While France has the castles of the Loire Valley, in Luxembourg, the entire country has an inestimable number of castles dating from the Middle Ages and beyond. The route of the castles, well known to tourists, allows you to discover the most beautiful vestiges of this glorious time.
Clervaux seems to be the ideal starting point to discover this rich heritage. Why? The Museum of Luxembourg Castle Models is located in the very heart of Clervaux castle, which provides you with perfect replicas of 22 of the country's buildings and villages. You will also find the information you need to understand the history of these castles, which is inherent to the history of the country itself. What if we took a leap into the past?
In Luxembourg, as in other neighbouring countries, castles seem to have sprouted up like mushrooms ... To understand why, let's go back to the feudal era, when great lords ruled Europe. In order to retain the loyalty of their peoples and establish their power as far away as possible, the great lords bequeathed land to their most loyal nobles, in exchange for their allegiance. These lands were called fiefdoms, smaller territories within a larger one. These new little lords, having a part of the population (the serfs) in their charge, wanted more than anything to show their power and wealth to all, by building their own castles. Thus, almost every feudal territory saw the appearance of a castle at its centre.
It is often thought that the castle had primarily a military role. You will be surprised to learn that most castles only had a garrison of 3 or 4 soldiers. The military role was therefore very limited, and it served mainly as a place of retreat and protection for the population during attacks. Its role was therefore rather defensive. This is why castles were often built in steep, even hidden places. This caused their loss...
When gunpowder and heavy artillery were discovered, the castles did not stand out. Their location away from the large cities did not encourage anyone to rebuild them, and some fell into oblivion.
In Luxembourg, all types of castles coexist. Ruins, untouched for centuries, but also small jewels of romanticism, or even well-preserved remains of medieval times. The country's most famous castles were modelled in the 1970s and installed in the magnificent rooms of the Château de Clervaux.
Bourglinster, Vianden, Bourscheid, La Rochette, Esch-sur-Sûre and many others are present...
