Located in Clervaux in northern Luxembourg, it is one of the largest fortified castles west of the Rhine. With origins dating back to the 10th century, the castle was built in the Romanesque style from the 11th to 14th centuries. Gothic transformations and finishing touches were added at the end of this period. A Renaissance palace was added in the 17th century, but in 1944, during the Battle of the Ardennes It was recently fully restored and is open to visitors.
Clervaux Castle History
The oldest parts of the 12th century castle were built by Gerard, Count of Sponheim, a brother of the Count of Vianden. The grand palace and rounded towers are probably from around 1400, when the prosperous Lords of Brandenbourg lived there.
In 1634, Claude de Lannoy built the reception rooms, including the great knights' hall in the Spanish Flanders style. In 1660, stables, warehouses and administrative buildings were added. Finally, in the 18th century, new stables were built.
Over the years, like other Luxembourg castles, Clervaux fell into disrepair although it was partially restored and used as a hotel before being finally destroyed in World War II during the Battle of Clervaux (16-18 December 1944), part of the Battle of the Bulge.
After being fully restored after the war, the castle is now used partly as a museum and partly to house the local government.
The south wing houses an exhibition of models of Luxembourg castles; the old kitchen in the Brandenbourg house. It is a museum dedicated to the Battle of the Ardennes.
The upper floors house the permanent installation of the entire complement of 503 original and restored prints, by 273 photographers, from the exhibition The Family of Man, curated by Edward Steichen for The Museum of Modern Art in 1955 and which toured the world to be seen by 9 million visitors. Luxembourg was the place where Edward Steichen was born in 1879, in Bivange.
The exhibition was first presented in the Castle in 1994 after the prints were restored. The layout of the inaugural exhibition at MoMA is followed to recreate the original viewing experience, though necessarily adapted to the unique two-story space of the restored Castle. Since further restoration of the photographs and displays in 2003, it now incorporates a library and contextualizes The Family of Man with historical and artistic materials.