The estate at Colmar-Berg first came into the possession of the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg in 1845. The
Belgian Revolution had divided Luxembourg from the
Netherlands, and also into two, undermining Dutch control of the fortress of
Luxembourg City.
Grand Duke William II sought to establish a suitable Grand Ducal residence in Luxembourg, hoping that a division of his time between
The Hague and Luxembourg would placate the local, overwhelmingly
Roman Catholic, population. To this end, the Grand Duke bought Berg Castle from the Pasquier estate. In 1848, it was recognised as the exclusive home of the Grand Duke by the newly promulgated constitution. In 1890, the Royal house of the Netherlands and the Grand Ducal house of Luxembourg diverged, and the new Grand Duke,
Adolphe, purchased Berg Castle the following year, in order to maintain the Grand Ducal estate at Colmar-Berg. In 1906,
William IV had the old castle demolished and a new one constructed in its place, designed by the
Munich-based architect
Max Ostenrieder and the local
Pierre Funck-Eydt. Work on the new castle began in 1907, and was completed on 9 September 1911, after which it became the primary residence of the Grand Ducal family. The two properties changed hands for 40m
francs, of which 20m francs were denoted for the castle; this was viewed by the government as an undervaluation (as was the price of the Grünewald), as they had assessed the castle as being worth 22m francs. Works began in May 2025 and are due to last until 2027. Now Grand Duke Guillaume V has stated plans to move to the castle itself temporarily in 2026 while the cottage finishes construction; until then, it remains the residence of former Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, while the new grand ducal couple remains at
Fischbach Castle with their children. ==Births==