The Grand Ducal Palace is a palace in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and where he performs most of his duties as head of state of the Grand Duchy.
History
The building was first the city hall of Luxembourg from 1572 to 1795, the seat of the prefecture of the Département des Forêts in 1795, and then the headquarters of the Luxembourg Government in 1817.
From 1817, the palace became the residence of the Governor, the representative of the Dutch Grand Dukes. As such, it was used by Prince Henry, during his time as Lieutenant-Representative of Luxembourg. The building's interior was renovated in 1883, in preparation of a visit by Grand Duke William III and his wife, Grand Duchess Emma.
With the accession of the House of Nassau-Weilburg in 1890, the palace was reserved exclusively for the Grand Duke and his family. Under Grand Duke Adolphe, it was comprehensively renovated and a new wing, containing family rooms and guest accommodation, was built by the Belgian architect Gédéon Bordiau and the Luxembourgian state architect, Charles Arendt.
During the German occupation in the Second World War, the Grand Ducal Palace was used by the Nazis as a concert hall and tavern. Much of the palace's furniture, art collections and jewels were ruined. Large swastika flags were hung down the front. With the return of Grand Duchess Charlotte from exile in 1945, the palace once again became the seat of the Grand Ducal Court.
Under the supervision of Charlotte, the palace was redecorated during the 1960s. It was thoroughly restored between 1991 and 1996. The interior of the Palace has been regularly renovated to match modern tastes and standards of comfort.
From 1945 to 1966 the Grand Ducal Guard mounted ceremonial guard duties at the palace. From 1966 to today soldiers of the military of Luxembourg perform guard duties.
The Palace today
As the official residence of the Grand Duke, the palace is used by him in the exercise of his official functions. He and the Grand Duchess, together with their staff, have their offices at the palace, and the state rooms on the first floor are used for a variety of meetings and audiences. On Christmas Eve, the Grand Duke's Christmas message is broadcast from the Yellow Room.
Foreign heads of state are accommodated at the palace, as guests of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, during official visits to Luxembourg, and the Ballroom is the setting for state banquets in their honour. Throughout the year, numerous other receptions take place at the palace, such as the New Year's reception given for members of the Government and the Chamber of Deputies.

