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All photos: Wikimedia Commons / Château de Vianden overlooking
the city of Vianden and the River Our |
Luxembourg’s most famous non-grand ducal castle is probably
the Château de Vianden, Burg Vianden, or Buerg Veianen, depending on which of Luxembourg’s three official
languages you prefer. Château de Vianden perches more than one thousand feet
(310 meters) on a rocky cliff, overlooking the city of Vianden and the River
Our that flows through it. Imposing towers and five gates, with one served by a
drawbridge, protected Château de Vianden during its medieval days. After serving as
the Counts of Vianden’s seat of power for centuries, the castle would
eventually be neglected and fall into ruin. But a committed restoration project
in the late 20th century saw Château de Vianden restored and returned to its former
glory.
There has been a structure on the site of Château de Vianden
since the age of the Romans. In fact, the town at the time was known as
Viennensis. A castellum, of fort watch tower, is believed to have sat there
originally. Historians also date the basement of the castle to the 9th
century, when it was a Carolingian refuge. Additionally, the
Carolingians erected a decagonal tower, which would later become the castle’s
chapel.
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The upper level of the decagonal
chapel at Château de Vianden |
The first mention of a Count of Vianden occurs in 1090, and
construction on the Château de Vianden appears to have begun right around the
beginning of the 12th century. Early construction resulted in a keep, a
kitchen, a chapel, and rooms for family members, all built in the prevailing
Romanesque style of the day.
Within the next fifty years, the palace within the
castle grew, receiving a residential tower, as well as the large and unique chapel
that was placed in the Carolingian decagon. This chapel spans two levels,
connected by a central opening. The Vianden locals were allowed to attend
services and sit in the lower level, while the aristocrats sat in the upper
level. (The Count of Vianden was afforded an even higher spot, seated in a
balcony in the upper level.) The expanded palace, however, proved insufficient,
as a two-level palace was later added in the early 13th century, with a gallery
connecting it to the chapel.
In the mid-13th century, Château de Vianden
received a complete makeover that gave it a Gothic styling. The chapel still
reflects the split style history of the castle: the lower level maintains the
earlier Romanesque look, while the upper level features Gothic elements.
In 1417, the region encompassing Vianden transferred via
inheritance to the House of Nassau, although the Counts of Vianden retained
their hereditary title. Then, in 1530, Elisabeth, the daughter of Henry II of
Vianden, received ownership of the castle and the entire County of Vianden. She
chose to will both to her cousin Count Engelbert of Nassau. When this occurred,
the Count of Vianden also assumed titles of the House of Orange-Nassau and
became the Count of Orange-Nassau-Vianden.
The castle changed hands entirely, if relatively briefly,
during Willem of Orange’s revolt against King Felipe II of Spain. At one
point, the latter took ownership of the castle and gave it over to Peter Ernst
I von Mansfeld-Vorderet, who was Governor of Luxembourg at the time. The castle
was eventually returned to the Orange-Nassau-Vianden family.
Prince Maurice of Orange-Nassau-Vianden added the
Renaissance-style Nassau Quarter in 1621, which included a banqueting hall and
a large bedroom. This new mansion took the place of a damaged keep dating from
the 11th century. After this, though, Château de Vianden fell largely into
ruin, as the Counts of Vianden abandoned it as their primary seat. In 1667,
lightning started a fire that would affect the chapel and remove some traces of
the castle's Gothic look.
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| A view of Château de Vianden by night |
Such was the merging of family lines that by the early 19th
century the Count of Vianden, Willem Frederik, was also King Willem I of the
Netherlands. In the process of managing his various properties, he chose to
sell Château de Vianden in 1820, to an alderman named Wenzel (Wenceslas) Coster
for the cost of 3200 florins. Coster, as was his right as the new owner, began
taking the building apart piece by piece: quite literally, he sold doors and
windows individually, wood panels from inside the castle, pieces of masonry,
and tiles from the roof. Coster also relocated the staircase from the castle,
as well as pieces of paneling and furniture, to his home within the town of
Vianden. This seemingly wanton demolishment angered the people of Vianden, and
William I found himself obligated to buy the now-ruined structure back for 1100
florins. William had the goal of restoring the castle, but he became otherwise
occupied in the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
In 1851, Prince Henry of the Netherlands took it on himself
to begin reconstruction by paying out of pocket for the cost of repairing the
chapel. In 1890, Adolph of Nassau-Weilburg became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg
and also took ownership of Château de Vianden. He hired the German
reconstruction specialist Bobo Ebhardt to take on the full repairs for the
castle. Ebhardt's work was successful, but was also interrupted by the violence
of World War I.
Château de Vianden holds an interesting honor from World War
II, when the anti-Nazi resistance from Luxembourg held off the Waffen-SS from
the castle. Despite the castle’s medieval origins, it proved a sufficient fortification
against the modern warfare of the Nazis. The 30 members of the Luxembourgish resistance managed to fight of 250 Germans with only light casualties (1 dead, 6 wounded) against 23 Germans killed.
Further restoration work flagged after World War II, but
some work resumed in 1962. Then, in 1977, Grand Duke Jean transferred ownership
of Château de Vianden to the state. Reconstruction on the roof, walls, and
gables began in 1978. The chapel and the tower received a facelift. Between
1981 and 1982, the elaborate Nassau Mansion was restored. Throughout the
reconstruction, workers made every effort to return the castle, both internally
and externally, to an authentic look.
Work on Château de Vianden finally ended in 1990, and the
castle is now open daily to visitors.
