Pettingen 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 ...

: ''Waasserbuerg Pëtten''; ) is located in the village of

Pettingen Pettingen () is a village in the Communes of Luxembourg, commune of Mersch, in central Luxembourg. In 2024, the village had a population of 248. Pettingen Castle in the center of the village is one of the best-preserved fortified castles in the ...

some 4 km north of

Mersch Mersch (, ; ) is a commune and town in central Luxembourg, situated in the canton of the same name. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Alzette, Mamer and Eisch. , the town of Mersch, which lies in the centre of the commune, ha ...

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 ...

. It is one of the best preserved fortified castles in the country.

History

In the 10th century the fortress was known as Pittigero Mazini but received the name of Pettingen in the 13th century. Towards the end of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the Lords of Pettingen were important members of Luxembourg society. They were present at

Ermesinde Ermesinde is a civil parish in the municipality (''concelho'') of Valongo, in continental Portugal, northeast of Porto. The population in 2011 was 38940,Henri IV Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

and at the signing of

John the Blind John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

's marriage contract."La seigneurie de Pettingen"
''Association des châteaux luxembourgeois''. Retrieved 25 March 2011. At the beginning of the 14th century Arnold of Pettingen married Marguerite of Rousy, the great granddaughter of Ermisinde. He had a son, Arnold the Young, whose daughter Irmengard, by marrying Jean de Créhange, associated the Lords of Pettingen with his renowned family. Their grandson, also called Jean, fought for René, the Duke of Lorraine in the war against

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

, Duke of Burgundy. In revenge, Charles completely destroyed the Castle of Pettingen whose treasures were confiscated by the Governor of Luxembourg in 1494. However, as a result of a decree made at the Great Council of Mechelen in 1503, half of the treasures were returned and the castle was reconstructed in its present form. The four corner towers were added in 1571. In 1684

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

's troops bombarded the castle, leaving it as it stands today. The ruins, which belonged to the house of Créhange, were inherited by the Comtes de Lapérouse whose descendants sold it to the

Duke of Arenberg The House of Arenberg is an aristocratic lineage that is constituted by three successive families that took their name from Arenberg, a small territory of the Holy Roman Empire in the Eifel region. The inheritance of the House of Croÿ-Aarschot ...

in 1837. In 1910 his descendant, the Prince of Arenberg, removed everything of value from the castle. In 1920 the southern wall collapsed."Mersch: Schönfels, Pettingen, Recklingen"
''Administration communale de Mersch''. Retrieved 25 March 2011. In 1947 the castle was acquired by the State of Luxembourg. Consolidation work was carried out on the walls and on the castle's two towers in 1950.
''Service des Sites et Monuments Nationaux''. Retrieved 25 March 2011.

The castle today

The ruins are open to the public. The ramparts with two round towers on the north-eastern side still stand. The site forms a 30 by 30 metre square surrounded by a former moat 15 metres wide fed by the Weillerbach which flowed into the River Alzette.

Gallery

File:Pettingen Castle8.JPG, The two remaining round towers File:Pettingen Castle13.JPG, Ruins of a corner tower File:Pettingen Castle16.JPG, From the south-west File:Pettingen Castle10.JPG, The western perimeter

References

External links

Illustrated leaflet
{{coord, 49, 46, 16, N, 06, 06, 25, E, display=title Castles in Luxembourg Mersch

History

The castle today

Gallery

See also

References

External links