Luxembourg ville is small in size, but so rich in history. There is a lot to see and experience, and I love wandering around the city as there is always something that catches my attention.
A couple of weeks ago we visited Luxembourg again. My husband had to work, so I was walking around the city alone as it was the perfect weather to spend time outside. It was sunny, but not too warm. We had plans for the rest of the weekend with our friends and I wanted to take the opportunity to go to the casemates first. I was on the way when my husband suddenly called me to tell me that he had a couple of hours between his meetings and could join me. It was going to be a date! 😊 I waited for him in the old town and we walked to the casemates together.
Luxembourg is almost entirely surrounded by large cliffs which served as natural fortification in the past. The cliffs of The Bock Promontory are the foundation stone of Luxembourg. Count Sigfried built a small fortress in this area in 963 which was extended over centuries to accommodate the growing population and now forms the city of Luxembourg. Foundation
The first casemates were built in the 17th century. It was a large maze of kilometers and kilometers of underground galleries with defense purpose. The vaults were bomb-proofed and able to accommodate troops and equipment. This is how Luxembourg deserved its name as 'Gibraltar of the North'. In the 19th century part of the galleries was dismantled because Luxembourg became neutral, and therefore didn't need such extensive defense system. History
There is still a large part of casemates left as it's part of the current infrastructure and dismantling would mean damaging or destroying part of the city. Today, more than 1 km of casemates is open to public and it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city. Don't be afraid of too many people around you though. There are many galleries and you won't meet many people on the way.
The entrance ticket is 8 EUR per person and you can spend there as much time as you want. You can also get a flyer with information, but since there are information boards everywhere we didn't take it. This was not our first visit of the casemates. We stayed for about an hour as my husband had to return to work.
The casemates have various levels and there is part of it which is accessible without the entrance ticket. This is on top of the galleries, and you can enjoy the best views of the city from there. It's in the part of so called 'The most beautiful balcony of Europe' which runs from here along the upper town.
The city itself is built on various level with the oldest parts located at the river and the newer parts on top of the cliffs. There is a lift which can take you 60 meters down to the lower town. You can also choose to walk around the winding alleys and take your time exploring. There are also plenty of cafes along the way if you run out of breath.
This part looks like a fairy-tale and it's definitely worth a visit as the fortifications and the old town have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1994.
Luxembourg has many places to chill out and from here we could see the gigantic yellow loungers placed next to the abbey. There is the St. Jean church, a trendy restaurant, and an art museum located in the complex.
Here we can see the 'balcony' which is the top layer on the right...
The old town tower which was 60 meters below us dates back to the 14th century. There used to be a dam on the left side that protected the city from the floods.
There are multiple learning/educational paths in the area and you need to take the one called The Wenzel circular path which is linking the upper and the lower part of the city to walk on the Wenceslaw wall that is more than 1000 years old!
Let's go inside of the casemates!
Our tour starts in a room describing the history of the casemates, or rather the history of its dismantling that I have mentioned in the beginning. It's interesting to see how such a structure became unnecessary and how much work was done to dismantle it. Luckily, there is still about 10% of it left, so it makes me wonder how massive it must have been before.
I was surprised to see that the information is only available in French and German as Luxembourg is an international city with European institutions and most of the visitors are not speaking these languages (I guess). However, a lot of information in English is available online.
In the archaeological crypt we also saw some cute tiny replicas of the first settlements...
And the fortress from the 10th century...
The cliffs were the best strategic place to build a fortress as it was only accessible through a wooden bridge which could be burned down anytime to protect the inhabitants.
We were walking in the places that are many centuries old...
Over the metal bridges hanging above deep openings...
There is a lot of information about the casemates pictured on the walls...
We also saw some pictures of medieval coins from rulers up to the 15th century - look at how more intricate they were every time the ruler changed (from right to the left).
After the archaeological crypt we entered the dungeon of the old Luxembourg castle (fortress).
There are plenty of galleries and apparently you can follow a tour, but we have never managed to do that. It's cool to simply walk through various galleries knowing that you can't get lost because it's only 1 km of tunnels which are open to public and at some point you will get to the exit. Unless you manage to walk in an opposite direction and come back to the entrance like we did. Well, it means that you have to walk all the way back as you can't go out through the entrance.
