Rumours, myths and legends swirl around the mysterious Schloss Buschland (Buschland Castle). Situated along the Route du Vin between Remich and Stadtbredimus, the estate towers majestically over the river and the Moselle valley.
However, for almost a decade, the building – which takes its name from a local district – has stood empty. The villa, not far from the Remich scout hall, is also popularly known as Schloss Arabia.
This is because the castle has unusual owners: they come from Saudi Arabia and used the property as a holiday home until shortly before the coronavirus pandemic. They have not returned to the castle since. The magnificent 19th-century property has increasingly made headlines due to vandalism and has since become a symbol of decay and unanswered questions.
During the pandemic years, the luxurious estate increasingly became a target for urban exploration enthusiasts. YouTube features numerous clips in which visitors trespass unhindered onto the private property to take photos and videos inside the building. Images of the castle spread rapidly online.
YouTube videos show extent of devastation
Videos at the start of the coronavirus pandemic still show a largely intact estate, with well-maintained furniture, high-quality décor and expensive everyday items, but just a few years later, hardly anything remains. The castle looks devastated and much has since been damaged or stolen.
“The building is private property, after all,” said Jacques Sitz, mayor of Remich. He finds it hard to understand the growing hype surrounding the castle and notes that as the estate has repeatedly been the target of vandalism, the local council has also had to deal with it more frequently. “The police have had to intervene several times.”
However, the situation now appears to have calmed. According to Sitz, at the end of last year the owner’s family commissioned an external firm to repair the damage, fix the doors and windows, and improve the external security of the castle.
“It’s regrettable that this property is empty,” the mayor said. “State receptions are usually held in castles like this.”
But the municipality’s hands are tied.
“We don’t know to what extent we could even intervene there,” Sitz said. “We can’t take on the matter. The scale of the problem would exceed our financial resources, and we have more important projects.”
Castle identified as worthy of protection
Recently, politicians have also taken a greater interest in the dilapidated castle. In response to the numerous media reports, right-wing ADR MP Alexandra Schoos submitted a parliamentary question to the Ministry of Culture. Among other things, she wanted to know whether the ministry was aware of the condition of Buschland Castle and why the building had not yet been listed as a historic monument.
We don’t know to what extent we could even intervene there…. the building is private property, after all
Jacques Sitz
Mayor of Remich
The ministry said that it is aware of the property’s current condition, and that the Institut national pour le patrimoine architectural (INPA) has already identified the building as worthy of protection.
A register of municipal buildings worthy of preservation is currently being drawn up with the local council, and the castle is to be included in this. A protection procedure is to be initiated for the property even before this inventory is finalised.
However, it remains unclear exactly what this entails. The Ministry of Culture was unable to provide any further details when asked.
The forgotten castle
The estate was built in 1889 by the industrialist Alexis Brasseur and later passed to Baron Hippolyte d’Huart. Around 1913, it came into the possession of the lawyer Jules Collart. In 1923, the Grethen-Simmer family took over the building and opened a hotel-restaurant there. The castle, with its magnificent view of the Moselle, was known at the time both at home and abroad as the ‘Pearl of the Moselle’. The hotel remained in operation until 1942.
It was then sold to the Schumacher family, who intended to establish a guesthouse for tourists there. In the 1970s, the castle was under discussion as a possible site for the Chinese Embassy, but nothing came of it. A Saudi Arabian family eventually purchased the property in the 1980s and used it as a holiday home.
Neither oil magnate nor sheikh
Aline Pütz, a former radio presenter and former Schengen municipal councillor, said she knew the family which owned the property personally. “The owner was neither an oil magnate nor a sheikh,” she said. The family came from Ta’if, a city in western Saudi Arabia. “They were a refined family who maintained the castle superbly,” recalled Pütz.
According to her, she believed the owners belonged to the Saudi Arabian royal family. “It’s a very large family there. As an outsider, it’s hard to keep track of who’s related to whom,” she said with a laugh.
The first encounter came about rather by chance. Pütz herself lived in Saudi Arabia for around five years, as her then-husband was working there on business. It was precisely for this reason that a familiar detail caught her eye during a walk near the castle: on the entrance gate, she and her husband spotted two crossed swords – a typical symbol of the desert state.
There is no dispute over the inheritance
Aline Pütz
Friend of the family which owned the property
Belly dancing and at least 16 residents
“Out of curiosity, we rang the bell, because we’d lived in Saudi Arabia ourselves for a while,” she explained. This spontaneous encounter developed into a close friendship. Her sons played with the children of the family who owned the house, whilst Pütz went shopping with the women of the household.
“We often went to the Schueberfouer with the children, ate ice cream on the café terraces in Remich or simply went for a walk,” she says. She also remembers the visits to the castle well: the women of the family even taught her belly dancing.
The family was large, according to Pütz, who recalled at least 16 relatives living in the castle at the same time.
“The family must have bought the estate in the 1980s,” she said.
It was a wealthy family: the entire household staff, including the chauffeur, would regularly travel over from Saudi Arabia. How did the family, from so far afield, come to notice Buschland Castle, of all places?
“The parents were travelling around Europe a lot at the time and discovered the beautiful estate on the Moselle, which they then purchased.”
The original owners have since passed away, as have several other family members, said Pütz. She does not know why the remaining relatives no longer return to the castle, as she has lost contact with the family over the years.
“There is no dispute over the inheritance,” the woman said. She suspects, rather, that the political climate in Saudi Arabia has changed.
“Perhaps the Saudi Arabian king intervened,” said Pütz, “or perhaps it is no longer looked upon favourably there for members of the royal family to live in another country from time to time.”
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated, with editing and adaptation by Alex Stevensson)