Grand Ducal Palace

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

The Bock is a promontory in the north-eastern corner of Luxembourg City's old historical district. Offering a natural fortification, its rocky cliffs tower above the River Alzette which surrounds it on three sides. It was here that Count Siegfried built his Castle of Lucilinburhuc in 963, providing a basis for the development of the town which became Luxembourg. Over the centuries, the Bock and the surrounding defences were reinforced, attacked and rebuilt time and time again as the armies of the Burgundians, Habsburgs, Spaniards, Prussians and French vied for victory over one of Europe's most strategic strongholds, the Fortress of Luxembourg. Warring did not stop until the Treaty of London was signed in 1867, calling for the demolition of the fortifications. Ruins of the old castle and the vast underground system of passages and galleries known as the casemates continue to be a major tourist attraction.
It was in 963 that Count Siegfried, in search of a site from which he could defend his properties, obtained the Bock and its surroundings from St Maximin's Abbey in Trier in exchange for the land he owned at Feulen in the Ardennes to the north. The Romans, then the Franks, had probably already inhabited the Bock although there is only scant archeological evidence of their presence. There are however traces of a 4th-century Roman watchtower close to the point in the Fish Market where two major Roman roads used to cross, one from Reims to Trier and the other from Metz to Liège.
The first historical mention of the Bock is indeed in connection with a watchtower or fortification on the Roman road from Reims to Trier which, in 723, was ceded by Charles Martel, Duke of the Franks, to the Abbey of St Maximin in Trier. Two centuries later, Count Siegfried, who had properties "in Feulen, Hosingen and Monnerich in the Pagus Wabrensis, in Sarreburg, Berncastel and Roussy in the Pagus Mosellanus", was looking for a location for a castle able to withstand any onslaught which would serve as a central point for his holdings. After failing to obtain a site near the Abbey of Stavelot, now in the Belgian province of Liège, he approached the Abbot of St Maximin's for the purchase of the property high up on the Bock cliff above the Alzette River, described as a "castle by name Lucilinburhuc" (castellum quod dicitur Lucilinburhuc). It therefore seems as if there was already a castle on the site before Siegfried became interested in it and that it was not Siegfried who called it Lucilinburhuc. After the consent of Emperor Otto I had been obtained, the deed was signed by Viker, Abbot of St Maximin's, on 7 April 963. Siegfried acquired the site in exchange for some of his properties at Feulen.
Over the centuries, Siegfried's fortified castle on the Bock was considerably enlarged and protected with additional walls and defences. In 987, the castle chapel was built at the nearby Fish Market. Today's St Michael's Church stands on the same site. Under Conrad I, the castle became the residence of the Counts of Luxembourg. It was damaged, destroyed, captured and rebuilt on several occasions as the Burgundians (1473), the Habsburgs (1477), and the Spaniards (1555) attacked and took the fortress.
As time passed, the fortifications needed to be adapted to new methods of war based on increasingly strong firepower. During the 1640s under the Spaniards, the Swiss engineer Isaac von Treybach significantly reworked the defences. The Bock was also strengthened with three forts, the Large Bock, Middle Bock and Small Bock (from west to east), separated from each other by cuts in the rock and linked by bridges. As a result, little remained of the medieval castle.
A little later in 1684, on behalf of Louis XIV, Vauban succeeded in capturing the city of Luxembourg during a month-long siege under which the Bock fortifications were completely flattened. Thereafter Vauban, perhaps the most competent fortification engineer of his day, undertook major additions to the defences, realizing that underground passages and chambers were just as important as the surface installations. The Large Bock, connected to the old town by the Pont du Château, was further reinforced. Enclosed by a wall 12 m (39 ft) high, it was the major component of the new fortress.
In addition to these structures, the Bock also included a system of casemates which originated in the cellars of the medieval castle. In 1744, during the Austrian period, these underground passages were considerably enlarged by General Neipperg. The main passage, which still remains, is 110 m long and up to 7 m wide. Branches leading off on either side were equipped with no less than 25 cannon slots, 12 to the north and 13 to the south, offering considerable firepower. In the event of war, the Bock casemates, covering an area of 1,100 m2, could be used as barracks for several hundred soldiers. Water was supplied from a well 47 m deep.
Thanks to its defences, in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars, the city held out against a French siege for seven months. When the garrison finally surrendered, the walls were still unbreached. This led the French politician and engineer Lazare Carnot to call the Luxembourg fortress "the best in the world, apart from Gibraltar". As a result, it has often been called the Gibraltar of the North.
The fortifications were finally demolished under the terms of the Treaty of London in 1867. The demolition took 16 years and cost the enormous sum of 1.5 million gold francs.
The Pont du château
The two-storey bridge connecting the Bock to the old town was an important component of the fortifications. Technically, it is a rather curious structure. Built in 1735 by the Austrians, it provides no less than four ways of crossing between the cliffs: the road over the top, a passage by way of the four upper arches, a spiral staircase up through the main arch and a tunnel under the road at the bottom.
Famous visitors
Over the years, the Bock casemates have received several famous visitors. These include:
Emperor Joseph II of Austria (1781);
Napoleon Bonaparte (1804);
Prince Henry of the Netherlands (1868);
Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg (1936);
Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (2000).
The legend of Melusina
There have reportedly been people that have seen Melusine in the waters nearby.

