Brandenbourg Castle
Encyclopedia
Brandenbourg Castle now a ruin, is located on a promontory some 70 metres above the village of Brandenbourg
Brandenbourg
Brandenbourg is a village in the commune of Tandel, in north-eastern Luxembourg. It lies in the valley of the Blees river, and is the site of the 10th century Brandenbourg Castle. , the village has a population of 189....

 in north-eastern Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

. 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
Sauer
The Sauer or Sûre is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the river Moselle, its total length is 173 km....

 up into the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...

 and that from Bourscheid
Bourscheid
Bourscheid is a commune and small town in north-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Diekirch, which is part of the district of Diekirch., the town of Bourscheid, which lies in the centre of the commune, has a population of 266...

 to Vianden
Vianden
Vianden is a commune with city status in the Oesling, north-eastern Luxembourg, with over 1,500 inhabitants. It is the capital of the canton of Vianden, which is part of the district of Diekirch. Vianden lies on the Our river, near the border between Luxembourg and Germany., the town of 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 site used to be fully accessible to the public but access is now restricted, probably in the interests of preventing further damage.
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