Arras Castle

The site of the later Arras Castle was home to a fortified Roman hilltop settlement in late antiquity. After the Romans withdrew, the area remained unused. The first written mention of the castle dates back to 1120, on the occasion of the consecration of its castle chapel. Around 1140, the castle was again mentioned in documents, listing a gate, the chapel, and a well as jointly used buildings, while the curtain wall, moat, and a tower were attributed to Count Friedrich I of Vianden. Originally owned by the Counts Palatine, the castle later passed to the Archbishops and Electors of Trier. In 1137, it was conquered by the Lords of Entersburg but was soon recaptured by Archbishop Albero. A knightly family took its name from the castle and resided there. In 1439, the castle was granted as a fief to the families of Metzenhausen and Zandt von Merl. During the War of the Palatine Succession, it was completely destroyed by French troops in October 1689. In 1794, the French revolutionary administration declared the ruin French property and sold it.