Bourscheid castle (Luxemburg) is situated on an isolated promontory, accessible only from the north-west, 150 meters above the level of the river Sure. A little history Probably built in the 10th century, when a stone construction replaced an earlier wooden defense structure, castle Bourscheid was first mentioned in a document in 1095. At first the little square near the keep, the great hall and the chapel was surrounded by a circular wall with at least 4 towers Shortly after the year 1350 the extensive circular wall was started to be built. It was finished in 1384; the same year in which the Stolzemburger House was erected. As the circular wall with its 8 towers now offered better protection to the core of the castle, the great hall was built to a height of at least 10 meters, which correspond to 4 storeys. A bakery was added on the top of a 2-level dungeon hewn into the naked rock. Behind the gateway, which was build only after 1477, a ditch protected by 4 towers barred the access to the upper and the lower castle. The square in front of the exterior gate was protected by palisades. In this area stood the linden tree under which justice was said. After 1512 the castle began to dilapidate when the last member of the Bourscheid family had died. From 1650 onward only bailiffs lived in the castle, more precisely the Stolzemburger House, since the great hall and the chapel were threatening to fall down. The invasion of Luxembourg by French revolutionary troops in 1794/5 put an end to feudalism. The castle was abandoned in the beginning of the 19th century and fell to ruin. In 1972 the castle ruins, which had been declared a national monument in 1936, were bought by the Luxembourg State and opened to the public. Since then parts of the castle were restored. The Stolzemburger House houses a small museum which traces the history of the castle and the lords of Bourscheid; it is used as the setting of the Bourscheid cultural weeks. The ruins of the castle above the Sure valley are illuminated. Source of information: http://www.castles.nl/eur/lu/bour/bour.html BTW: this photo is not digital. This is why colors differ from other pics I have been uploading.