Bock

La Fontaine Castle is the name of a former castle in Clausen, Luxembourg. The elaborate building was the residence of Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort, governor of Luxembourg, who began its construction in 1563 and continued to extend it until his death in 1604. For this reason, it is also known as the Palais Mansfeld or Mansfeld Palace. Almost nothing remains of it to this day.
History
Mansfeld was appointed governor of Luxembourg in 1545 when he was only 28 years old. His successful military career combined with his interest in antiquity help to explain what drove him to embark on such an ambitious architectural project.
Construction started when Mansfeld and his second wife, Marie de Montmorency, bought the hermitage and the Margaret's chapel belonging to it, as well as twenty houses and additional land from Neumünster Abbey. To build the castle, the road from Neudorf to Clausen was interrupted and a new path built around the land. Mansfeld also rented and closed off the old park of the Counts of Luxembourg, and exchanged plots of land belonging to Neumünster Abbey for those he had purchased. In 1590 he started to surround the whole area with a wall.
The site itself offered not only magnificent views of the city from the front and of rocks and forests from the back but above all water from the River Alzette was available for the gardens, baths and fountains. Indeed, with a façade some 200 metres long, the castle was set back against the surrounding rocks in order to provide a maximum amount of space for the gardens. The gardens were decorated with antique statues, many of which were Roman works of art found in nearby Arlon. The estate, which also included a hunting park, had a 5 km perimeter enclosed by solid walls. Although the name of the architect is unknown, he appears to have been from the Netherlands, perhaps an associate of Hans Vredeman de Vries whose influence can clearly be seen. Some sources maintain that the castle was inspired by Château Fontaine in Forest near Brussels.
In the gardens, a Venus fountain was built. This was a rectangular pool with semi-circular apses, with a Venus statue in the middle, riding on a whale. This was surrounded by animal statues, spraying water. Later, a pergola was built around the pool. This fountain, or its remains, are being excavated since 2003.
Fall into ruin
On his death in 1604, Mansfeld bequeathed the furnishings of the castle to Philip III of Spain, who transported all the works of art and antiquities to Madrid. The Infanta Isabella did not accept the legacy of the palace, which was laden with debt. As a result, it began to decay, and was destroyed during the siege of 1684 by the French.
Little remains of the castle. From descriptions by Jean Guillaume Wiltheim, we know it was decorated inside. The castle appears on various old city maps. Knowledge of the castle's size and appearance mostly comes from period paintings by Georg Braun (with Franz Hogenberg) and by Joachim Laukens. They show the style was late Gothic with Renaissance influences.

La Fontaine Castle

The Château de Septfontaines is located in the Rollingergrund district of Luxembourg City. Now a listed building, it has been associated over the years with Luxembourg's Villeroy & Boch porcelain factory, which closed in 2010.
History
The castle was built in 1783–1784 by Jean-François and Pierre-Joseph Boch, who had opened their nearby porcelain factory in 1767, when Luxembourg was part of the Austrian Netherlands. The brothers had chosen Rollingergrund for their factory, as it offered all that was needed: clay, water and wood for the ovens. It was designed so that both their families could live there, which explains why the first floor is divided into two separate sections for the bedrooms, while the rooms on the ground floor, including the dining room and lounge, could be used by both families.
The castle was once occupied by French troops and was sold in 1914. After Luitwin von Boch had acquired it once again in 1970 in the name of Villeroy & Boch, he charged his cousin Antoine de Schorlemer to undertake comprehensive renovation work which lasted a full 12 years.
The castle today
The rooms now testify to the success of the Boch brothers. Porcelain of all shapes and sizes decorates the walls and the windows. In the dining room hangs a portrait of the Austrian empress Maria Theresa (1717–1780), who had allowed them to build their factory in Rollingergrund and who had freed them from taxation for the first ten years. Now available for business conferences and receptions, the building is still used by the management, partners and clients of Villeroy & Boch when they are in Luxembourg.

Château de Septfontaines

Dommeldange Castle is located in Dommeldange, the most northerly quarter of Luxembourg City in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Initially a private residence built for the owner of the local iron works, it is now the Embassy of the People's Republic of China.
History
The castle appears to have been built in the 17th century by Thomas Marchant, a forge operator, as a private residence. In 1870, Charles Collart, also a forge operator, lived there. In 1973, the castle was bought by the State of Luxembourg. It now houses the residence and headquarters of the Chinese Embassy.

