Useldange Castle

Useldange Castle, locally also known as Burg Useldingen, lies in the village with the same name in Luxembourg.

Useldange Castle was probably built somewhere in the 11th century. Its first known possessor was a Theobald von Useldingen with his wife Azeka. Their family line died out in the middle of the 13th century.

During the 14th century the curtain walls and the circular towers were built.

In 1415 Johann von Rodemacher became Lord of Useldange through marriage with Irmgart von Boulay. The Rodemacher however soon lose their feudal castle through intrigue during the French-Burgundian War. In 1479 Useldange Castle was confiscated by Emperor Maximilian I and given to Christoph von Baden. Both the castle and its chapel were badly damaged in those times.

Wilhelm von Nassau-Vianden inherited the castle in 1674 but sold it to Franz-Sebastian Bauer von Everlingen.

In later centuries the castle fell into decay and became a ruin. In 1903 even the chapel was torn down.

In 1924 the castle ruins went to Francis Kuhn-Wolff, a woman who had emigrated, when she was 18, from Useldange to the USA. And although she consolidated the keep and the curtain walls, she also tore down the gate building. In 1934 even the remains of the palace were torn down to make way for a modern villa.

The castle grounds are freely accessible as was the keep the first time I visited. Last time it was closed off. The modern villa is used as a town hall. The ruins are owned by the Luxembourg State. When I visited there seemed to be an archaeological dig in progress. A good ruin, too bad you can't climb the keep anymore.

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