Wiltz Castle, located in Wiltz in the north of Luxembourg, dates back to 1573. It is now known above all for hosting an annual music festival. Part of the castle now serves as the campus of United Business Institutes and of BBI.
History
In the 13th century, the Lords of Wiltz built a fortified castle on a rocky promontory, initiating the development of the upper town of Wiltz. In 1388, the French attacked the town and burnt the castle down but it was soon repaired. In 1453, Wiltz was again attacked, this time by the troops of Philip of Burgundy. The round Witches' Tower to the east of the gardens is the oldest part of today's castle. Under Count John VI of Wiltz, the construction of today's Renaissiance style castle was begun in 1631. After delays caused by the Thirty Years War, the main building was not completed until about 1720. The old chapel was finished in 1722 and the monumental staircase leading down to the gardens was completed in 1727. The castle premises were acquired by the State of Luxembourg in 1951 for use as an old people's home.
The music festival
Since 1953, Wiltz Castle has been the venue of an international music festival attracting artists and orchestras of international repute. Not only classical music but also jazz and rock is included in the festival which runs for three weeks from late June to mid-July. In 1991, a removable roof was installed, covering most of the stage and sheltering the hundreds of spectators who would otherwise have been bothered by bad weather.
Brewing and tanning museums
Since 1999, the castle's stables have housed the National Museum of Brewing (Musée National d'Art Brassicole). The museum traces the history of beer production over the past 6,000 years, especially more recent developments in Luxembourg. It is open on weekdays from 9 am to noon and from 2 pm to 5 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to noon, except in July and August when it is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm.
The little tanning museum (Musée de la Tannerie) presents the history of the leather industry in Wiltz which dates from 1644. In 1887, the town had 28 tanneries. The two largest producers closed in 1953 and 1961.

Wiltz Castle

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

Esch-sur-Sûre Castle, now a ruin, is located on a spur in the small town of Esch-sur-Sûre in the north-west of Luxembourg. It is naturally protected by a sharp meander in the River Sûre which surrounds the town and the castle on three sides.
History
In 927, a certain Meginaud or Maingaud and his wife Hiletrude acquired the site of Esch-sur-Sûre where he built a Romanesque tower eight metres square as well as farm buildings. The castle was considerably enlarged in the Gothic style by the two last Counts of Esch during the 13th century.
The Castle above the town
With the introduction of gunpowder in the 15th century, additional defences were required. The entire village was reinforced with a solid wall stretching 450 metres around the village complete with two defensive towers. The round watchtower or Lochturm opposite the keep was also built in the 15th century as were the entrance gate and the castle stables. The castle started to deteriorate in the middle of the 16th century and was dismantled in 1685 by the troops of Louis XIV. The outer wall was however left intact as many of the houses used of it for their back walls. The castle fell into the hands of commoners. When Victor Hugo visited the village in 1871, several families were still living there. In 1902, the Egyptian Martin Riano d’Hutzt bought the ruins from the State for 1,000 francs. He charged the architect Charles Arendt with restoration work and the chapel was restored in 1906 but then funds appear to have run out.
The castle today
Today only the ruins of the castle remain although the State acquired the site in 2005 and began restoration work the following year. The site is open to the public and is illuminated in the evenings.

Esch-sur-Sûre Castle

Schuttbourg is a castle in Luxembourg. It is located near the town of Kautenbach, above the left bank of the Clerve. Since 1997, It has been owned by Ferdinand Feltgen, who has plans to restore the grounds.

Schuttbourg Castle lies above the valley of the Clerf stream between the villages of Consthum and Kautenbach in Luxembourg.
It is unknown when Schuttbourg Castle was built, although some sources say it dates back to the 12th century. It was first mentioned in the 15th century. It was the possession of the Lords of Fischbach who later sold it to the Lords of Clerf.
In the beginning of the 20th century it was a ruin. In 1936 it became private property and was rebuilt into a youth hostel, which opened in 1939. In the Second World War the castle was damaged severely during the Ardennes Offensive. In 1950 these damages were repaired.
The castle is now still private property. Some sources say that at present it is owned by two engineers who are rebuilding it. 
https://www.castles.nl/