Dommeldange Castle

Hesperange Castle is a ruin located high above the town of Hesperange in southern Luxembourg.
History
The castle probably dates from the early 13th century when the Counts of Luxembourg gave Hesperange to the Lords of Rodenmacher who sided with the French when the Burgundians conquered Luxembourg in 1443. Maximilian of Austria dismantled the castle in 1480 and 1482 after battles with Gerard of Rodenmacher. In 1492, he transferred it to the Lords of Baden who had to pawn it in 1692 and could only reclaim it in 1740. After the French captured the castle in 1796, the French government nationalized it and sold it by auction in 1798. Later parts of the ruins were sold individually and by 1820 seven houses stood on the castle grounds. Now a national monument, the ruins are still privately owned.

The ruins of Hesperange Castle were declared National Heritage in 1984. At present the ruins are still situated on private grounds. The ruins themselves can not be visited but you can walk through the dead end street that gives access to the houses situated in and against the ruins.
A nice ruin, too bad you can't get closer. But what a great site to have as your house!
https://www.castles.nl/

Hesperange Castle

Walferdange Castle, located in the small town of Walferdange in central Luxembourg, dates from 1824 when William I of the Netherlands who was also Grand Duke of Luxembourg built it as a stud farm. It was a part of the University of Luxembourg and since 2015 has been used by Ministry of National Education, Childhood and Youth (Luxembourg).
History
William I built the castle as a stud farm for breeding horses between 1824 and 1828. His son, William II, converted it into a royal residence where he stayed when visiting Luxembourg. It was however his son Prince Henry and his wife Amalia who extended the castle and its gardens while they lived there from 1853. Prince Henry, who was governor of Luxembourg, was well liked, especially in Walferdange where he distributed gifts to the children each Christmas. After his death in 1879, the castle lay empty until Grand Duke Adolphe adopted it as his summer residence until his death in 1905, completely refurbishing the castle and its park. During the 20th century, the castle was used successively as a hospital, a teacher training college, an army barracks for the American and then the Luxembourg army and a pedagogical institute before the University of Luxembourg opened its Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education there in 2003.
Castle as campus of the University
In 2003, the castle was transformed to serve as one of the campuses of the University of Luxembourg that housed the Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education.
The castle today
Since 2015, the castle has been used by the Ministry of National Education, Childhood and Youth to house some of its departments.

Walferdange Castle

Le "nouveau château" a été construit vers 1785 par le baron Jacques-Philippe-Joseph d'Huart, pour être occupé ensuite par son fils Jean-François-Joseph, bourgmestre de la commune de Bertrange de 1805 à 1808, de 1817 à 1824 et de 1831 à 1837.
Après le décès de celui-ci en 1837, le domaine a été vendu à son beau-frère Victor-Thérèse-George de Chelaincourt, époux de Auguste-Elisabeth-Sophie d'Huart. Les nouveaux propriétaires ont adopté Alexandre de Colnet. Les privilèges qui ont été accordés à l'enfant adoptif ont valu à Alexandre de Colnet le deuxième nom de "d'Huart". Alexandre de Colnet d'Huart a fait parti du Gouvernement du Baron de Tornaco en 1869.
Après son retrait du poste de Directeur général des finances, il a été bourgmestre à Bertrange de 1885 à 1896. Le mariage de son fils héritier étant resté sans enfants, une première partie du château a été cédée en 1944 à la Croix-Rouge par acte de donation du sieur Jean-François de Colnet. La deuxième partie a été vendue à la Croix-Rouge Luxembourgeoise en 1948. A grands frais, la Croix-Rouge a fait rénover et adapter le château, devenu la Fondation de Colnet d'Huart, pour y abriter un home pour enfants à partir de 1948.
http://www.bertrange.lu/

Colnet d'Huart Castle

Schauwenburg Castle in Bertrange in south-western Luxembourg has a history dating back to the Middle Ages when, according to historical references from the early 13th century, the Lords of Bertrange occupied a fortified castle. Today's building originated in the 16th century as testified by the Renaissance windows on the eastern and northern wings, the façade being completed in 1710. Around 1780, the d'Huart family who lived in the castle found the facilities too small and constructed a larger building, the Château de Colnet d'Huart, in the vicinity. Over the year, the Schauwenburg Castle has had many different owners and has been used for a variety of purposes. Since 2008, it has temporarily housed the Commune's administrative offices and served as the town hall.

