![Bourscheid Castle in Luxembourg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Bourscheid_Castle_in_Luxembourg.jpg)
Bourscheid Castle (french: Château de Bourscheid, german: Burg Bourscheid, lb, Buerg Buerschent) is located near the village of
Bourscheid in north-eastern
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
. The medieval castle stands on a site with archeological evidence of structures dating back to
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
times. Standing majestically some 150 metres (490 ft) above the
River Sûre, it is enclosed by a circular wall with 11 watchtowers.
["Bourscheid Castle"]
, ''Luxembourg Tourist Office, London''. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
History
Although first mentioned in records from 1095, the castle appears to have been built around the year 1000 on earlier foundations, in what was then the
County of Luxemburg
The County of Luxemburg (french: Luxembourg; lb, Lëtzebuerg) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It arose from medieval '' Lucilinburhuc'' ("Little Fortress") Castle in the present-day City of Luxembourg, purchased by Siegfried, Count o ...
, part of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
. It was extended on several occasions: the outer wall dates from 1350, the Stolzembourg house from 1384, and the courtyard from 1477. Behind the gateway from the end of the 15th century, a ditch protected by four towers barred access to the upper and lower castles. The southern and eastern towers are from 1498 and the artillery bastions were built in the 16th century.
The extension of the upper part of the castle took place in the 15th century while the great fireplace and tall chimney were completed about a hundred years later. After 1626 it was owned by the
House of Metternich
The House of Metternich is an old German noble family originating in the Rhineland. The most prominent member was Prince Klemens von Metternich, who was the dominant figure at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815). As a former reigning house ( me ...
, before the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
put an end to their feudal power. Schenk von Schmidtburg, who acquired the castle at the end of the 18th century, undertook some repair work but was unable to prevent further degradation. In the 19th century, after the chapel collapsed, there was talk of demolishing the building. However, in 1936 it became a
listed site and in 1972, with the encouragement of an association called the Friends of the Castle of Bourscheid, the State acquired the building and undertook extensive repairs. As a result of restoration work, the castle is now fully accessible to visitors, but remains a predominantly open-air ruin. An audio tour is available in Luxembourgish, German, French, Dutch, and English. Publication of the Bourscheid historical archives has provided details of the castle and its former inhabitants.
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Visiting times
The castle is open to visitors all the year round: 1 April to 15 October from 9.30 am to 6 pm and 16 October to 31 March from 11 am to 4 pm."Le Château de Bourscheid"
''Association des châteaux''. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
Full-price admission to the castle costs five euros, with discount prices available for adults, students, and children. Admission includes an audio-guide. Audio guides are not available for guests who arrive within 90 minutes of closing.
Future
See also
*
List of castles in Luxembourg
By some optimistic estimates, there are as many as 130 castles in Luxembourg but more realistically there are probably just over a hundred, although many of these could be considered large residences or manor houses rather than castles.Evy Friedri ...
References
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Bourscheid, Luxembourg
Castles in Luxembourg
Tourist attractions in Luxembourg
Convention centres in Luxembourg
Castles in the Ardennes (Luxembourg)
Castles in the Eifel