Malbrouck Castle

closed on May 1st

Between 1419 and 1434, Arnold VI. von Sierck (1366–1455) the castle. His son Jakob became Archbishop of Trier in 1439. Emperor Frederick III elevated the rule to an imperial county in 1442. Due to a lack of male heirs, the rule later passed to the family of Count von Sayn, after which the fiefdom fell to Karl Ludwig, Count of Sulz. The county exercised a special influence on the lower Saargau around Merzig and on various bailiwicks on the Upper Moselle, mainly through Montclair Castle on the Saar loop, which was jointly administered by Lorraine and Electorate. After various other owners, the complex fell to the state during the French Revolution, which auctioned it off in 1793. As a result, she visibly deteriorated. In 1930 the castle was placed under monument protection. In 1975 the Moselle department bought the ruins and had them restored. The work was completed in 1998. Since then, the castle has been used for exhibitions and events. The name Château de Malbrouck for Meinsberg Castle goes back to an incident that is more of an anecdotal nature. It refers to the English general John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, known in France as Malbrouck. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Marlborough marched from Trier along the Moselle against France in 1705 with 100,000 men. He was blocked by the French Marshal de Villars, who was standing by at Sierck with fewer than 50,000 men. Marlborough chose the castle as his headquarters and waited for support from the Margrave of Baden, which failed to materialize. Marlborough's troops ran out of supplies and his army began to disintegrate. Finally Marlborough had to retreat to Trier and Maastricht in the night and fog. Meinsberg Castle is located in the immediate vicinity of the towns of Oberperl, Eft and Büschdorf.

A special place near the border with Germany and Luxembourg.