Vianden

Vianden (Veianen in Luxembourgish) is a 1,811 inhabitants town, crossed by Our river, that is one of the ones more visited ones in Luxembourg and is located close to the border with Germany. This picturesque town , attracted by its impressing castle. Victor Hugo, the French poet, lived here and he promoted the town, recording its beauty and setting in prose, poetry and sketches, including the series of poems L'Année terrible.

How do I arrive to Vianden?

  Vianden is a small border town so there are some nearby town and cities but it isn't not very well communicated by public transportation. 

• Bus: there are daily buses to Diekrich (aprox. 25 minutes), at least 3 per day to Clervaux (aprox. 45 minutes) and at least 1 bus every hour to Luxembourg City (aprox. 1 hour). 
• Car: in case you rented a car, Vianden can be reached from Diekrich (aprox. 15 minutes), Wiltz (aprox. 40 minutes) or Luxembourg City (aprox. 50 minutes). It is located in the border with Germany so it can be reached from many places in Rhineland-Palatinate such as Bitburg (aprox. 35 minutes) or Trier (aprox. 1 hour).

History

The origins of Vianden date back to the Gallo-Roman age when there was a castellum on the site of the present castle (originallly called Viennensis and it was covered in vineyards in Roman times). The first historical reference to Vianden was when St. Irmina gabe Monte Viennense as gift to the Abbey of Echternach in 698. In the Middle Ages, Vianden's craftsmen were recognised for their skills and in 1490, they created guilds for their various trades (over the years pig-farming and leathermaking became the major industry till the mid-1950s). The Vianden castle was built between the 11th and 14th centuries and became the seat of the counts of Vianden till in 1820 when William I of the Netherlands sold it to a local merchant who in turn sold off its contents and masonry piecemeal, reducing it to a ruin. Still, during one of his visits to the town, Victor Hugo lived in the castle for three months in 1871. Not until 1977, when Grand Duke Jean ceded the castle to the State, was it possible to undertake large-scale work. Vianden is also saw fierce combat between the Luxembourg Resistance and German forces (last place in Luxembourg to be freed from the Germans). The first Boeing 747-8F built was named City of Vianden. 

What can I visit in Vianden?

Vianden is a very nice small town and is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Luxembourg. The main street in the town is Grand Rue and there's a chairlift, Télésiège (4 Rue du Sanatorium), which takes you to a hill with great views from Vianden's castle. In Vianden surroundings, in Our Valley, hiking and other outdoors sports can be practised; and for adventure lovers Indian Forest Adventure Park (8 Montée du Château) is perfect because it has zip-lines, elevated walkways and many other activities.

These are Vianden's main attractions:

• Vianden Castle (10-18 Tue-Sun from Apr to Sep; 10-17 Mar and Oct; 10-16 from Nov to Feb; 7€/ 6€/ 4.50€/ 2€  adults/ retiree/ students/ kids under 12): castle first built in the 11th century which lived many stories till the 17th century. It's one of the largest and most beautiful feudal residences from the Romanesque and Gothic period. It was rebuilt in the 20th century.
• Vianden town History Museum (11-17 Tue-Sun from Apr to Oct; 3€/ 2€/ free  adults/ kids under 12/ kids under 6): museum with 18th and 19th century interiors which tells the history of the thousand-year old town and houses the bakery museum and the museum about the national poet Edmond de la Fontaine (also known as "Dicks").
• Victor Hugo House-Literary Museum (12-18 Tue-Sun from May to Oct; 11-17 from Nov to Apr; 8-15:45 Fri; 5€/ free  adults/ students and kids): house where the French poet and novelist spent some of his time during his exile. The museum exhibits paintings, texts and personal possessions of the author. 
• St. Nicolas Catholic Church: church which dates back to the 13th century but was destroyed by a fire in 1723, being rebuilt the following year.
• Trinitaire Catholic Church: Gothic style church built by Count Henry I, in thanks to the Trinitarians who arranged for the release of his father, Count Frederic II, who had been captured during a crusade.
• Vianden is also a good point to start some hikes like in Ourdall Promenade (which links Stolzembourg, Bivels and Vianden) or the National Hiking Trail Victor Hugo (following in the footsteps of Victor Hugo from Viande to Ettelbruck).
• Just 7 km north from Vianden can be found Stolzembourg (Stolzebuerg in Luxermbourgish, Stolzemburg in German), a village with 170 people. It's main interest is the Museum of the Copper Mine (guided tours at 14 from Apr to Oct; 7.50€/ 3.50€  adults/ kids under 13), a 500 years old former copper-mine used between the 19th and 20th century which was transformed into a museum to show the hard work to obtain copper.

Victor Hugo House-Literary Museum

Vianden Castle

Where can I eat in Vianden?

There aren't many culinary offers in Vianden but some of them are the grill house Auberge Aal Veinen Beim Hunn Sàrl (114 Grand-Rue), the hotel-restaurant Petry (Rue de la Gare 15) with tasty pizzas or Auberge De I'Our (35 Rue de la Gare).

Posted in: Europe,Luxembourg