Floodlit walls, gables and towers at night of Vianden Castle above the town of Vianden, Ardennes region, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The castle, founded in the 11th century, was home to the Counts of Vianden, ancestors of the royal House of Orange-Nassau, and is one of Europe's largest fortresses west of the Rhine. In the mid-13th century, the original Romanesque building was remodelled in Gothic architectural style and in 1621 a Renaissance-style Nassau Mansion was added.
Vianden, Ardennes region, Luxembourg: at night, the floodlit walls, gables and towers of Vianden Castle, one of Europe’s largest fortresses west of the Rhine, dominate the small town lining the banks of the River Our about 100 metres (330 ft) below the rocky promontory on which it stands. The castle was founded in the 11th century on the site of a Gallo-Roman fort or watchtower, then enlarged over the next 300 years. It was the seat of the powerful Counts of Vianden, ancestors of the royal House of Orange-Nassau. In about 1100, they added a square keep, a chapel and residential rooms, followed by a new tower and a new palace linked to a prestigious ten-sided chapel by a lavish gallery. In the mid-1200s, the entire castle was adapted from Romanesque to Gothic architectural style and in 1621 the Renaissance-style Nassau Mansion was added, complete with a banqueting hall. In the 1600s the castle began to deteriorate when it suffered both fire and earthquake damage. The counts almost abandoned it and in 1820, a merchant was allowed to sell off the contents and the masonry piecemeal, reducing it to a ruin. In 1977 the castle was ceded to the State, enabling its complete restoration. The work was completed in 1990. Vianden castle was the scene of fierce fighting in World War II. In November 1944 it was successfully defended by the Luxembourg Resistance against the German Waffen-SS, and in February 1945, Vianden was the last place in Luxembourg to be liberated from the Nazis.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Vianden, Ardennes region, Luxembourg.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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