Berg Castle
Acquisition by the House of Orange-Nassau
View of the old château as seen from the garden
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © photographe inconnu
L’ancien château de Berg
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, droit commun / photographe inconnu
William II, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1840 to 1849, governed the Grand Duchy from The Hague. Concerned with strengthening the influence of the House of Orange-Nassau and motivated by economic considerations, he acquired several Luxembourg estates.
View of the old château from the pond
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © photographe inconnu
In this context, the former Berg Castle and its estate - whose various construction phases remain poorly documented - entered the private property of the King Grand Duke in 1845, following its purchase from Baron Charles Joseph du Pasquier de Dommartin. The sovereign visited the estate the following year.
View of the inner courtyard of the old château
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © photographe inconnu
Postcard of Their Royal Highnesses Grand Duke Guillaume IV and Grand Duchess Marie-Anne in the old inner courtyard
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale, auteur : Charles Bernhoeft
Transformations under William III and Adolphe
During William III’s reign, extensive works were undertaken under the direction of the royal estate architect Ernest van Koenig, transforming the former Baroque residence into a Neo-Gothic style home.
With the dynastic change, Grand Duke Adolphe became the owner, before his son William IV and his wife Maria Anna of Braganza took up residence after their marriage in 1893.
Etching of Berg Castle before the work undertaken by King Grand Duke Guillaume III in the 1850s.
Collections de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale, auteur inconnu
Reconstruction under William IV
After ascending the throne, William IV initiated an ambitious project to restructure Berg Castle, restoring the old building while adding a more sumptuous modern extension to replace the existing outbuildings. The work was entrusted to the Munich architect Max Ostenrieder (1870–1917), assisted by the Luxembourgish architect Pierre Funck-Eydt (1846–1932).
Travaux de démolition de l’ancien château de Berg
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
The original plan intended to preserve the main body of the old Castle, but it proved too dilapidated to save. Ultimately, only the stables, outbuildings, and nineteenth-century entrance tower were retained. Simultaneously, a landscaped park was laid out around the new construction.
Start of demolition work on the old castle in 1907
© Collection Cour grand-ducale / C. Krantz
Évacuation des déchets de démolition du chantier par wagonnets
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
Travaux de démolition de l’ancien bâtiment
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
Despite the scale of the project - the new castle contained over a hundred rooms - the works were completed in under four years. On 15 September 1911, William IV moved in with his court of around thirty people. Following his death, his daughter, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, resided there until her abdication in January 1919. Berg Castle was also where her sister, Grand Duchess Charlotte, took her constitutional oath.
Berg Castle after its reconstruction in 1919
© Private collection / Cour grand-ducale
Vue de l’escalier d’honneur du château de Berg après 1911
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
Intérieur du château de Berg, vraisemblablement au début des années 1930
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
Transition to state control and wartime period
In 1934, the Luxembourg State acquired the castle, as well as the furniture for the representative rooms (mainly on the ground floor), leaving them at the disposal of the Grand Ducal Family in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Célébration des 75 ans de S.A.R. la Grande-Duchesse Marie Anne, le 12 juillet 1936
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
Jochen Herling, Façade ouest du château de Berg
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
Fanny de Wael, avril 1939, les enfants grands-ducaux au château de Berg
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
During the Nazi occupation, while the Grand Ducal Family had left Luxembourg, the Castle was requisitioned and converted into a National Socialist school for girls.
Le château de Berg et ses jardins à l’issue des travaux dirigés par l’architecte Max Ostenrieder
Collections privées, © Cour grand-ducale
Restoration and current residence
The estate has served as the residence of the Head of State and his family.
La Famille grand-ducale réunie en contrebas de la terrasse du château de Berg vers 1974
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale
La famille grand-ducale sur la terrasse du château de Berg
Collections privées, © Cour grand-ducale
After the Second World War, the Castle was uninhabitable and extensive restoration and modernisation works were undertaken to return it to residential use. Grand Duchess Charlotte and her family then moved to Fischbach Castle.
Only in 1964, following his swearing-in, did Grand Duke Jean reoccupy Berg Castle. Since then, the estate has served as the residence of the Head of State and his family.
Photothèque de la Maison grand-ducale, © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli