- "Ah, Brunwald Castle. I don't know how I'm going to find Dad in a maze like this, but I'll think of something..."
- ―Indiana Jones[src]
Situated just north of Salzburg, Castle Brunwald lay the Austro-German border.
History[]
- "Your father is being held in the Castle of Brunwald, on the Austrian-German border."
- ―Kazim[src]
A medieval castle[1] used by Nazis as a secret base, Castle Brunwald was where Henry Jones, Sr. was kept after being captured in Venice. The castle held many fine tapestries as part of the Brunwald family's art collection.[2]
Indiana Jones and Elsa Schneider entered the castle to rescue his father, and knocked out the Butler who didn't believe Jones' cover story. Jones located his father's room and entered through the window. However, when they exited, he was confronted by Vogel who pretended to have captured Elsa; Indy, to save her life, surrendered the Grail Diary to him, after which Elsa revealed her true affiliation.[2]
The two Joneses were re-captured, and met Donovan there, who also turned out to be a Nazi. The Joneses were tied on a chair and unintentionally burned down a portion of the castle before escaping on a motorcycle with sidecar.[2]
After that, they traveled to Berlin to retrieve the Grail Diary.[2]
Brunwald art collection[]
Items in the Brunwald collection in 1938 included[3]:
- 14th Century Georgian Lucasian
- Brunwald tapestry
- Sunday in the Park
- Louvre sculpture
- Seashore
- Science fiction monster painting
- The Fifer
- Dropcloth painting
- Fred & Edna painting
- Brunwald painting
- Swiss mountain painting
- Dogs Playing Poker
- Indy's trophy painting
- Grail painting
Behind the scenes[]
During the development of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Menno Meyjes' second draft for his script featured the Krak des Chevaliers in Syria as the castle in which Henry Walton Jones, Senior was imprisoned by the Nazis.[4] During the writing of Jeffrey Boam's script, Castle Brunwald was called Grunwald. Writer Tom Stoppard changed the name in his revisions.
The idea of a castle in the third film was carried over from Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, an ultimately rejected script written by Chris Columbus. That story began in a Scottish mansion that was haunted by a ghostly baron named Seamus Seagrove III.[4]
The real castle used for the film, Schloss Bürresheim, lies in Rhineland-Pfalz, in the Mayen-Koblenz district.[5] Secluded in a forested valley in the Eifel Mountains near Burg Olbrück and Castle Nürburg, it still retains some of the oppresive aura seen in the movie, however, there are no fine tapstries hanging on the walls. The castle was also used in the 1994 made-for-television film Prince Brat and the Whipping Boy, which is based on a story by Sid Fleischman.
Castle Brunwald was also featured in the video game Maniac Mansion, which was produced by Lucasfilm. A painting of a castle is featured in the living room, to which the player remarks "That is Castle Brunwald".
One historical error in the movie is showing Austria as a distinct country in 1938, past March: The Nazis annexed Austria in March 1938, following a mockery of a referendum.
Appearances[]
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade novel
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade game
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
- Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
- Indiana Jones: The Search For Buried Treasure
- LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources[]
- From Star Wars To Indiana Jones - The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives
- The Last Crusade: Father knows best on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org) (Picture only)
- Around the World with Indiana Jones on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- "No Time for Love?" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 5
- "Indy's Top 10 Funniest Moments" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 6
- The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
- Grail Diary (prop replica)
- 40 Great Indiana Jones Quotes on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- The Real Indiana Jones: Curiosity & Creativity on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ The Real Indiana Jones: Curiosity & Creativity on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- ↑ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, Chapter 9: "The Monkey King: July 1984 to May 1988", p. 184–203
- ↑ Around the World with Indiana Jones on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)