The Bredimus Old Country
Story and photos by Nicholas Bredimus
Family legend, and now historical records, say the entire Bredimus clan in America came from Luxembourg. Our father’s explanation was probably exaggerated with his tales of Roman soldiers, vineyards, Counts, and even a Bredimus Castle. This is the Castle I dreamed of as a young lad:
More about this particular castle later in a moment. My first visit to Luxembourg was as an adult working in the airline industry. The drive from Paris was longer than expected, and the rural scenery was nothing to write about. When I entered the Capital, Luxembourg City, my first impression was of a town built inside a hole in the ground. Having read Tolkien stories set in Middle-Earth, it made sense to discover people living below the Earth’s surface. When I snapped back to reality, I pondered whether I was actually seeing fortifications to protect this tiny Country. The suspended roadway did resemble a Roman aqueduct and Roman’s had spread their Empire into this territory. But I needed to travel East to the Moselle River to find the land settled by Romans.
I was reassured as I drove along the banks of the Moselle River with abundant grape vines, just as my Father (Robert Bredimus) had relayed the family history. Romans supposedly introduced wine grapes to these riverbanks and also left behind one or two citizens with the Latin name of Bredimus (or so, the story goes). Then, this road sign came into view. My family surname on a road sign! What a treat that was for an American on his first trip to the “Old Country”. Wald Bredimus (translated as Bredimus Woods) is just beyond Stadt Bredimus (Bredimus Town). Two towns, two Roman brothers; it made sense to me. Note the spelling of Bredimus as Briedemes. That spelling is difficult and I was eight before I could spell Nicholas correctly. Nicholas Briedemes? No thanks.
Bredimus Castle? Well, there might have been one many years ago and there is a Chateau in Stadt Bredimus which is now the headquarters of the wine co-op. The Castle at the beginning of this article is actually in Vianden, Luxembourg, and my family has no claim to it or to nobility. Oh, well.
