Post holes bring the circumstantial proof of a wooden palisade that had to protect the southwest outer lower court soon after a first medieval occupancy. At that time the pedestrian’s access was guaranteed by narrow pass from the south-west.
 

The first medieval castle:
Chief constituent of the medieval fortification around the year 1000 is the oval shaped defensive wall that was aligned at the highest plateau’s edge. The protection wall’s construction (B) using small sized schist plates fixed with lime mortar to a width of exactly 1 meter could be tracked for the most part of its original location. It surrounded the before mentioned tower (A).
 

While the section trench (C) and the late roman tower was continuously in use, the secured plateau was enlarged by filling up the room between the highest rock surface and the 2 meters deeper founded wall. This allowed the conservation of some of the oldest roman and early medieval pottery. Evidence of a 12 to 10 meters large construction (D) against the south-western wall was given by the archaeological excavation.
 

The first residential castle:
In all probability Bertolf, count of Vianden, wanted a permanent, representative, family seat. The construction of the quadrangular donjon (E) at the northern side of the plateau, and an important transformation on the great hall, were then realized to achieve that goal. The ground floor of that building included a kitchen, living rooms and latrines. Therefore, we are able to state that since the beginning of the 12th century, Vianden could be considered as a noble residence.

Changes on the fortification concerned the replacement of the wooden palisade with a more adequate solid stone wall protecting the lower castle court.
 

The first Romanesque phase:
During the second half of the 12th century the castle of Vianden was subjected to important transformations and extensions. It is about that time that the chapel was relocated from the late roman quadrangular tower into a new construction based on a ten-sided ground- plan. The main characteristics of the new monumental chapel are the superposition of two levels linked by a central opening as well as the south-east orientation of the half-rounded chancel. For its construction, the older ring-wall had to be demolished in that area. Only the foundation could partly be reused for building the quite thick outer walls of the chapel. The room on the left side of the chancel, presumably the sacristy, belongs to that initial stage of construction.
 

For the representative requests of count Friedrich I of Vianden, the palace windows were changed into a double arched style. The old donjon was replaced by a new residential tower with three levels. A relocation of the inner defensive gallery to the outside was made possible using a combined construction of arches and pillars that can still be seen today.

It is recognized that the type of upper and lower floor chapel, as the one here in Vianden, could be found since 1170 at feudal castles and was not a privilege anymore of emperor and bishop residences. The vault rested on pilasters in the corners of the nave and centrally on six pillars of important section. The only Romanesque architectural element still in place today is a doubled round-arched window in the south-eastern part of the chapel.

The second Romanesque phase:
Fundamental extensions operated at the beginning of the 13th century included in a first phase the addition of a new palace with the dimensions of 10 to 30 meters between the former building volumes and the northern located trench. This trench, as a remaining element from the late roman occupancy was enlarged and used as a huge cellar. At the same time, the upper floor of the chapel was adapted with Romanesque style elements.

These two representative buildings were linked together by a monumental gallery with trefoil arches.
 

Analyzing the emplacement of the main constructions, one can see that they all are aligned to the longitudinal axis of the stretched hill, and all their main façades are turned to north-east. These architectural characteristics allow the classification of the castle of Vianden as a mainly representative and less defensive complex. At almost the same time, a new tower with an octagonal ground plan was added in the same alignment, thus giving a continuation to the alignment of the palace, gallery and chapel. It is most probable that Friedrich III was responsible for the before mentioned development of Vianden.

Following the mainstream in representative architecture of the mid 13th century, the castle of Vianden consequently underwent Gothic transformations: the palace, the monumental gallery, the chapel were equipped with high stepped gables. The residential tower was enlarged and another residential building the “Old Julicher” was added to the castle’s northern structure. The northern bastion was at both sides enclosed with the addition of two towers. This gave Vianden the long lasting characteristic silhouette. Vaults were given to the inner rooms of the most important buildings.
 

To assure a better protection of the castle’s access, the ring wall of the lower court was lengthened downwards. Heinrich I, count of Vianden and Namur, then had the perfect monumental family seat, able to rival with the House of Luxembourg.

Last modifications and decline:
The engraving from Matthäus Merian gives us a realistic view of the castle around 1620. At that time, the counts of Vianden had no political role anymore. After the death of countess Marie of Sponheim and Vianden, without a legal heir, the county and the castle came to the ottonic line of Oranien-Nassau. Progressively, the castle was affected to storehouse mains. Beside the destruction of the buildings in the lower castle court, new houses for trustee’s lodging, agricultural and artisan constructions were build. The point of no return was reached when a citizen from Vianden, Wenzel Coster, acquired the castle at an auction and directly afterwards dismantled all metal and wooden elements from the roof construction to make financial gain.
 

19th century context:
 

During the 19th century, architects like Ernest van Koenig and Charles Arendt not only started to draw first documentation plans of the castle, especially of the chapel, but tried to restore and rebuild parts of it.

20th century consolidation and scientific research:
An architectural study and many reinforcements were done by Bodo Ebhardt at the beginning of the 20th century. He completely rebuilt the north-eastern façade of the palace and the monumental gallery.

The state of Luxembourg acquired the ruinous castle in 1977 and immediately started the consolidation and reconstruction operations.
Archaeological excavation as well as building archaeological analyses allowed establishing the chronology of the castle’s development and transformation.


The collected information still needs to be brought in a comprehensive way to the interested public.

The 21st century’s virtual dimension using the new laserscan-technology allows us a new view on the history of the castle of Vianden.