There are many openings or so called loopholes in the thick walls of the casemates from where you can enjoy the views of the city. However, in the past they were used for cannons.
The Bock casemates could accommodate 50 cannons and 1200 soldiers!
This part with lower ceilings and narrower tunnels used to serve as a prison...
From the openings in the prison's walls we could see the other side of Luxembourg towards the Kirchberg Plateau.
All European institutions in Luxembourg are located in the Kirchberg (in the back). This is where we had our business run the day before. It's the modern area of Luxembourg with many residential buildings, offices, a theatre, a library, a large sport hall and a shopping mall.
Every time I see a train or a bus it reminds me that it's there for free!
The main gallery is decorated with colorful lights. It must be a pretty sight in the evening...
Through the iron gate we entered the 'Batterie du Grund' which had 4 loopholes for 8 cannons to defend the lower town.
This gallery is used for various performances now. The acoustics here must be amazing.
As amazing as the views...
35,000 people could hide here during the World War II...
The old well is 47 meters deep. It is dedicated to Melusina who was the wife of Sigfried. The legend has it that Sigfried was not allowed to see his wife at certain times of the week. He was a curious man and spied on her during her bath. He saw her fish's tail and when she noticed that he was following her, she vanished forever in the river. Legend
There is also a club called Melusina in Luxembourg, so make sure to visit it when you're around 😊
If these walls could talk they could tell us stories from more than 1000 years ago when Luxembourg had one of the best fortified systems in Europe. They could also tell us about many wars and I hope that there would be some romantic stories too...
The iron gate is leading us towards the end of our tour...
Up the stairs and we were back on the balcony...
The Bock casemates are not the only casemates in Luxembourg. The Pétrusse Casemates were recently opened, but I couldn't find the entrance. Well, another reason to visit Luxembourg again 🙂
I hope that you have enjoyed our tour!
Thank you for reading,
Cheers!
Martina
Tak tohle je asi nejlepší travel report z Lucemburska, co jsem kdy na Hive viděl :) Wow, paráda! Jenom teda moc nevím, co si mám představit pod tím "dismantlováním" :D Kasematy se přece nedají složit a rozložit jako nějaké stanové městečko, ne? :D I když... V Lucembursku asi dokážou i nemožné :) Snad se tam taky jednou podíváme, přestože pro "budget travelers" jsou tyhle destinace na opačném konci seznamu :D :/
Parádní post a tradičně skvělé fotky. Rád sem přihodím pár Tipáků :)
@tipu curate 5
Ale zas tak veľa ich tu nebolo, takže nie je veľká konkurencia 😉 no potešil si ma 😊 Všade píše, že dismantle a ja si pod tým predstavujem, že tam boli nejaké možno drevené zábrany a veľa munície, možno to mali nejako popredeľované na rôzne segmenty a jednoducho to všetko dali preč a zablokovali prístup 😂 no pravdu povediac, neviem či to takto bolo...
Luxembourg za posledné roky neskutočne zdražel. Boli sme v obchode a ostali sme prekvapení, že niektoré základné produkty ako cestoviny a omáčky sú tam drahšie ako u nás vo Švajčiarsku. Aj reštaurácie sú dosť drahé, ale za to preprava je zadarmo... no máš pravdu, nie je to veľmi pre budget travelers, ale ak si ako správni Česi zabalíte konzervy, tak by to malo byť fajn 😂 Len žartujem!!
Ďakujem a samozrejem aj za Tipaky 😉
Dražší než ve Švýcarsku, to jsem myslel, že ani nejde :D Ale zase ta doprava zadarmo je super. V Krakowě občas bývala zadarmo MHD, když bylo ve vzduchu hodně smogu. Aby lidi nechali auta doma a jeli do práce radši tramvají. Ale vlaky zadarmo jsem ještě neviděl nikde :) To je tak jako po celém Lucembursku nebo jenom na území hlavního města?
Ale ide 😁 podľa mňa Nordiky sú na tom tiež podobne..
Jj, normálne po celej krajine. Ale ľudia sú aj tak stále zvyknutí na autá a je ich tam strašne veľa. Keď chceš ísť z mesta po práci, tak si musíš počkať..
