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| A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life. WAVE Journey is your one stop online resource for women oriented businesses and services around the world. WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online resource. |
| WAVE Journey |
| Women's Adventures, Vacations, Experiences ~ Your Journey Starts Here! |
Medieval Luxembourg? And there are castles to prove it!
Article & photos by Lucy Komisar
Article & photos by Lucy Komisar
Half a dozen medieval castles dot the countryside of Luxembourg, a country so small
that you can traverse it the long way, north to south, in just a few hours. Tucked
between France, Belgium and Germany, this microstate is famous for banks, but a
journalist colleague from Prague had been charmed by Luxembourg’s castles and
wanted to show them to me. That was high praise, as Prague Castle is world famous.
He chose, he said, three of the best. Starting out from Luxembourg city, he and I
drove north.
that you can traverse it the long way, north to south, in just a few hours. Tucked
between France, Belgium and Germany, this microstate is famous for banks, but a
journalist colleague from Prague had been charmed by Luxembourg’s castles and
wanted to show them to me. That was high praise, as Prague Castle is world famous.
He chose, he said, three of the best. Starting out from Luxembourg city, he and I
drove north.
The citizens of this Duchy (yes, there is
a hereditary Duke) speak French,
German and a dialect, Lëtzebuergesch.
But as in any financial center, English is
always understood.
Northeast of the capital, just west of
Echternach near the German border, is
Beaufort Castle. On the outside, it has
the typical cone-shaped towers and
a hereditary Duke) speak French,
German and a dialect, Lëtzebuergesch.
But as in any financial center, English is
always understood.
Northeast of the capital, just west of
Echternach near the German border, is
Beaufort Castle. On the outside, it has
the typical cone-shaped towers and
smooth brick façade of the Renaissance
era, reflecting work done in 1500.
era, reflecting work done in 1500.
But inside, you climb up stone stairs to
impressive ruins of a 12th century
castle. The entrance has a tar-nose to
allow guards to throw boiling oil on
attackers. In the dungeon (down a
stairway in that bright, cheery
courtyard) there’s a grisly torture rack.
Even worse than what we’ve heard
about at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
impressive ruins of a 12th century
castle. The entrance has a tar-nose to
allow guards to throw boiling oil on
attackers. In the dungeon (down a
stairway in that bright, cheery
courtyard) there’s a grisly torture rack.
Even worse than what we’ve heard
about at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
Driving northwest to the Ardennes, we
found Bourscheid, another feudal
castle, which was constructed as a
fortification above the river Sûre. You
can still see the thick ring wall with
eleven watchtowers. It’s even older
than Beaufort, built in 1000 by
Bertrand de Bourscheid to replace a
wooden defense structure. A tower
and circular wall date to the
Romanesque period, completed in the
14th century.
found Bourscheid, another feudal
castle, which was constructed as a
fortification above the river Sûre. You
can still see the thick ring wall with
eleven watchtowers. It’s even older
than Beaufort, built in 1000 by
Bertrand de Bourscheid to replace a
wooden defense structure. A tower
and circular wall date to the
Romanesque period, completed in the
14th century.
There was a dungeon here too, and
on top of that you can still see the
bakery-house and also the warden's
house at the castle entrance. There
are other structures that housed the
nobles and officials and troops of the
time.
on top of that you can still see the
bakery-house and also the warden's
house at the castle entrance. There
are other structures that housed the
nobles and officials and troops of the
time.
Vianden Castle, not far away at the
German border, was for me the pièce
de résistance. It was built between
the 11th and 14th centuries and is
one of the largest and most beautiful
feudal residences in Europe of the
Romanesque and Gothic periods. The
counts of Vianden were close to the
German border, was for me the pièce
de résistance. It was built between
the 11th and 14th centuries and is
one of the largest and most beautiful
feudal residences in Europe of the
Romanesque and Gothic periods. The
counts of Vianden were close to the
Royal Family of France and to the German imperial court, and the castle was owned
by the Orange-Nassau dynasty from 1417 to 1890. Victor Hugo spent three months
of his 19-year exile from France here in 1871, and his small house is now a museum.
by the Orange-Nassau dynasty from 1417 to 1890. Victor Hugo spent three months
of his 19-year exile from France here in 1871, and his small house is now a museum.