Sometimes a castle is just a ruin and it takes quite a bit of imagination to picture what it might have looked like when it was a huge stronghold and residence for a feudal age family.
This was the case when we visited Bourscheid Castle, which sits perched far above the town of Bourscheid and the river Sure, on an isolated rocky promontory accessible only from a narrow road on the northwest side of the ancient stone fortress-home.
This was the case when we visited Bourscheid Castle, which sits perched far above the town of Bourscheid and the river Sure, on an isolated rocky promontory accessible only from a narrow road on the northwest side of the ancient stone fortress-home.
The castle grew from its humble beginnings from about the year 1000, when a stone fortress replaced an older wooden stronghold. Excavations show that the site was occupied as early as Roman times, and the fortress/castle was occupied throughout the Ottonian, Carolingian, Merovingian, dynasties.
Building continued to expand outward from its center over the centuries as a Keep was built and later a palace and buildings to serve the castle such as the, chapel, dungeons and a warden’s house were also constructed. The some service rooms such as the bake-house were actually hewn from solid rock.
This small castle community was protected by a circular wall with at least four towers. Only one of those towers remains today.
Building continued to expand outward from its center over the centuries as a Keep was built and later a palace and buildings to serve the castle such as the, chapel, dungeons and a warden’s house were also constructed. The some service rooms such as the bake-house were actually hewn from solid rock.
This small castle community was protected by a circular wall with at least four towers. Only one of those towers remains today.
A thick stone wall with 8 towers was completed in 1384 to further protect the castle and as the Bourscheid family grew, a great house (the Stozemburger house) was built in the lower castle area and the palace was extended in height.
Sometime after 1477, as added protection, a gate with a defensive ditch and 4 towers were constructed and the square front of the gate was protected by palisades.
These fortifications protected the Bourscheid family until 1512, when the last member of the family died and the castle began to deteriorate.
These fortifications protected the Bourscheid family until 1512, when the last member of the family died and the castle began to deteriorate.
The upper castle grounds (and probably the stones too!) were re-used for two homes, as the upper castle was transformed into two dwellings arranged on both sides of the “palace”. One was already deserted by 1626; the other was never permanently inhabited.
The chapel was enlarged around 1650 so that it could boast two altars and the Stozemburger House was occupied as a residence by bailiffs. The invasion of Luxembourg by French revolutionary troops in 1704-1705 put an end to feudalism, but the structures continued to be used by the community until 1812.
The chapel was enlarged around 1650 so that it could boast two altars and the Stozemburger House was occupied as a residence by bailiffs. The invasion of Luxembourg by French revolutionary troops in 1704-1705 put an end to feudalism, but the structures continued to be used by the community until 1812.
While the Stozemburger house has been restored (and feels a little "new" and too much like a museum/school program space for my taste) and the watchtowers have been brought back to fairy-tale beauty, the ruins are mostly left for your imagination to rebuild in your mind.
The audio-tour is excellent and really helps bring the stones to life for you. I would HIGHLY recommend that you take the audio tour. Exploring Bourscheid Castle, this ruined but still beautiful skeleton of a castle was a lovely end to our day discovering the north of Luxembourg!
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