Neuerburg

Neuerburg stands above the town of Neuerburg in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm. It is a castle and fortress in the western Eifel mountains, set in the Enzbach valley. The first record of the hillside castle dates from 1132. Counts of Vianden held the castle as an old fief from the Count of Luxemburg. In 1332 the castle granted town rights to the settlement below. Expansion turned it into a fortress between 1513 and 1540 under Dietrich IV, Count of Manderscheid-Blankenheim. The castle’s military role is shown by its thick walls, up to 5.5 metres thick. It defended against Swedish, Dutch, Irish, Polish and French troops during the Thirty Years’ War. In 1692 French forces blew up parts of the fortifications. After 1818 stones were sold and reused elsewhere. The Bund Neudeutschland bought the castle in 1926 and rebuilt parts, creating a mezzanine that often served as a hiding place. Visitors today find the inner courtyard, castle chapel and ruins freely open. The Jugendburg Neuerburg is run as a youth hostel by the Krump family. Hidden entrances still lead to the mezzanine rooms. The castle is maintained by Bund Neudeutschland, based in Cologne.