Koerich Castle (
Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.
The language is standardized and officiall ...
: ''Schlass Käerch''; ;
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
: ''Schloss Koerich'') is a ruin located in the village of
Koerich
Koerich () is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune and village in western Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Capellen (canton), Capellen.
, the commune of Koerich has a population of 2,706. The other small communities in the commune are Goeblan ...
in central
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. With a history dating back to the 12th century, it is one of the castles in the
Valley of the Seven Castles
The Valley of the Seven Castles (; ) is an informal name given to the Äischdall, the valley of the Eisch river, in central Luxembourg. The valley stretches from the confluence with the Alzette upstream to Steinfort, on the border with Belgium. T ...
.
Location
Standing on level ground in the valley of the stream of Goeblange, the castle's impressive keep and external walls blend harmoniously with the Baroque church and the old houses in the centre of the village.
[
]
History
The ''Grevenschlass'', now known as Koerich Castle, was built by Wirich I, Lord of Koerich and Seneschal
The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of Luxembourg at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century in late Romanesque style
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
. It was expanded in 1304 by Godefroid of Koerich who gave it a more Gothic appearance. The keep, now 11 m tall, was certainly much higher when it was built. With a base measuring 12 by 11.6 m and walls up to 3.5 m thick, it is one of the most impressive in the entire region. A spiral staircase inside one of the walls provided access to the different floors.[
Surrounded by a ]moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
, the castle originally had a fortified entrance with a portcullis
A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
...
.
From 1380, Gilles of Autel and Koerich converted the stronghold into a more comfortable residence by building two 12-m towers at either end of the south wall. The south-western tower which still stands, houses a chapel on the ground floor. In 1580, the new owner Jacques de Raville made further changes, demolishing part of the property and adding two Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
wings. The stately fireplace on the first floor and large rectangular windows testify to the castle's palatial splendor at the time. The south wing was again altered in 1728, this time with Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
additions.[
After the death of the Ravilles in the second half of the 18th century, the castle started to fall into ruin owing to lack of maintenance. In 1950, Pierre Flammang, the last private owner, carried out some essential structural repairs before the castle finally came into the hands of the State.][R. Krantz and N. Quintus: Untersuchungen über zwei Burgen in Koerich]
Retrieved 18 March 2011.
The castle today
Although major repairs are still in progress, the site can be visited free of charge.
Gallery
File:Eingang zum Bering des Greiveschlass.JPG, Castle entrance
File:Gréiveschlas in Koerich.JPG, The castle and Baroque church
File:Im Gréiveschlass.JPG, The interior
File:Koerich castle 1.jpg, The southern wall
See also
*List of castles in Luxembourg
By some optimistic estimates, there are as many as 130 Castle, castles in Luxembourg but more realistically there are probably just over a hundred, although many of these could be considered large Dwelling, residences or Manor house, manor houses ...
References
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Castles in Luxembourg
Koerich