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Differdange Castle (french: Château de Differdange), located on a hill in the centre of
The first lord of Differdange Castle was Wilhelm, brother of the Lord of Soleuvre, who is mentioned in documents from 1310 when he owned a fortified castle. However, the lords of Differdange lasted only until the death of Wilhelm's grandson around the year 1400. When Soleuvre Castle burnt down in 1552, the owner Anna von Insenburg decided not to repair it but to build a Renaissance-style residential castle in Differdange serving both
''Ville de Differdange''. Retrieved 17 March 2011. At the beginning of the 20th century, the castle came into the hands of the local steel industry
"Welcome from John Dolibois"
''John E. Dolibois European Center''. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
File:Differdange Castle1.JPG, Main entrance
File:Differdange Castle3.JPG, South-eastern tower
File:Differdange Castle5.JPG, The southern facade
File:Differdange Castle8.JPG, The square courtyard
Differdange Castle (french: Château de Differdange), located on a hill in the centre of Differdange
Differdange ( lb, Déifferdeng or (locally) ; german: Differdingen) is a commune with town status in south-western Luxembourg, west from the country's capital. It lies near the borders with Belgium and France and it is located in the canton of ...
in southern 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 ...
, was built in 1577 although an earlier fortified castle of Differdange dates from around 1310. Today's residential château is used by Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
.
History
The first lord of Differdange Castle was Wilhelm, brother of the Lord of Soleuvre, who is mentioned in documents from 1310 when he owned a fortified castle. However, the lords of Differdange lasted only until the death of Wilhelm's grandson around the year 1400. When Soleuvre Castle burnt down in 1552, the owner Anna von Insenburg decided not to repair it but to build a Renaissance-style residential castle in Differdange serving both Soleuvre
Soleuvre (, , ) is a town in the commune of Sanem, in the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette in south-western Luxembourg. , the town has a population of 5,471. In 2001, Soleuvre was the fourteenth-largest town in Luxembourg, and the largest that is not ...
and Differdange.Pit Streff, "Le Château de Differdange"''Ville de Differdange''. Retrieved 17 March 2011. At the beginning of the 20th century, the castle came into the hands of the local steel industry
ARBED
The Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange ( French; literally "United Steelworks of Burbach-Eich-Dudelange"), better known by its acronym ARBED, was a major Luxembourg-based steel and iron producing company. Created in 1911 after the merge ...
who used it as a hotel and a restaurant for its staff until it became a Miami University campus in 1997.
Architecture
Differdange Castle is probably the earliest example in Luxembourg of a château built entirely in the Renaissance style. It was intended as a residence and a fortification with a moat and draw-bridge (now both removed) as well as loop-holes. It is constructed fully in accordance with the principles of Renaissance architecture, especially the use of the square both for the courtyard (15 by 15 metres) and the outer walls of the three buildings (30 by 30 metres) which surround it. The rectangular cross-framed windows are typical of the period. The octagonal towers which are slightly higher than the central building provide balance between the horizontal and vertical dimensions.The castle today
Since 1997, the castle has been let to Miami University for use as itsMiami University Dolibois European Center
Miami University Dolibois European Center (sometimes called the Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center or simply MUDEC) is an overseas campus of Miami University based in Differdange, Luxembourg. Located in the southwestern part of t ...
, a European teaching centre providing students with "a living history for their European experience". The center is named in honour of former American ambassador to Luxembourg, John E. Dolibois
John Ernest Dolibois ( né Jean Ernst Dolibois; December 4, 1918 – May 2, 2014) was a United States Ambassador to Luxembourg and college administrator.
A native of Bonnevoie, Luxembourg, Dolibois emigrated to the United States with his fath ...
.''John E. Dolibois European Center''. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
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 ...
Gallery
References
{{coord, 49, 31, 17, N, 5, 53, 18, E, display=title Castles in Luxembourg Differdange Miami University Educational institutions in Luxembourg