The architecture of Luxembourg probably extends back to the Treveri, a Celtic tribe who prospered in the 1st century BC. A few ruins remain from the Roman occupation but the most significant contributions over the centuries have been the country's castles and churches. Today there is a veritable architectural boom as Luxembourg's economic prosperity provides a basis for developments in the financial, EU and cultural sectors with a number of world-class buildings.
History
The architecture of Luxembourg appears to have its origins in the 1st or 2nd century BC when the Treveri, a prosperous Celtic tribe, developed an oppidum on Titelberg in the south-western corner of the country. The Romans, who occupied the area from 53 BC until the middle of the 5th century, are responsible for the remains of a number of villas across the country, especially in Echternach, Mamer and Goeblange. The Echternach site covers a huge area (118 by 62 metres), where there was a luxurious mansion from about 70 AD with 40 (later 60) rooms. It had balneae, a water heating system as well as additional buildings serving the surrounding farming community.
Castles and churches
Castles
One of the country's most famous monuments, the imposing Castle of Vianden, was built between the 11th and 13th centuries on the site of a Gallo-Roman castellum. Initially designed as a fort, a square tower, a kitchen, a chapel and living rooms were added around 1100. During the 12th century, a new tower containing living quarters was built together with a prestigious new decagonal chapel. So as to impress the House of Luxembourg, the counts of Vianden constructed a new two-storey palace measuring 10 by 13 metres at the beginning of the 13th century, attaching it to the chapel by means of a magnificent gallery. The final alterations took place in the middle of the 13th century when the Gothic style was introduced throughout the building.
Luxembourg has many other medieval castles, most of them now in ruins. Some of the more interesting ones are listed below:
Bourscheid Castle has its origins in the 11th century, when it consisted of a tower building linked to a chapel. The long surrounding wall with its watchtowers was completed in 1384 together with the Stolzembourg House, a separate residential building designed for the masters of Bourscheid. The body of the castle was also raised to a height of 10 metres, housing four storeys complete with a large fireplace and chimney. Beaufort Castle, Luxembourg, in the east of Luxembourg not far from Echternach, can be traced back to the 12th century. A number of additions were made over the centuries. In the 17th century, when the site came under new ownership, a second castle was built in the Renaissance style with the result that the older castle slowly fell into ruin. Clervaux Castle also has its origins in the 12th century but was substantially extended by the Counts of Clervaux in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today, the interior has been completely refitted for the needs of the municipal administration. Hollenfels Castle, first mentioned in 1129, acquired its massive keep in the 14th century. The mansion to the north-east was constructed in 1729.
Churches
Luxembourg also has a number of architecturally interesting churches. The Abbey of Echternach (700) is the oldest Anglo-Saxon monastery in continental Europe. After the original buildings had burnt down in 1017, a new abbey was built. The church was originally Romanesque in style, but there were Gothic additions in the 14th and 16th centuries.
One of the best preserved Romanesque churches in Luxembourg is the chapel in Vianden Castle. The origins of St. Lawrence's church in Diekirch can be traced back to the 6th century but the present building consists of a 12th-century Romanesque tower and the Gothic 15th-century church. St Michael's Church in the centre of Luxembourg City was rebuilt in 1688 in the Romanesque and Baroque styles. The Romano-Gothic church in the village of Holler in the north of Luxembourg dates back to the 12th century. It features high Gothic arches, palm vaulting, and 14th century frescos. The Munshausen church tower from 1250 is in the Romanesque style while the nave underwent Gothic additions around 1470. The church at Septfontaines in the south-west of Luxembourg has a Romanesque tower which is probably from an older building, most of which was rebuilt in the early 14th century and consecrated in 1317. The remains of wooden beams indicate that there was originally a wooden ceiling over the nave. This was replaced by late Gothic vaulting in 1516.