The castle of Freudenkoppe on a basalt cone

The castle of Freudenkoppe sits atop a basalt cone, a stark volcanic plug rising 652 meters above the surrounding land. It was here, on this specific outcrop, that the northeastern border of the County of Luxembourg once stood firm. The castle is located approximately 1 km southeast of Neroth and 5.5 km west of Daun.

Records first name the site in 1337. By 1340, Johann von Luxemburg, King of Bohemia, completed the fortifications as castrum Froudenkube. Its primary purpose was defensive, intended to secure the northern reaches of his territory, which included Neroth.

Power shifted hands in the middle of the fourteenth century. In 1346, Karl I. von Luxemburg (later Emperor Karl IV) handed the fortress over to Balduin von Luxemburg. Balduin held the high offices of Prince-Elector and Archbishop of Trier, and he utilized Freudenkoppe as a base for the siege of Burg Daun in 1353.

Life at the castle evolved as the centuries turned. After 1440, Philipp von Sierck, a cathedral provost and brother to the knight Arnold von Sierck, built a new castle house. Philipp was also the uncle of Jakob I. von Sierck, a man who would later hold the titles of Prince-Elector and Archbishop of Trier.

By 1460, the records go quiet. The castle may have been abandoned a few years after this final mention and fell into ruin. Some historians suggest it may have been destroyed by the French in 1689. Further wall and building remains were visible at the site in the 19th century.

Today, the silhouette of the castle is defined by a nearly square residential tower and keep. Its footprint measures 8.40 by 8.60 metres, dominating a courtyard that is bordered by a trapezoidal enclosure. On the southern slope, the fragments of the former castle house still lean against the earth. A dry moat circles three sides of the ruin, while the nearby Mühlsteinhöhle cave offers a subterranean contrast to the high, sun-scoured stone of the Nerother Kopf.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons