Vianden Castle, Hugo naughty and lazy Nazis ... "Your city [Vianden] insufficiently known, precisely, is known not as much as should be known. I will do my best and I will fully support its future prosperity ... great landscape that will ever visit the whole of Europe."
Vianden, without a doubt, the most popular castle in Luxembourg and probably every tourist who has ever visited the Grand County, has not spared this beautiful architectural object (not spared his side and Queen Elizabeth, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, h Patrick Sueyzi, h John Malkovich, Michael Gorbachev, Andrei Gromyko, and more. other famous personalities).
Before writing this post, I read a lot of sources and concluded that almost all of the tour. websites and blogs headings, in fact, repeat each other. But the Castle of Vianden can tell you about myself and a lot more interesting than "who built when built, who sold .... and here I am in the photo next to the gray stone." Thus, publicly available information, as well as little known facts and history of the castle town of Vianden with the claim for exclusive ;-) Once at the future site of the castle at a height of 100 m above the river stood Ur defensive fort Romans h ( 360 - 450 years).
After the Romans had dug in the fort Carolingians (6-10 cc). They decided to not only expand, but also to go deep gouge huge niche in the rock beneath the bastion. Carolingian for these niches serve as a refuge and hideouts, and for future generations, they become h ideal wine cellars.
After the collapse h of the Frankish Carolingian Empire "began h to control the local area." h Fifth Earl Vianden Bertolf - this is the first specific name referred to the annals of history about the rulers of the castle (1090). During his reign, this tireless feudal fort changed beyond recognition, h turning h it into a fortress.
Subsequent generations graphs h Vianden completed work Bertolfa and 15th century castle took its present form. Now the castle was considered more a palace than a fort, but its system of protection and enforcement was not at the palace. The entire complex of buildings was surrounded by a high wall powerful, and two main entrances sweep towers: white tower covered the north-west gate, and black - Northeast. To get to the nearest entrance to the small palace, the bad guys had to pass the "trap" of the 5 closely guarded gate, and lay before the first drawbridge, and the latter h was equipped with a metal grille on top of the incident.
Core of the castle are three main buildings: the Grand Palace, a small palace and decagonal building chapel. A little later a Gothic mansion was built "Jülich", and still later (in the 17th century.) "Pulled" mansion "Nassau" (Renaissance).
Chapel. Hmm ... Figuratively her fate exactly copies the fate of the castle. But, all in order. As conceived by medieval architects chapel had several levels and on each level of the people came to pray according to the social hierarchy. Above all (and closest to God) in a separate bed praying himself overlord. Below who are poorer easier yes, but in the "bottom" of the chapel brow beat beggars erratic (by the way, that same God, Himself). In 1667, God answered their prayers. In the roof of the chapel was struck by lightning and burned it. Restored h it in our days. Mixing and Rhenish Romanesque style in combination with the original color scheme makes this chapel unreal, airy and romantic!
The beginning of the golden age of the Vianden Castle is considered to be the reign of Count Henry I (Hendrik van Vianden) in the 13th century. It was called Sun-graph, since during his rule and patronage over these lands genus Houses h Vianden reached its zenith, its highest point of economic and political stability, and a few centuries later enjoyed great influence in the Ardennes, Luxembourg Eifelian and regions. Counts of Vianden had excellent relations with the royal courts of France and Germany, and on luxury and decoration of the castle h successfully competed with the Palace of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Houses Vianden merger with Royal House of Nassau in the 15th century. has further strengthened the influence of the family h in the region.
Henry Down In 1564 Prince William of Orange Pacific built the castle of Vianden first blast furnace in Luxembourg. And 2 years later he led the Dutch revolt against the Spanish King Philip II. Philip brutally suppressed the uprising, seized the castle and gave it to the jurisdiction of his person - then ruler of Luxembourg (city). The new owner had other priorities, and he wanted to spit on the blast furnace. So innovation Wilhelm Pacific poheru was in embryo. Self-same Wilhelm, fled to Germany, to the end of life continued to drink the blood of Philip at the diplomatic level and, consequently, poorly finished. July 10, 1584 Spanish killer Balthazar Gerard, hid in the royal chambers, made in Prince 3 shots, making the latter died on the spot.
Death mask of William T