Ani ja som to takto nikde nevidela.. ale bolo by fajn, keby sme to mali aj my vo Švajčiarsku 😂 tu je doprava neskutočne drahá.. preto chodíme všade autom 😁
Jo tak ve Skandinávii jsou taky zajímavé ceny, to máš pravdu. Kdysi jsem si koupil letenku do Osla, hodně spontánně a náhodně, protože jsem ji někde uviděl v akci asi za 200 korun :D No a pak jsem zjistil, že jenom dostat se z letiště do centra by vyšlo asi na tisícovku, o ubytko a jídle nemluvě, tak jsem nechal letenku propadnout :D Ne jako tyhle země fakt nejsou pro nás ;) Jednou jsme byli na takovém malém výletě v Monaku a stačilo nám :D Oběd pro dva by tam vyšel asi tolik, jako jsme měli v Mexiku rozpočet na měsíc :D
Tie rozdiely sú neskutočné.. v tých bohatých krajinách si podľa mňa veľa ľudí neuvedomuje, čo vlastne máme a čo všetko si môžeme dovoliť...taká tragikomédia, keď si to porovnáš s tým ako žijú ľudia v iných krajinách. Ale veľké rozdiely sú aj vo Švajčiarsku, aj keď tu si veľa ľudí myslí, že každý tú má peniaze a keď im poviem, že každý rok sponzorujeme 10 rodín u nás v meste, aby aspoň na Vianoce mohli mať normálnu večeru a kúpiť aspoň niečo malé deťom, tak mi moji známi ani neveria. Spokojne si žijú vo svojej bohatej bubline...
A som si istá, že to jedlo v Mexiku bolo oveľa lepšie ako to v Monaku 😂
Je to přesně, jak říkáš. Viděli jsme ve světě hodně chudoby, slumy v Africe a Jižní Americe, extrémní chudobu na Kubě, kde jsme sami měli problém sehnat jídlo a vodu (protože jsme bydleli přímo v Havaně a ne v turistickém resortu, jak je zvykem)... Tady v Evropě máme fakt všechno a stejně si toho nevážíme a neumíme být šťastní. Ale to je na dlouhé povídání...
"...a keď im poviem, že každý rok sponzorujeme 10 rodín u nás v meste, aby aspoň na Vianoce mohli mať normálnu večeru a kúpiť aspoň niečo malé deťom, tak mi moji známi ani neveria..."
Wow! To jsem vůbec netušil! To je od tebe fakt milé :) Smekám!!!
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This is wonderful! Couldn't come in a better time, too. I'm planning a visit to Luxembourg soon. I googled it and doesn't look too far away from either the airport or train station. I'm sure the size is impossible to capture in pictures, but do you think it'll be a good idea to walk to this casemate or I'll be too drained to then explore it?
I'm also gonna take some wet clothes to the most beautiful balcony in Europe to manifest the inner babushka in me 😆
I personally wouldn't go there this year anymore as it tends to be rainy and gloomy. Spring would be much better 😊 And next year there will be tram going from the airport to the city center, so it couldn't get easier. It's indeed not far from the airport and there are plenty of buses or trains and all of them are free.
It's a walkable city, so you can easily walk a lot and also get to the casemates. There are also two lifts taking you from the valley up the cliffs, so you don't need to put too much effort.. however, some places you need to climb 😉
Your inner babushka? Now, I can't unsee it 😂
Too late. Got the tickets already. Gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope the day I'm there the weather spares me its wrath.
Oh then it's not too bad. I was doing some reading and everything I found said it's a very walkable city. A little climbing doesn't make a difference. Just want to make sure I explore as much as possible within the one day I'll be there.
If you only go for one day then you should focus on the Grund and upper city and I'm sure that you can squeeze the Casemates in there too. I would suggest you go to Petrusse casemates instead as these are recently renovated and there should be some effects too (I haven't been there yet though).
When are you travelling?
Luxembourg is a really nice city. We didn't go into the casements when we were there many years ago, just walked around the outside. It's nice seeing the inside from your lens. Very cool.
Walking around gives you some great views too. But I love such places and couldn't just walk around 😉
I remember being impressed by views in Luxembourg too, but I didn't see that much of a city since I had just few hours there. And I wasn't even aware of casemates' existance! Next time I'm gonna get there, since I really enjoy penetrating various caves, tunnels and places alike. I remember the lift though, that was something special too.