Schuttbourg Castle

Clervaux Castle in the town of Clervaux in Northern Luxembourg dates back to the 12th century. Destroyed by the fire in the Second World War during the Battle of the Bulge, the castle has now been fully rebuilt. It houses the commune's administrative offices as well as a museum containing an exhibition of Edward Steichen's photographs.
Location
The castle stands at a height of 365 metres on a rocky spur above the town, surrounded on three sides by a loop in the River Clerve.
History
The oldest parts of the castle from the 12th century were built by Gerard, Count of Sponheim, a brother of the Count of Vianden. The large palace and the rounded towers are probably from around 1400 when the prosperous Lords of Brandenbourg lived there.
In 1634, Claude of Lannoy built the reception halls, including the large Knights' Hall in the Spanish style of Flanders. In 1660, stables, storerooms and administrative buildings were added. Finally, in the 18th century, new stables were built.
Over the years, like other castles in Luxembourg, Clervaux fell into disrepair although it was partly restored and used as a hotel before it was finally destroyed in the Second World War during the Battle of Clervaux (December 16 to 18, 1944), part of the Battle of the Bulge.
The castle today
After being fully restored after the war, the castle is now used partly as a museum and partly for housing the local administration.
The south wing houses an exhibition of models of Luxembourg's castles; the old kitchen in the Brandenbourg House. It is a museum devoted to the Battle of the Ardennes.
The upper floors house the permanent installation of the entire complement of 503 original and restored prints, the work of 273 photographers, from the exhibition The Family of Man, curated by Edward Steichen for The Museum of Modern Art in 1955 and which toured the world to be seen by 9 million visitors. Luxembourg was where Edward Steichen was born in 1879, in Bivange. The exhibition was first presented in the Castle in 1994 after restoration of the prints. The layout of the inaugural exhibition at MoMA is followed in order to recreate the original viewing experience, though necessarily adapted to the unique space of two floors of the restored Castle. Since further restoration of the photographs and displays in 2003 it now incorporates a library and contextualises The Family of Man with historical material and interpretation.
The remaining rooms are used for the services of the local administration.
Visiting times
The castle is open to visitors every day from 10 am to 6 pm except Mondays. It is closed in January and February.

Clervaux Castle

Bourscheid Castle is located near the village of Bourscheid in north-eastern Luxembourg. The medieval castle stands on a site with archeological evidence of structures dating back to Roman times. Standing majestically some 150 metres (490 ft) above the River Sûre, it is enclosed by a circular wall with 11 watchtowers.
History
Although first mentioned in records from 1095, the castle appears to have been built around the year 1000 on earlier foundations. 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. 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.
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.
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.

Bourscheid Castle

Urspelt Castle is located in the little village of Urspelt some 3 km (2 mi) north-east of Clervaux in northern Luxembourg. Though the castle has a history going back at least three centuries, today's building dates from 1860. After comprehensive restoration work and additions, it recently opened as a hotel and meeting centre.
History
The origins of the castle go back more than 300 years when it was a small country property. Then in 1860, Amand Bouvier considerably expanded it. A new garden was laid out, now one of the area's most notable parks with its avenues and elm trees. When Bouvier died in 1900, he left a magnificent estate to his nephew Alfred Bouvier but he and his descendants failed to show much interest in the property. During the Second World War, the Germans used the castle as their headquarters for northern Luxembourg until they were forced to abandon it to the Americans during the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944. After the war, the castle fell into disrepair and was used only as a hunting lodge. Towards the end of the 20th century, the deserted building was increasingly invaded by the surrounding undergrowth.
Finally, in August 2005, Freddy Lodomez bought the property and immediately embarked on comprehensive restoration work which continued for three years as the building was fitted out as a luxury hotel. An old well, apparently dating back to an 11th-century stronghold, was found and renovated. A second tower was added at the far end of the castle to house a lift.
The castle today
Since August 2008, the building has functioned as a hotel and conference centre.

Urspelt Castle

Brandenbourg Castle, now a ruin, is located on a promontory some 70 metres above the village of Brandenbourg in north-eastern Luxembourg. It has a history going back to the 9th and 10th centuries when there was a wooden fort on the site. The 13th century keep, now 11.9 metres high, used to have four floors, only three of which remain. In 1668, the French attacked the castle which subsequently fell increasingly into ruin. It is now owned by the Luxembourg State.
Location
The castle is located high above the crossroads of the road from the River Sûre up into the Ardennes and that from Bourscheid to Vianden. The site, measuring 35 by 95 metres, consists of the main castle and of a lower courtyard.
History
Archaeological digs provide evidence of a wooden fort dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries. The first buildings of stone are from the 13th century. In the 14th century a chapel was added to the castle. And during the 15th and 16th centuries the castle was expanded and a bailey, two towers, vaulted cellars and curtain walls were added.
The castle was inhabited until the middle of the 18th century. Like many other medieval castles, it was then abandoned and left to fall into ruin. In 1936 and during the 1950s, the State carried out basic consolidation work. Since the 1980s, all necessary consolidation work has been performed while archaeologists have continued to explore the site for further evidence of the castle's history.
The castle today
The ruin is accessible to the public, between 9 am and 5 pm every day.

