User:Ckoerper/Vianden Castle

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Article title Vianden Castle

Article Evaluation

Although this article has a nice depth of history and the castle's restoration, more can be elaborated on the actual architecture aspect. This would include architects, interior depth, and time period but also there is a lot more information about the Vianden castle that just is not included here.

Sources

https://go-gale-com.libproxy.uwyo.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=wylrc_uwyoming&id=GALE|A431082602&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon


 * Built between 11th -14th centuries of foundation of a Roman Castle
 * Added on in 18th century
 * 1820 sold to spice merchant who sold all contents
 * Reduced to ruins
 * Many tries to restore
 * 1977 was state property
 * Project to fully restore
 * One of the largest medieval dwelling of Romanesque and Gothic eras
 * One of the most significant monuments in Europe
 * Arms Hall
 * 70ft long an lined with suits of armor, halberds, and pikes
 * Restoration almost complete but rooms are still being excavated and many are unfurnished
 * Chapel dedicated to St. Anthony
 * Byzantine Gallery
 * 90 by 30ft
 * 10 trefoiled windows
 * Practice archery
 * Banqueting Hall
 * 1450 open fireplace, ornamented with coat of arms and family crest of Nassau/von Lootz
 * Furnished from period
 * Bedroom Hall
 * Cellar
 * 90 by 30ft

Kreutz, Bernhard. "3.3 Castles as Instruments of Hegemonial Space Construction and Representation. The Example of the County of Vianden." In Spaces and Identities in Border Regions, pp. 94-105. transcript Verlag, 2015.


 * Square keep was a residential tower
 * Castle expanded over next 150 years
 * 1170 square chapel replaced by decagonal structure
 * 1200 residential hall added fro receptions and celebrations
 * Large gallery constructed to connect hall and chapel
 * Gothic style with high roofs and stepped gables
 * Imperial construction
 * 1820s demolished

https://castle-vianden.lu/gb/geschichte/


 * 1994 excavation led to discovery of Late Antiquity Tower
 * Square building dates to Merovingian period
 * Only known surviving structure from 1st medieval castle
 * 1st constructed in early Late Antiquity
 * 275 AD Used by town as refuge
 * 430-440AD fort abandoned
 * 1st medieval stone castle
 * 1000AD oval ring wall, 1m wide
 * 1st residential castle around 1100
 * Square residential tower added 1100
 * Served noble family since 1100
 * Contained Hall, Chapel, and residential tower as very important structures of castle
 * 1170
 * Wooden scaffolding found and able to date
 * Chapel had decagonal plan
 * Originally had 2 stories
 * Old residential tower replaced by bigger one
 * Hall added architectural elements for character
 * 13th century
 * New Great Hall
 * Second floor of chapel adapted from Romanesque style
 * Cornice decor and wood scaffolding dated 1196
 * Chimney beam dated 1203
 * Octagonal floor plan tower built continuing line of structures
 * Rich ornament
 * Last romanesque paid by Frederick III
 * 13th through 17th
 * Rebuilt in gothic style
 * Gallery, Hall, and Chapel connected with stepped gables
 * Residential Tower extended
 * Added JulichApartments
 * High gothic roofs
 * Vaulted ceilings
 * Castle in early modern period and demolition
 * 1417 last Vianden descendant died
 * Lost importance
 * Used as storage
 * All medieval buildings torn down for ag and craft socials
 * 1820 sold to Wenzel Coster, citizen
 * Demolished buildings and sold almost everything including roof beams and gutters made of copper and lead

History

The first structure was built in 275 on a path of the great- Reims-Cologne Roman road and used as a refuge shelter for the town during attacks. In around 430-440 the fort was abandoned.(3) The Vianden castle was built on the site of an ancient Roman castellum. The basement appears to have been a Carolingian refuge. Historically, the first count of Vianden was mentioned in 1090. The castle continued to be the seat of the Vianden's influential counts until the beginning of the 15th century.

