill with a river flowing around it, it was out of reach of any medieval weapon. The castle wall was added between 1350 and 1384. In 1477 space was cleared to create a large courtyard. In the centuries that followed, the castle changed hands and was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. For several centuries, after yet another rebuilding, the castle buildings formed two separate, independent residences. From 1812 the whole site was abandoned and the buildings fell into ruin. In 1972, when the castle became state property, no decision was taken to rebuild it; instead the surviving parts were simply secured and opened to visitors.

Today the Bourscheid fortifications as a whole occupy a rectangle 151 metres long and 53 metres wide and consist of several buildings erected on different levels of the terrain.

Bourscheid Castle remains a popular tourist destination as well as a venue for all kinds of events and festivals. In summer it is often used as a stage for theatre performances, concerts and other cultural events.

Beaufort Castle in the Mullerthal region

Another, no less important castle in Luxembourg is Beaufort Castle. This impressive stronghold lies in the heart of the Mullerthal region.

Four phases can be distinguished in the construction of these fortifications, following one another between 1050 and 1650. The castle's first lord was Walter of Wiltz. From the second half of the 18th century the castle was uninhabited and served as a source of building materials. In 1928 Edmond Linckels set about securing the ruins and clearing away the rampant vegetation. This made it possible to open the castle to the public, which happened in 1932.

Inside the castle there are illustrations showing what the individual rooms were used for. Down in the cellars is a gloomy torture chamber complete with its instruments. It is worth climbing the castle tower to admire the beautiful views of the surrounding area.

Clervaux Castle and its museum of castle models

There are at least two reasons to visit Clervaux Castle. One is the building itself. The castle was built in the 12th century and enlarged 300 years later. Today we can admire its white stone façades, and a mighty gate leads into the courtyard.

The second reason to visit is an interesting exhibition of 22 models of Luxembourg's castles and fortresses. The models are on a scale of 1:100, and each one is labelled. Some of them show castles at different moments in history. Vianden Castle, for instance, is shown both as a 'romantic ruin' and after its 20th-century reconstruction. This exhibition is definitely worth a visit, because the realistic models depict not only sites open to visitors but also those that remain in private hands.

Touring the castles of Luxembourg is a wonderful adventure that lets you learn about the country's history and enjoy the beauty of its architecture and landscapes. Each castle has its own unique features and is in a different state of preservation. Some are mere ruins, giving our imagination free rein to picture what life might have been like centuries ago. Others have been wholly or partly rebuilt, present interesting exhibitions and recreate life in bygone centuries. The fact that Luxembourg is a small country makes it easy to visit several castles even in a single day.