Bourscheid Castle

Bourscheid stands on a spur about a hundred and fifty metres above a loop of the Sûre, one of the largest castle sites in Luxembourg: a keep from around the tenth century inside a curtain wall with eight towers added in the fourteenth, enclosing a considerable area. It fell into ruin from the eighteenth century and has been consolidated since the 1970s, with parts roofed again and an exhibition inside. The view over the valley is the other reason to come.

History

First mentioned in 1095, the castle seems to have been built around the year 1000 on earlier foundations; its outer wall dates from 1350, the Stolzembourg house from 1384 and the courtyard from 1477, and from 1626 it belonged to the House of Metternich (Wikipedia, Bourscheid Castle).

What's there

• The curtain wall - the fourteenth-century enclosure with its eight towers.
• The keep - the tenth-century core at the centre of the site.
• The Stolzembourg house - the roofed building holding the exhibition.
• The Sure valley view - the river loop a hundred and fifty metres below.

When to go

April to October is the main season; winter hours are reduced. Autumn colour in the valley is good. The road up is steep.

Before you go

Much of the site is consolidated ruin rather than restored building. The road up is narrow and parking is limited. Interpretation is modest.

Nearby

Diekirch is southeast, and Esch-sur-Sure is west.

Key facts