Berg Castle

Berg Castle
Schlass Bierg
Principal residence of the Grand Ducal family
Location within Luxembourg
General information
Type	Castle
Town or city	Colmar-Berg
Country	Luxembourg
Coordinates	49°48′53″N 6°05′15″E / 49.814666°N 6.087595°E / 49.814666; 6.087595
Construction started	1907
Completed	1911
Design and construction
Architect	Max Ostenrieder and Pierre Funck-Eydt

Berg Castle (Luxembourgish: Schlass Bierg, French: Château de Berg, German: Schloss Berg), also called Colmar-Berg, is the principal residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It is situated in the town of Colmar-Berg, in central Luxembourg, near the confluence of the Alzette and the Attert, two of Luxembourg's most important rivers.

The estate at Colmar-Berg first came into the possession of the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg in 1845. The Belgian Revolution had divided Luxembourg from the Netherlands, and also into two, undermining Dutch control of the fortress of Luxembourg City. Grand Duke William II sought to establish a suitable Grand Ducal residence in Luxembourg, hoping that a division of his time between The Hague and Luxembourg would placate the local, overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, population. To this end, the Grand Duke bought Berg Castle from the Pasquier estate. In 1848, it was recognised as the exclusive home of the Grand Duke by the newly promulgated constitution.

In 1890, the Royal house of the Netherlands and the Grand Ducal house of Luxembourg diverged, and the new Grand Duke, Adolphe, purchased Berg Castle the following year, in order to maintain the Grand Ducal estate at Colmar-Berg. In 1906, William IV had the old castle demolished and a new one constructed in its place, designed by the Munich-based architect Max Ostenrieder and the local Pierre Funck-Eydt. Work on the new castle began in 1907, and was completed in 1911, after which it became the primary residence of the Grand Ducal family.