This Luxembourg village hosts one of the most spectacular and photographed castles of all Europe. It is possibly the closest thing there is in reality to the ideal of “fairytale castle” we all carry in our minds.
Vianden is a small village less than an hour’s drive north from Luxembourg. Its name comes from Gallic languages and means “rocky.” It is a place of great beauty and very photogenic, crossed by the Our river and near the border with Germany.
This town is a very good example of what a traveler can expect in the Ardennes region, an area of lush forests and beautiful hills which spans in the north of Luxembourg, sharing borders with Belgium and France. Vianden is clearly not in the usual circuits of tour operators, nor is it a very celebrated postcard in souvenir shops in other parts of Europe, however, it has been a constant focus of visitors and the curious for decades.
Despite not having a particularly noteworthy publicity, it is one of the most visited parts of the country throughout the year thanks to its magical narrow streets, well-preserved Gothic churches, its fortified walls and, of course, the views of its castle. This landmark building stands on the ruins of a Roman castellum and was built between the eleventh and fourteenth century to be the residence of the counts of Vianden. Its various extensions were stopped after the departure of the counts of Luxembourg to the Netherlands in the eighteenth century. From there, it suffers a continuous neglect and occasional fire until in 1977, it is transferred to the state by the Grand Duke Jean. It was at that moment when the restoration works began that have lasted almost to the present day.
Currently it functions as museum of the history of the city and its surroundings, as well as being a formidable attraction for all lovers of European Middle Ages. Today it is considered one of the most beautiful castles in Europe, as well as being the setting for numerous advertisements and film productions from five continents. Vianden is just over 50 kilometers from the city of Luxembourg and within a short distance from other major cities like Bonn, Brussels and Cologne.
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