Travelin', and an ancient (ruined) fortress

CKDad · Post by **CKDad** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 8:38 pm

Greetings fellow Crusaders (and trolls) from rainy, chilly Luxembourg! I'm traveling for work for the next few weeks but will try to keep up with the happenings in Troll-land. (And yes, Richard, I'm working on the one-shots for Troll Con too. )

I've spent the last week in Luxembourg, and want prompted me to post about it is my trek around what's left of the old city ramparts today. Luxembourg dates it's founding to Count Siegfried (or Siegfroi) of Ardennes erecting a castle on the Bock promontory near the confluence of the Alzette and Petrusse rivers. The city formed on the upland behind it. The fortifications eventually became some of the strongest in Europe but were mostly razed in the 19th century. Still, there's enough left to give an impression of what they must have been like.

I like to mine real-world sites for inspiration in designing places in my world-building and I suspect others do to. While there's not much of the fortress left here, the terrain itself is pretty inspiring, so if you're interested you can check out my travel blog at http://appelnews.blogspot.com. (There's also a few pictures of Mont St. Michel there from our Normandy trip last year, along with other chatter about that trip and this one.)

If the weather doesn't suck tomorrow (I neglected to bring a jacket and finding one my size takes a bit of doing at home, much less over here) I'll be going to Vianden, which has a truly impressive restored medieval castle.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:36 am

I so want to do a castle tour of Europe! They do have such a package too!
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Dragondaddy · Post by **Dragondaddy** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:39 am

Woah... Simply Awsome pix! The high resolution is very nice and the series which made up a Panorama from the North to the South looking over the river gave a good impression of the lay of the land and the fortified heights.

While the Modern bridge spans are remarkable, I'd wager that the actual traffic the crossed the river in the dark and middle ages used the road that travelled right into the gap under the Bock!

From the looks of it, That's the only crossing point in sight.

Impressive series, Thanks!

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 2:33 am

Awesome. Great stuff. The real world is the best inspiration for your games. The tactile sense of your surroundings translates so well over to your games, especially as CK.

Very nice, thanks for the post.

-O
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CKDad · Post by **CKDad** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 4:07 pm

Didn't make the trip to Vianden today, but will have some more pictures up later tonight showing bits of the town and some of the fortifications (Vauban-designed, no less) along the Petrusse.

One of the museums I stopped in today had an excellent set of wooden maquettes showing the development of the fortifications from 963 up through the late 1800s, when most of them were torn down. Unfortunately pictures were forbidden. I'll try to find images somewhere, and if not I may spring for one of the books on the subject even if it's in French.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 4:22 pm

CKDad wrote:
Didn't make the trip to Vianden today, but will have some more pictures up later tonight showing bits of the town and some of the fortifications (Vauban-designed, no less) along the Petrusse.

One of the museums I stopped in today had an excellent set of wooden maquettes showing the development of the fortifications from 963 up through the late 1800s, when most of them were torn down. Unfortunately pictures were forbidden. I'll try to find images somewhere, and if not I may spring for one of the books on the subject even if it's in French.

Search Amazon for an English version before you do that.
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Go0gleplex · Post by **Go0gleplex** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:30 pm

You lucky bugger! Seein all that stuff would just beyond cool. *blows a raspberry*
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 9:00 pm

Nice pics CK...I am envious!
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Sundog · Post by **Sundog** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 9:19 pm

Treebore wrote:
I so want to do a castle tour of Europe! They do have such a package too!

Well, watch your footing if you visit Dudley Castle. That ruddy gatehouse'll have your foot off at the ankle soon as look at you.

dachda · Post by **dachda** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:18 pm

Sundog wrote:
Well, watch your footing if you visit Dudley Castle. That ruddy gatehouse'll have your foot off at the ankle soon as look at you.

Sundog,

you live near Dudley? I spent a semester at the Polytechnic way back in the '80s. My college in the States basically rented space, and we came with our own professors, except for one course. It's one awesome little castle there. Wonder if I still have my photos of it? Another great place was the Crooked House.

for the rest of you guys check out here:
http://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/PDF_files/D ... Guide2.pdf
http://www.sedgleymanor.com/historical/ ... house.html
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:22 am

Pretty neat stuff, dachda. Cool links.
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Sundog · Post by **Sundog** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:54 am

Yep, I live barely a mile from the castle, near Barrow Hill (or Barry Bonk, as we know it; a 300 my-old volcano remnant, with deep quarries hacked out of it in the 19th century that made impromptu LARPS involving the Caves of Chaos all the more realistic when I was a nipper).

The Crooked House is still going well, too, you'll be pleased to know, as is the Black Country Museum.

Right now the council's trying to get some government money to spruce up the caverns beneath the castle and the nearby nature reserve, especially since one of those caverns is about to be filled with sand to protect it and the land above from collapse.