For the castle in North Rhine Westphalia, see Schloss Burg

Schloss Burg

Burg Castle , located in Burg an der Wupper , is the largest reconstructed castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a popular tourist attraction...

Berg Castle , also called Colmar-Berg, is the principal residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Grand Duke of Luxembourg

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the sovereign monarch and head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was elevated from a duchy when placed in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...

. It is situated in the town of Colmar-Berg

Colmar-Berg

Colmar-Berg is a commune and town in central Luxembourg, in the canton of Mersch. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Attert and Alzette....

, in central Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

, near the confluence of the Alzette

Alzette

The Alzette is a river with a length of 73 kilometers in France and Luxembourg. It is a right tributary of the Sauer.It rises in Thil near the town Villerupt in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département, France. It crosses the border with Luxembourg after a few kilometres. In Lameschmillen it is joined...

 and the Attert

Attert River

The Attert is a river flowing through Belgium and Luxembourg, left tributary of the Alzette. Its length is 38 km, of which 32 km are in Luxembourg, and 6 km in Belgium. Its source is in Nobressart, north-west of Arlon, in the Belgian province Luxembourg. It flows into the river...

, two of Luxembourg's most important rivers.

History

The estate at Colmar-Berg first came into the possession of the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg in 1845. The Belgian Revolution

Belgian Revolution

The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....

 had divided Luxembourg from the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, and also into two, undermining Dutch control of the fortress of Luxembourg City. Grand Duke William II

William II of the Netherlands

William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...

 sought to establish a suitable Grand Ducal residence in Luxembourg, hoping that a division of his time between The Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

 and Luxembourg would placate the local, overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, population. To this end, the Grand Duke bought Berg Castle from the Pasquier estate. In 1848, it was recognised as the exclusive home of the Grand Duke by the newly-promulgated constitution.

In 1890, the Royal house of the Netherlands and the Grand Ducal house of Luxembourg diverged, and the new Grand Duke, Adolphe

Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Biography:...

, purchased Berg Castle the following year, in order to maintain the Grand Ducal estate at Colmar-Berg. In 1906, William IV

Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg reigned as the sovereign Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 17 November 1905 until his death. He succeeded his father, Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He also held the titular title of Duke of Nassau.William IV was a Protestant, the religion of the House of Nassau...

 had the old castle demolished and a new one constructed in its place, designed by the Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

-based architect Max Ostenrieder and the local Pierre Funck-Eydt. Work on the new castle began in 1907, and was completed in 1911, after which it became the primary residence of the Grand Ducal family.

During the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, the Grand Ducal family fell upon hard times. Grand Duchess Charlotte

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964.-Early life and life as Grand Duchess:...

 sought an agreement with the government of Luxembourg under which the Grand Duchy might divest personal properties to the government, which would then allow the Grand Ducal family to use them as official residences. In 1934, such an arrangement was reached on Berg Castle, with the castle changing hands (along with much of the Grünewald

Grunewald (Luxembourg)

The Grünewald is a forest in central Luxembourg, most of which is owned by the national government. Grünewald stretches through the communes of Niederanven, Steinsel, and Walferdange; the centre of the forest is situated north-east of central Luxembourg City. As a result of its proximity to...

 forest). The two properties changed hands for 40m francs, of which 20m francs were denoted for the castle; this was viewed by the government as an undervaluation (as was the price of the Grünewald), as they had assessed the castle as being worth 22m francs. Berg is now one of two properties covered by similar agreements (the other being the Grand Ducal Palace

Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg

The Grand Ducal Palace is a palace in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and where he performs most of his duties as head of state of the Grand Duchy.-History:...

 in Luxembourg City). The right of Grand Dukes to residence at these two residences is enshrined in Article 44 of the Constitution of Luxembourg

Constitution of Luxembourg

The Constitution of Luxembourg is the supreme law of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The modern constitution was adopted on 17 October 1868.Whilst the constitution of 1868 marked a radical change in Luxembourg's constitutional settlement, it was technically an amendment of the original constitution...

.

During the Second World War, the castle was occupied by Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

. During this period, the most valuable works of art were stolen from the castle, and the building itself underwent major alterations to suit the Nazis' purpose of re-educating local girls. After the war, the restoration of the castle took several years, and it was only re-occupied by the Grand Ducal family in 1964, when Grand Duke Jean

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg ruled Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000. He is the father of the current ruler, Grand Duke Henri, and the son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma...

 acceded to the throne. Until then, the Grand Duchess resided in Fischbach Castle

Fischbach Castle

Fischbach Castle is a castle in Luxembourg. It is situated near the town of Fischbach, in central Luxembourg.-History:...

, although this was mostly out of preference, rather than necessity.

Births

Three of the past four monarchs of Luxembourg were born at Berg Castle:

• Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde (born 1894; reigned 1912–19)
• Grand Duchess Charlotte
  Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
  Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964.-Early life and life as Grand Duchess:...
  
   (born 1896; reigned 1919–64)
• Grand Duke Jean
  Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
  Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg ruled Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000. He is the father of the current ruler, Grand Duke Henri, and the son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma...
  
   (born 1921; reigned 1964–2000)

The current Grand Duke, Henri

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg OIH is the head of state of Luxembourg. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. His maternal grandparents were King Leopold III of Belgium and Astrid of Sweden...

, was born at Betzdorf Castle

Betzdorf Castle

Betzdorf Castle is a former castle in the commune of Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. It is the headquarters of SES S.A., the world's largest satellite operator in terms of revenue and the largest component of Luxembourg Stock Exchange's main LuxX Index. It is located north-west of Betzdorf...

, in eastern Luxembourg.

Footnotes