Berg Castle (Luxembourg)
Berg Castle is located in Colmar-Berg and is the main residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg .
history
Due to the Belgian Revolution , in which Luxembourg participated, the country was separated from the Netherlands , but remained in personal union with the Dutch royal family. The separation also reduced the king's influence on the fortress of Luxembourg . In the hope that the separation would appease the mostly Catholic Luxembourg population, King William II went looking for a suitable residence in Luxembourg and bought the property in Colmar-Berg from the Pasquier in 1845. The new constitution of 1848 confirmed the palace as the exclusive residence of the Grand Duke.
Wilhelm III died in 1890 . who left no male successors. Because of the force in Luxembourg Salic Law , the association with the Dutch royal family broke, and the Grand Duke dignity went to another line of the House of Nassau on: It followed the former Nassau Duke Adolf I . In 1906 his successor, Grand Duke Wilhelm IV, had the old castle torn down and a new one built on the same site. Work on the palace, designed by the Munich architect Max Ostenrieder and the Luxembourgish Pierre Funck-Eydt , began in 1907 and was completed on September 9, 1911. The tower (1901) of Kospoda Castle in Thuringia, also designed by Max Ostenrieder, served as a model for the tower . Since then, Berg Castle has been the main residence of the grand ducal family.
During the Great Depression, the grand ducal family also ran into financial difficulties. Grand Duchess Charlotte was looking for an agreement with the Luxembourg government, according to which private property could be sold to the state and this in turn made available to the grand ducal family. In 1934 this agreement was made for Berg Castle and parts of the Grünewald . A similar trade applies to the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City . The right to use these buildings was laid down in Article 44 of the Luxembourg Constitution .
During the Second World War , the castle was confiscated by the occupiers. In 1941 a national political educational institution for girls was established there. This existed until August 1944 under the name Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalt Kolmar-Berg and was mainly attended by German schoolgirls.
During this time, the most valuable works of art were stolen from the castle. Post-war restoration and renovation work took several years and the castle was not used again until Grand Duke Jean took over the throne in 1964. Until then, the grand ducal family lived in Fischbach Castle , which his mother, Grand Duchess Charlotte , preferred.
Births
Three of the following four rulers of Luxembourg were born at Berg Castle:
- Grand Duchess Marie-Adelheid (1894–1924; reigned 1912–1919)
- Grand Duchess Charlotte (1896–1985; reigned 1919–1964)
- Grand Duke Jean (1921–2019; reigned 1964–2000)
Grand Duke Henri was born at Betzdorf Castle ( Betzdorf ), in the east of Luxembourg.
Others
In 2008, Luxembourg issued a 2 euro commemorative coin with Berg Castle and Grand Duke Henri on the reverse.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Robert Krantz: Luxemburg's children under the Nazi regime. Volume 1. Imprimerie St. Paul, Luxembourg 1997, ISBN 2-87963-280-3 , pp. 447-529 (Chapter VI: The Napola Kolmar-Berg ); Stefanie Jodda-Flintrop: We should become intelligent mothers. National political educational institutions for girls. BOD, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-8391-2663-9 , S. #.
- ^ Advertisement of the Kölnische Zeitung of October 20, 1943, Reichsausgabe Nr. 441/2, p. 5: “Antique splendid furniture, Biedermeier secretary, completely inlaid, coming from the Großh. Castle in Luxembourg, 9500 RM for sale. Offers EK 3338, Cologne. Newspaper, Cologne, No. 814. “Cf. Krantz.
- ^ Les pièces commémoratives de 2 euros émises par le Luxembourg. Banque centrale du Luxembourg, accessed on April 23, 2019 (French).
Coordinates: 49 ° 48 ′ 51 ″ N , 6 ° 5 ′ 13 ″ E