Bourscheid Castle

Bourscheid, Luxembourg

Bourscheid Castle stands on a site with archeological evidence of structures dating back to Roman times. Standing majestically some 150 metres above the River Sûre, it is enclosed by a circular wall with 11 watchtowers.

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 predominately 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.

The castle is open to visitors all the year round.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: c. 1000 AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Luxembourg

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Brendan D (9 months ago)
Fantastic Castle, very easy access and parking. The grounds are expansive and many locations accessible. The blonde female working this week was extremely humble and polite even though I could only speak English. Well worth a visit!
Saiful Srabon (10 months ago)
It was amazing to visit there. You can see the birds eye view of the near village from above of the mountain. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day. I do not habe so many pictures
Tim Stiffler (12 months ago)
A gorgeous castle in Luxembourg! Exactly what we were looking for. The fact that it is ruins gave us a sense of the age of the structures. The museum on the third floor of the house was very good- the had the information in several languages
Brian Planchard (15 months ago)
An interesting partially ruined castle in northern Luxembourg not far from Vianden. The castle is fun to climb around, but the English audioguide needs some work (it reloads constantly and it’s on your phone). Definitely worth visiting if you’re in the area to see Vianden.
Adam Greyson (18 months ago)
We came a bit after 10am and there was some parking available in the lot. By 12pm, it was pretty full and people were parking on the side of the road. You can buy tickets (7€) at the gift shop and then enter through the buzzer gate. There are lots of stairs and cobbled walkways so wear comfy shoes and watch your step. There are some beautiful views at the top. Parking and toilet are free. We spent about an hour here.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Gravensteen

The Gravensteen is a castle in Ghent originating from the Middle Ages. The name means 'castle of the counts' in Dutch. Arnulf I (918–965), Count of Flanders, was the first to fortify this place, building a medieval bastion on this high sand dune, naturally protected by the river Leie and its marshy banks. This bastion consisted of a central wooden building and several surrounding buildings, also in wood.

In the early 11th century, the wooden building was replaced by a stone residence, consisting of three large halls that made up three storeys, connected by a stone stairwell. The monumental stone staircase, the light openings, the fireplaces built into the walls and the latrines were signs of considerable luxury and comfort in those days. There was probably also a tower.