Brandenbourg Castle

Schorels Castle lies in a forest, north of the village of Eschette in Luxembourg.
The castle is built on a, ca. 25 meters high, rocky spur between two brooks. It consisted of a rectangular building with a defensive wall close around it. There probably was a gate tower at its southern end. A 5 meters deep and 14 meters wide dry moat protected the north side of the castle.
The castle was property of the Lords of Useldange or the Lords of Esch-sur-Sûre. Later the castle was property of the Post family who probably achieved it by marriage. The castle was donated to the Luxembourg State by descendants of the Post family after they had recieved a tax notice on the castle during WWII.
This is truly a forgotten ruin. It's a little bit hard to find but that only adds to the pleasure of finding it. It's a very nice walk up to the castle ruins, which are very much overgrown.
https://www.castles.nl/

Schorels Castle

Stolzembourg Castle is located on a hill in the centre of the village of Stolzembourg in north-eastern Luxembourg. The current building was built on the ruins of the medieval castle in 1898 in the style of a Scottish country house.
History
In the 12th century, a tower was built to keep watch over the road along the River Our. The first mention of a fortress was in 1315. In 1454, the governor Antoine de Croÿ pulled down the castle. After it had been rebuilt, it was finally destroyed by the French troops of Louis XIV in 1679. In 1898, a Scottish-style country house was built on the ruins.
The castle today
The castle is privately owned and is not open to visitors.

Stolzembourg Castle

Erpeldange Castle, located in the town of the same name in north-eastern Luxembourg, now houses the administrative offices for the Commune of Erpeldange, with its grounds open to the public. It has a history dating back to the 13th century.
History
During the 12th century, there appears to have been a tower and wooden fort at the site of the present castle. In the 13th century, Frederic and Gerard d'Erpeldange, the first lords of Erpeldange, built a fortified stone castle guarding the valley at the point where the River Sûre meets the Alzette. The property passed successively into the hands of the Counts of Vianden, and the Brandenburg-Outscheid and von Moestroff-Kerpen families. Through marriage, the Gondersdorf family inherited the castle and in 1630 transformed it into a luxurious residence for their daughter. In 1677, it was inherited by Charles François baron de Failly de Sancy and Marie Marguerite de Giraldin. By that time, it was no longer of any military value as a quiet park had replaced its defences. Abandoned by the Prel family in the 19th century, it was used as a rectory. During the Second World War, the castle was damaged as a result of its use first by the Germans and then by American troops. The castle changed hands a number of times until it was acquired by the State in 1983. The commune's administrative offices have been housed there since 1987. The building still contains two fine Renaissance fireplaces.

The Chateau is not the typical castle built on a high point for good protection, it is on flat land, although surrounded by walls which probably did provide some protection. The other function of a Chateau was to serve as the residence and principal operating location of the Lord of the Manor.
The first Chateau, which probably was quite different than the present one, is believed to have been built by the Knights Frederich and Gerard d'Erpeldange, first seigneurs d'Erpeldange, vassaux de Compte de Vianden, in 1247-1252. about 1437 it passed by decree to Louis Brandenburg-Outscheid and the family von Moestroff-Kerpen. The latter added the name von Gondersdorf (source unknown) and came to be known as the Gondersdorf family.
The new Chateau was built in 1630 for a daughter of the Gondersdorf family. In 1677 the Chateau was passed in marriage to the Charles Francois baron de Failly de Sancy and Marie Marguerite de Giraldin. In 1691 it was again passed in marriage, this time to to Gerard baron du Prel de Chapois and Marie Madeleine de Failly daughter of the Charles Francois baron de Failly.
he Chateau from 1840 to 1882 was owned by the Church of Erpeldange and was occupied by the local priest Joseph Kalbersch until 1858. It also served part time as the parish church. The Chateau was passed In 1882 to the Dutch M. Willem Keun family of the Haye in exchange for the construction of a new Church, a Presbytery and a Cemetery. In 1903 the Chateau was owned by Michel Thilges of Wiltz. During the second World War the Chateau was occupied in turn by German and American troops and was badly damaged. In recent years the Chateau has been owned and occupied by the Bos family. When the Bos family purchased the property there was very little remaining but the walls. A governess for a deceased former owner, unhappy with her inheritance, had deliberately burned many of the furnishings and documents.
http://www.duprel.com/

Erpeldange Castle

The castle is one of the most important buildings in the municipality of Schieren, with cultural and architectural value.
Parts of the castle date back to the 13th century. Built by Gaspard-Florent de Breiderbach, the building was owned for years by the de Blochhausen family, including former Luxembourg prime minister Baron Félix de Blochhausen. He was born at the castle in March 1834 and died there in November 1915.
In the Second World War, the castle was used as a base for US troops. Since then the owners have changed frequently but always within the family, with 1990 members of the de Blochhausen family calling the castle home. It was loaned to a doctor from 1990 to 2002 - since then it has stood empty.
Following the death of the last official proprietor in 2018, a Luxembourg ONG inherited the castle and surrounding land. The government classed it as a national monument in January last year.
https://today.rtl.lu/