Koerich Castle

Last updated April 15, 2019

Koerich Castle (French : Château de Koerich) is a ruin located in the village of Koerich in central Luxembourg. With a history dating back to the 12th century, it is one of the castles in the Valley of the Seven Castles.

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) has largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

Koerich is a commune and village in western Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Capellen.

Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a small landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the three official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU. Its culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and German cultures, as evident by the nation's three official languages: French, German, and the national language, Luxembourgish. The repeated invasions by Germany, especially in World War II, resulted in the country's strong will for mediation between France and Germany and, among other things, led to the foundation of the European Union.

Location

Standing on level ground in the valley of the stream of Goeblange, the castle's impressive keep and external walls blend harmoniously with the Baroque church and the old houses in the centre of the village.^[1]

History

The Grevenschlass, now known as Koerich Castle, was built by Wirich I, Lord of Koerich and Seneschal of Luxembourg at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century in late Romanesque style. It was expanded in 1304 by Godefroid of Koerich who gave it a more Gothic appearance. The keep, now 11 m tall, was certainly much higher when it was built. With a base measuring 12 by 11.6 m and walls up to 3.5 m thick, it is one of the most impressive in the entire region. A spiral staircase inside one of the walls provided access to the different floors.^[1]

The word seneschal can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ducal, or noble household during the Middle Ages and early Modern period – historically a steward or majordomo of a medieval great house. In a medieval royal household, a seneschal was in charge of domestic arrangements and the administration of servants, which, in the medieval period particularly, meant the seneschal might oversee hundreds of laborers, servants and their associated responsibilities, and have a great deal of power in the community, at a time when the much of the local economy was often based around the wealth and responsibilities of such a household.

Surrounded by a moat, the castle originally had a fortified entrance with a portcullis. From 1380, Gilles of Autel and Koerich converted the stronghold into a more comfortable residence by building two 12-m towers at either end of the south wall. The south-western tower which still stands, houses a chapel on the ground floor. In 1580, the new owner Jacques de Raville made further changes, demolishing part of the property and adding two Renaissance wings. The stately fireplace on the first floor and large rectangular windows testify to the castle's palatial splendor at the time. The south wing was again altered in 1728, this time with Baroque additions.^[1]

A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices. In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer.

A portcullis is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.

Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 14th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance architecture followed Gothic architecture and was succeeded by Baroque architecture. Developed first in Florence, with Filippo Brunelleschi as one of its innovators, the Renaissance style quickly spread to other Italian cities. The style was carried to France, Germany, England, Russia and other parts of Europe at different dates and with varying degrees of impact.

After the death of the Ravilles in the second half of the 18th century, the castle started to fall into ruin owing to lack of maintenance. In 1950, Pierre Flammang, the last private owner, carried out some essential structural repairs before the castle finally came into the hands of the State.^[1]

The castle today

Although major repairs are still in progress, the site can be visited free of charge.

Gallery

Castle entrance
The castle and Baroque church
The interior
The southern wall

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References

1 2 3 4 R. Krantz and N. Quintus: Untersuchungen über zwei Burgen in Koerich. Retrieved 18 March 2011.

Coordinates: 49°40′10″N05°56′56″E / 49.66944°N 5.94889°E / 49.66944; 5.94889

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[adcl-1] 1 2 3 4 R. Krantz and N. Quintus: Untersuchungen über zwei Burgen in Koerich. Retrieved 18 March 2011.

v t e Castles in Luxembourg
Luxembourg City and surroundings	Ansembourg New Castle of Ansembourg Beggen Berg Colpach Dommeldange Fischbach Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg Heisdorf Hesperange Hollenfels Koerich La Fontaine, Luxembourg Mamer Mersch Meysembourg Munsbach Pettingen Schauwenburg, Bertrange Schoenfels Senningen Septfontaines Château de Septfontaines, Luxembourg Useldange Walferdange
Ardennes and the North	Bourscheid Brandenbourg Clervaux Erpeldange Esch-sur-Sûre Schuttbourg Stolzembourg Urspelt Vianden Wiltz
Echternach and surroundings	Beaufort Bettendorf Betzdorf Born Bourglinster Larochette Rosport
Moselle and south-west	Aspelt Bettange-sur-Mess Bettembourg Clemency Differdange Dudelange Sanem Schengen Stadtbredimus Wintrange