Credit: MCULT
Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture has reported that a stone bridge and fortification towers were recently uncovered during archaeological excavations in Hollenfels.
On Wednesday 11 December 2024, Luxembourg's Minister for Culture, Eric Thill, accompanied by members of the press, visited the site of an archaeological excavation in Hollenfels to check out the remains. The minister stressed the "major importance" of this discovery, both in deepening the historical understanding of the Château de Hollenfels site and in enhancing its heritage.
"The discovery of a second ditch as well as a second stone bridge crossing it and allowing the connection with an intermediate fortification constitutes a valuable key to retracing the history of this place, by revealing its unique particularities and thus contributing to a more complete picture of our past. These remains are elements that allow us to better understand our history, to document it and make it accessible to the general public and future generations," said Minister Thill during the site visit. "The revaluation of this site will strengthen our cultural and tourist offering here in the region and will also allow us to excite the younger generations about our heritage."
The ministry noted that the Château de Hollenfels first appears in historical documents in 1129. It consists of a main castle, isolated on a rocky spur, and a forecastle, in which the youth hostel is now located. The connection between the two parts is today ensured by a narrow stone bridge. Inside the central castle, the keep is the dominant feature and presents all the characteristics of the Renaissance period. Due to the "exceptional quality" of the construction of the keep and the adjoining castle, the whole site was classified as a national cultural heritage site in 2022.
During recent excavations in the inner courtyard of the youth hostel, a walled (external) moat was uncovered. This is spanned by a stone bridge arch. The stone construction of the bridge is "perfectly preserved", from the bottom to the base of the path that crosses it. Construction joints prove that the stone arch of the bridge was only laid later in the moat, on older layers of sediment at the bottom. Roughly in the middle of the trench, a row of imposing posts oriented north-south was uncovered. The ministry added that these "perfectly preserved" timbers appear to be the remains of a wooden bridge or drawbridge later abandoned in favour of a stone bridge. Further analyses (dating, geophysics, etc.) are currently underway.
The monitoring of the work carried out on the Château de Hollenfels and the future use of this historic site and cultural heritage are part of a close collaboration between the National Institute of Archaeological Research (INRA), the National Youth Service (SNJ) and the Public Building Administration (ABP), under the supervision of their respective supervisory ministers, namely: Eric Thill, Minister for Culture; Yuriko Backes, Minister for Mobility and Public Works; Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth. The INRA, SNJ and ABP teams are "working hand in hand" to avoid delays in the execution of the renovation project in order to provide adequate infrastructure for its future use, while preserving and promoting this heritage for future generations.
