Burresheim Castle

Burresheim Castle, or Schloss Bürresheim, is a medieval castle in the Eifel region of Germany, near Mayen in Rhineland-Palatinate. The castle stands in a wooded valley above the Nette and has a more secluded, old-European atmosphere than many of the more tourist-heavy Rhine castles. Its towers, half-timbered sections, courtyards and layered medieval appearance make it look both authentic and slightly storybook-like, which is exactly why it works so well as a screen castle.

Burresheim Castle is best known internationally from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), where it appears as Castle Brunwald. In the film, the castle is presented as being on the Austrian-German border and becomes the place where Professor Henry Jones Sr. is held prisoner after following clues to the Holy Grail. The real castle was used for exterior views, while interior scenes were filmed on sets in England. The film also alters the castle’s appearance with visual effects, making it look larger and more symmetrical than it does in real life.

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Burresheim Castle appears when Indiana Jones and Elsa Schneider arrive at Castle Brunwald to find and rescue Henry Jones Sr. Indy first enters the castle disguised as a Scottish lord, only to discover that his father is being held inside by the Nazis. The castle exterior gives the sequence its fairy-tale adventure look, with the remote setting and fortified architecture making Brunwald feel like a classic European stronghold. Although the rooms, corridors and motorcycle escape were filmed elsewhere, Burresheim Castle provides the crucial first image of the place where Indy and his father are reunited.

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