Near the

Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

town of Manderscheid are the

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

of two

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s, the castles of Manderschied, whose history and location reflect the

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

conflict of interest between the

Electorate of Trier The Electorate of Trier (german: Kurfürstentum Trier or ' or Trèves) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the end of the 9th to the early 19th century. It was the temporal possession of the prince- ...

and the

Duchy of Luxembourg The Duchy of Luxemburg ( nl, Luxemburg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg; lb, Lëtzebuerg) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg. The House of Luxembourg, now Duke of Limburg, becam ...

Oberburg

The Oberburg or "Upper Castle" is located on a hilltop that was levelled in order to construct the castle. It had, as can still be seen from the ruins, an almost triangular

enceinte Enceinte (from Latin incinctus: girdled, surrounded) is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the position. For ...

and a five-story ''

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under German ...

'' or fighting tower that has been made accessible again. From the ''bergfried'' there is a clear view of the Niederburg or "Lower Castle", the town of Manderscheid and the countryside of the Lieser valley. The place name of Manderscheid is first recorded in a deed of gift by Ottos II to the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

dating to 973. This is not, however, as is often maintained in the literature, the earliest record of the castle, which is first historically known from the feud over St. Maximin's Abbey in front of Trier between Count Henry the Blind of Namur-Luxembourg and Archbishop Albero of Trier, between 1141 and 1146. The free lords of Manderscheid first appear in 1142 in the list of witnesses in a deed of gift. In the 14th century, the village of Obermanderscheid gave its name to the Electoral Trier ''

Amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

'' of Manderscheid, which existed until the late 18th century. However, the seat of government was not at the castle, but in the Kellerei of the neighbouring village to which Elector Baldwin had granted

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

in 1332 (according to other sources they were granted by King

Louis the Bavarian Louis IV (german: Ludwig; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328. Louis' election as king of Germany in ...

as one of a number of rights). The local estates of the Elector of Trier formed a sort of

bridgehead In military strategy, a bridgehead (or bridge-head) is the strategically important area of ground around the end of a bridge or other place of possible crossing over a body of water which at time of conflict is sought to be defended or taken over ...

into the surrounding

sovereign territory Westphalian sovereignty, or state sovereignty, is a principle in international law that each state has exclusive sovereignty over its territory. The principle underlies the modern international system of sovereign states and is enshrined in the Un ...

of Luxembourg. In 1673 the castle, still owned by the Electorate, was finally destroyed by French troops. Today: the ruins of the Oberburg were thoroughly renovated in 1921 by the municipality of Manderscheid, on whose land it stands, and it is open to the public.

Niederburg

NiederburgManderscheid.jpg, Niederburg: 1576 engraving by

Frans Hogenberg Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590) was a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker. Hogenberg was born in Mechelen in Flanders as the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg.Eifel Club The Eifel Club (german: Eifelverein) is one of the largest rambling clubs in Germany with a membership of 28.000. Its purpose is the "maintenance of local customs, the protection and care of monuments to which it is particularly committed". The ...

and the club has slowly, but continually, restored them. They may be visited daily during the summer months. Guided group tours are also possible on request. The castle may also be booked for private events such as weddings. On the last weekend in August every year there is a medieval festival at the castle and the adjacent jousting field which receives about 15,000 visitors.Historisches Burgenfest Manderscheid
/ref>

References

External links

* *
Website of the Niederburg

Artist's impression
by Wolfgang Braun * 1625 illustration by Daniel Meisner: Manderscheidt; Múß, ein bitters Kraútt () {{Coord, 50, 5, 32, N, 6, 49, 6, E, type:landmark_region:DE-RP, display=title Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate Heritage sites in Rhineland-Palatinate Manderscheid Bernkastel-Wittlich