In about 1000, the first medieval stone castle was built and contained a watch tower and an oval of wall as defense. An excavation in 1994 led to the unearthing of the late Antiquity Tower  and dating the square structure to the Merovingian period through the dating of the wood scaffolding found on site. This structure is also the only known to have survived from the first medieval castle today.(3)  Around 1100, the first residential castle was built with a square keep was built as well as a kitchen, a chapel and residential rooms indicating that an aristocratic family lived there at the time. During the first half of the 12th century, a new residential tower larger than the last and a prestigious decagonal chapel were added while the palace itself was extended. The decagonal Chapel floor plan is dated to 1170 also through dating the wooden scaffolding found on site. Also at this time architectural elements were added to the Hall to add character.(3) A large gallery was constructed to connect the Hall and the Chapel. Imperial construction methods were used.(2)  At the beginning of the 13th century, a new two-storey palace measuring 10 by 13 metres (33 by 43 ft) was built with a sumptuous gallery connecting it to the chapel. Level two of the chapel had influence of the Romanesque style with cornices and wood scaffolding dated to 1196. An octagonal floor plan tower was added to the row of structures. These Romanesque influenced structures were financed by Frederick III and(3)  These additions show how the counts of Vianden sought to rival the House of Luxembourg. The last great change took place in the middle of the 13th century when the entire castle was adapted to reflect the Gothic style. Finally, in 1621 the Nassau Mansion with its banqueting hall and bedroom was built by Prince Maurice of Orange-Nassau-Vianden in the Renaissance style replacing a damaged side wing of the 11th century keep.

During the 16th century, the castle was more or less abandoned by the counts of Vianden who had gained the additional title of the House of Nassau-Orange after Elisabeth, the granddaughter of Henry II of Vianden had willed the County of Vianden together with its castle to her cousin, Count Engelbert of Nassau. This initiated the long association between Vianden and the House of Nassau. In 1564, Prince William the Silent of Orange, count of Nassau and of Vianden, took an initial interest in Vianden where he built the first blast furnace in Luxembourg but left in 1566 to lead the Dutch revolt against King Philip II of Spain. As a result, Philip confiscated the castle and conferred it on Peter Ernst von Mansfeld, the governor of Luxembourg.

In 1417 the last Vianden descendant died and with him all the importance of the castle fell. The castle was used as storage and no longer hosted celebrations of the nobles. Outer buildings on the property were torn down for craftsmans and agricultural means. (3) In 1820, King William I sold the castle to Wenzel Coster, an alderman, for 3,200 florins. Coster started to demolish the building, selling off the tiles from the roof, the wooden panelling, the doors and the windows piece by piece. Soon the castle was a ruin. Even the come roof beams and gutters made of copper and lead were sold. The castle was in ruins. (3)

Restoration

Such was the indignation of his subjects at the mistreatment of the castle that in 1827 the king, himself a count of Vianden, repurchased the ruin for 1,100 florins hoping to begin restoration work. Unfortunately, his time was taken up with the Belgian Revolution of 1830 and it was not until 1851 that Prince Henry of the Netherlands reconstructed the chapel at his own expense, giving it a lower roof. When Adolphe of Nassau-Weilbourg became Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890, he charged Bobo Ebhardt, a German specialist, with further restoration. Although Ebhardt succeeded in making important progress, his work was interrupted by the First World War.

During the Second World War, in the Battle of Vianden which took place on November 19, 1944, the castle was ably defended against the Waffen-SS by members of the Luxembourg Resistance against the Nazi occupation, and proved to have some military value even under conditions of modern warfare.

It was not until 1962 that consideration was again given to restoration, resulting in reconstruction of the Armory. Further progress was hampered by questions of the castle's ownership. Only after Grand Duke Jean had ceded the castle to the State in 1977 did work continue. In 1978, attention turned to rebuilding the walls, the gables and the roof. In 1979, the chapel was also given a new roof and restored to reflect its original Gothic appearance, which had been lost during the fire of 1667 caused by lightning. The white tower was also reinforced and topped with a conical roof. Finally, after the Nassau Mansion was fully restored in 1981–82, efforts were made to refurnish the interior as authentically as possible. This work was completed in 1990. The Arms Hall is 70ft long and lined with armor, halberds, and pikes. The Byzantine Gallery is 90 feet by 30 feet with ten trefoiled windows. It was used to practice archery indoors. The Banqueting Hall includes a fireplace dated to 1450 that is ornamented with the coat of arms and family crest of Nassu/von Lootz. Many rooms are still not excavated but even more still are not furnished. All this restoration was completed in 1990. (1)