Vianden sits in a bend of the Our river in the north, and its castle is the single most photographed building in Luxembourg — a long grey silhouette of towers and roofs along a ridge above the town.
The castle
Vianden Castle was built between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries on Roman foundations, and was the seat of the powerful counts of Vianden. It combines Romanesque and Gothic work, and the Byzantine-influenced gallery and the great hall are the finest surviving medieval interiors in the country.
In 1820 it was sold by King William I of the Netherlands to a merchant who dismantled it for materials — roofs, doors, windows and fittings were sold off, and the building collapsed into ruin. Public outrage, including a furious letter from Victor Hugo, stopped the worst of it, but restoration only began seriously after the castle passed to the state in 1977. What stands today is the result of that work, and it is done well.
Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo visited Vianden four times and spent two and a half months here in 1871, during exile after opposing Napoleon III. The house he stayed in, beside the bridge, is now a museum with his drawings — Hugo was a serious draughtsman — and a reconstruction of his room.
His condemnation of the castle's destruction is quoted on the wall, and Vianden has been careful to keep the association alive.
The town and the chairlift
The town below is a single main street of slate-roofed houses climbing to the castle. A chairlift runs from the valley to a hilltop café with the best view back at the castle, which is the classic photograph.
Above the town, the SEO pumped-storage power station is an unexpected piece of infrastructure tourism: one of the largest in Europe, with a visitor centre inside the mountain.
Events
The Medieval Festival at the end of July fills the castle for two weekends with markets, jousting and encampments, and is the busiest time of year. The Nëssmoart — the walnut market — in October is smaller and more local, celebrating the region's nut harvest with walnut liqueur and cakes.
Practical
Vianden is about an hour from Luxembourg City. Buses run from Ettelbruck station and are, like all transport here, free. The castle charges admission and is open year-round.