Chateau de Vianden, perched majestically on a peak over the town of Vianden in the north of Luxembourg, is exactly what you would picture when you imagine a fairy-tale castle. Its graceful pointed turrets, steep gabled roof and stern grey stone walls create a magical view.
The steep promontory where the chateau sits has always been used for strategic purposes from its very beginnings, when during Roman times, a fortress/watch tower and signal station called a “Castellum” resided.
It is believed that basement ruins found during restoration show that during or shortly after the 9th century, the high protected hill provided refuge for some of the last members of the Carolingian Empire.
The first “Count of Vianden” is mentioned in historical records in 1090 and the castle was the seat of the Counts of Vianden until the beginning of the 15th century. The counts of Vianden were the mightiest lords of the area bordered by the rivers Rhine, Mosel and Maas from the 12th to 15th centuries, and had close connections to the Royal Family of France and the German imperial court.
Henry I of Vianden (1220-1250), known as 'the Sun Count', brought the holdings, lifestyle and influence of the House of Vianden to its height of power and the family remained influential for hundreds of years.
So as you can imagine, this impressive family built a great castle which they increased in size and remodeled over the centuries. It is one of the largest and most beautiful feudal castles of the Romanesque and Gothic periods in Europe.
So as you can imagine, this impressive family built a great castle which they increased in size and remodeled over the centuries. It is one of the largest and most beautiful feudal castles of the Romanesque and Gothic periods in Europe.
As you approach the castle, you will enter into the courtyard via a path along the heavily fortified wall and through five gates, the first of which would have had a drawbridge.
Around 1100, a square keep was built as well as a kitchen, a chapel and residential rooms worthy of an aristocratic family.
The Early Kitchen (below)
Excavations at the castle yielded medieval archeological layers from the 9th, 11th and 12th century pointing to an oval Carolingian construction. An exhibition of historical artifacts and archeological finds from the castle during the middle ages were discovered during the excavations.
During the first half of the 12th century, a new residential tower and a prestigious decagonal chapel were added while the palace itself was expanded. The Chapel is a double oratory chapel, consisting of two separate floor-levels, with an opening rising in the middle .
The lower floor was meant for the commoners of the town and the servants. They could hear and follow the religious ceremonies in the upper section of the church through the six-sided opening, but they could not access any other part of the palace from the chapel and were out of the site of the Count and his family. The Chapel became the first Parish Church in the town of Vianden.
The Arms Hall (below 3 photos)
The Knight's Study (Below 2 photos)
The Grand Kitchen
The Dining Hall
At the beginning of the 13th century, a new two-story palace was built with a sumptuous gallery connecting the palace to the chapel. The last great change to the castle took place in the middle of the 13th century when the entire castle was remodeled in the Gothic style.
The Byzantine Gallery (Below 2 Photos)
The Festivity Hall (Below)
Finally, in 1621 Prince Maurice of Orange-Nassau-Vianden designed the banqueting hall and bedroom, replacing a damaged wing of the 11th century keep. The beautiful fireplace is from 1450.
The Banqueting Hall (below)
The Bedroom (Below 2 Photos)
The castle passed for the most part, out of the Vianden dynasty hands in the 16th century and fell into ruin over centuries. Restoration of Chateau Vianden was carefully begun in 1962. The Family of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg transferred it to state ownership in 1977 and it has now been restored to its former glory.
As you wander through this beautiful old castle, Chateau Vianden you feel enveloped by the presence of the grand historical days of this part of Luxembourg and exploring the rooms is a delight for anyone who loves learning more about Europe’s past.
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