Beaufort Castle - once one of the most powerful castles in the east of Luxembourg, today turned into a romantic and picturesque ruin. I must say, the ruins are quite popular: about 100 thousand tourists visit Beaufort every year. It is also simple - in addition to the rests of the fortification wall, comfortably overgrown with moss and motley grass, it is also proposed to stroll along the beautiful small lake, look into the Renaissance palace and try the local blackcurrant liqueur.

The paragraph of history

The first owner of the castle was a certain Walter von Wiltz whose name also occurs in other variations, for example, Votier de Witz), mention of it can be found in the chronicles of 1192. However, the most ancient walls of the Beaufort, located on a hill 35 meters high, date back to the 11th century. At that time it was a simple fortress in the form of a square, surrounded by a moat with water and two defensive walls. In the second half of the 12th century, a watchtower was built, and by the 14th century a powerful fortification was being given to the famous Orly family.

But the Thirty Years' War made its plans in the measured life of the castle owners, ruining their family, because they were forced to get rid of Beaufort. In the middle of the 17th century, the castle was purchased by the Governor of the Province of Luxembourg, Baron de Beck. He owns the idea to erect next to the ancient walls a new Renaissance building - the current Beaufort palace.

The castle began to slowly decay and decline, by the beginning of the 19th century stones that had fallen from its ruins were used for urban buildings. Until 1850 the government did not declare Beaufort a historical monument. Since 1928, after some restoration work carried out by the new owner of the castle, Edmond Linkels, the walls of the ancient citadel opened to the general public. And already in 1981, both the castle and the new palace passed into the hands of the state, once and hopefully forever become a first-class museum.

What to see

Ancient castle Beaufort first of all draws attention with its prison and a very eloquent torture chamber , where, as usual, all kinds of implements and equipment are exhibited in abundance. Also open to the main tower of the castle, where you can go up. A magical panorama to the surroundings of Beaufort and the lake is attached.

The new Renaissance palace is notable for the preserved interiors of the Renaissance. Do not forget to visit the souvenir shop at Bofor where you must buy a bottle of local blackcurrant liqueur, the recipe of which has been kept in secret for many centuries.

Coordinates

Address: Chateau de Beaufort, rue du Chateau 24, L-6313 Beaufort. Phone: +352 83 60 02.

Opening hours: The medieval castle is open from Easter until November 1 from 9:00 to 18:00, the palace can be viewed from Wed to Sun 9: 00-17: 30, in addition, in 11:00 and 16:00 excursions are organized for mini-groups (maximum 12 people, in French)

The cost of visiting the castle is 6 EUR (up to 26 years free of charge), combined ticket + palace will cost 10 EUR (youth in 5 EUR).

How to get there: By car from the capital to Bofor, you can get there in 20 minutes along the CR115 (about 17 km), in addition, you can take the bus. The closest thing to the castle is the town of Ettelbrück, from which the 502 route runs. From the capital there is a bus number 107.