Buergbrennen (or burning of the fortress)

Buergbrennen is one of the most felt events in Luxembourg. It takes places on the first Sunday after Carnival.

During this celebration a big bonfire is set on fire to mark the end of winter and welcome the coming of spring.

This year I went to Niederanven to witness the spectacle as the wooden fortress constructed there as a pyre is one of the biggest in the whole country.

And indeed approaching the site of the even from a distance it was hard not to see the imposing construction towering over a large field.

Buergbrennen fortress - f3.5, 1/80, ISO 1000

As the sun was setting more and more people gathered in front of the pyre. At 19:30 the music stopped and all the lights went off. After a countdown some fireworks ignited the fire and the whole wooden castle quickly was engulfed by tall flames.

I was in the front row and the heat rapidly became too much to handle and I had to step back to avoid melting my skin.

Fortress on fire - f4, 1/2500, ISO 640

The contrast of the tall red flames against the dark sky was staggering.

Buergbrennen - f3.5, 1/2500, ISO 320

The flames quickening consumed all the pallets and after just a few minutes most of the original structure disappeared, with just a few poles remaining.

As the strength of the fire decreased I took the change to again get closer to the pyre. Some kids were playing with some wooden swords and their silhouette against the burning fire created an atmosphere reminiscent of medieval times.

Kids playing - f3.5, 1/2500, ISO 320

Being part of crowd witnessing the burning of a massive wooden fortress has been a very interesting experience and definitely something that doesn’t happen every day.