Let me know if you would go there, so that I can give you some tips. We love Luxembourg and visited so many places there already 😊
Oh, I found the lift scary at first, but it was not too bad in the end 😁
Wow, the view is simply breathtaking. I like how the clouds also looked marvelous and a lot of the scenic photos look picturesque. The inside looks interesting, but also a bit haunting. Maybe it's the jagged rocks and metal railings, but all of it makes for a very nice contrast to the majestic view outside. Thanks for sharing.
You are right, it's a huge contrast when you are inside and looking outside. It might get also a bit haunting I guess, but they placed the lights in right spots so it doesn't really feel like it.
Thank you for stopping by! 😊
Oh, wow! WOW! This indeed is the most beautiful balcony of Europe
I am impressed with these views and the clouds in the sky made my virtual visit to Luxembourg through your post perfect!!
Hugs to both of you 😌
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Hugh right back at you two! 😘
Your tips about the various levels of the city, the availability of a lift, and the breathtaking views from 'The most beautiful balcony of Europe' are particularly helpful for future travelers. The picturesque scenery and UNESCO World Heritage status make Luxembourg a must-visit destination.
It definitely is a must visit destination 🙂
Thank you for stopping by!
Wooow! This place is very beautiful! How lucky that you got to explore this part of Luxembourg. No wonder they call it "The most beautiful balcony of Europe".. 😉 Just by looking at the photos, I feel like I was there too. Amazing post @delishtreats!
Thank you! 😊
I felt like I was travelling to another time and that I was there, those incredible views through your pictures I love them!
The domes, the towers, the bridges, every construction on the rocks is fascinating.
Thank you for this trip @delishtreats ❤️
Thank you for stopping by 😊 I guess Luxembourg is not too far from where you live, so maybe you can visit it one day too!
I hope so, I'd love to! For the moment I enjoy your travels very much!❤️
Luxembourg is spectacular, because of your post I had to put another place on my list that I want to visit.
I enjoy going through your posts, which are otherwise complete from all points of view.
Cheers!
You should definitely go there.. it's a lovely city within a lovely country.. and when you go, make sure to visit the countryside. It's a tiny country, so it's not difficult 😊
Thank you for your comment!
You're welcome.
I'm sure the time will come when I get to Luxembourg, I'm very attracted to these cities, if I remember when I visited Belgium I was going to take a train to Luxembourg, but I don't know why I gave up.
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what a wonderful place, nice pictures
Thank you!
It's on my list, but it will not be tomorrow when I visit Luxembourg. So till then, I'm admiring your gorgeous photos and detailed guide.
Let me know when you'll go, so I can give you some tips. I've travelled across Luxembourg (the country) so many times, and since my husband lived there too we can give you some insider tips 😉
I will, definitely as any info is welcome. Thank you very much for the offer 😀
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What an awesome place
It's rare to see Luxembourg to be showcased here. Such a small country might be too expensive for tourists? That spectacular view and rich history! My list of countries to visit is now added with one entry.
It's not cheap.. actually, the prices went after after Corona and now it's almost as expensive as Switzerland.. but it's still worth to save some money and visit it 😉
I guess I should start saving now. That's if I'll be approved once I apply for a Schengen visa.
Such a beautiful and historical place 😍
Just like that, the history of such a beautiful place is very special and by reading it one gets to learn many new things and the way we are seeing that I myself also learn old things. When one goes to such a beautiful place, if the weather is so beautiful, the fun is doubled. I myself am very fond of seeing such old buildings and old maps.
I quite enjoyed this tour and I had not yet seen what Luxemburg looks like! I can just imagine how the cannons used to sound when the loud boom would have resonated within the casemates!
Oh, that must have been not so pleasant for people inside 😁
Wow these are incredible. The sky was beautiful this day. Even the view from the prison was nice 😁
The sky was changing every few minutes.. it must have been so windy up there!
Not too bad to be locked up in such prison 😂
Had no idea about that Luxembourg characteristic! I love that kind of old buildings; should probably include the country on an extended weekend getaway. Thanks for sharing! !BEER
You indeed should! 😊 It's not too far from Portugal 😉
Every excuse to travel is a good excuse! ;)
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