Schauwenburg Castle

Heisdorf Castle located in the village of Heisdorf in central Luxembourg was built by Baron Lippmann in the late 19th century. Surrounded by a large park, it was designed by the Belgian architect Charles Thirion. In 1916, the Sisters of the Christian Doctrine acquired the property as a convalescent home for their community. In 1982, it was opened as an old people's home under the name of Maison de retraite Marie-Consolatrice. In 2007, a new wing was added to the building by the architecture firm Hermann, Valentiny and Partners providing improved facilities for its senior citizens.
History
In 940, Heisdorf was first mentioned in a document, when King Otto I confirmed the Trier St. Maximin's Abbey's property in Hehchichesdorf. It was probably around that time, the 10th or 11th century, that a castle was built here, with a fortified tower, whose ruins existed until 2006.
In 1314, Heinrich von Stein, or de Lapide, was first mentioned in records as Lord of Heisdorf and owner of the castle.
In 1639, Baron Jean de Beck bought the castle from the descendants of the medieval owners, in order to build a new castle, which was completed by 1645. Jean de Beck, who had acquired a large fortune as well as a noble title while in the service of the Austrian army, also built a castle in Beaufort.
The castle was square, with a fortified wall around it and a tower at each corner. On the side of the Alzette, there was still the large medieval tower.
Beck's building was built along the main road, where the main entrance was also, and consisted of three wings.
The castle was destroyed in 1681 by invading French troops, but was rebuilt in 1685.
In 1711, the descendants of Jean de Beck sold the castle to Guillaume-François and Philippe de Marchant, who owned the forge in Dommeldange.
By 1766, when a cadaster was established under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the castle had fallen into disrepair and was only inhabited by a caretaker.
In 1778, the castle came under the ownership of two Alsatian families one after another, first the Mohr de Waldt and then the de Reinach family.
In 1878, their descendants sold the property to the banker, Léon Lippmann, and his wife Lina Nathan. After Léon Lippmann's death in 1883, his widow had Jean de Beck's building torn down, in order to build a new construction.
Appearance
The castle consists of two wings at a right angle to one another. The main entrance is in the middle of the building, in the square tower which connects the two wings. The end of the wing on the Alzette side consists of a round tower with a roof in form of a cupola, with a spire above it. This tower contains the knights' hall. From the outside, a monumental stairway leads to the first floor of the tower. Above the main entrance, one can see the years 1645 and 1888. The present castle was built in 1888, on the location where Jean de Beck had built a previous castle in 1645. The castle includes a chapel, which was built by the Sisters in 1924, on the side of the main street, where the two wings are connected.
Chapel
The chapel was built in 1924 and renovated in 2005–2006. The following are of cultural significance:
A wooden sculpture of Jesus on the cross. This was presumably made in a workshop in Lorraine. In 1983 the Sisters brought it from Nancy to Heisdorf
Stations of the Cross made of enamel, by the Schwarzmann firm in Trier
Leaded windows by Gust Zanter.
Attached buildings
Two other buildings are linked to the Castle: one is the Regina-Pacis House, which is connected to the Castle via a bridge. The house was opened in 1992, and was designed by the architect Michel Mousel.
The castle also has a modern wing, on the Walferdange side; this was completed in 2007, to a design by the architectural firm Hermann & Valentiny.
Along the Mullendorf road is a service building from the early 19th century, which incorporates three portal entrances from the castle of Jean de Beck. One portal has the coat of arms of Jean de Beck and of his wife Catherine de Capelle, as well as the date 1645 (the year in which Jean de Beck's castle was completed).
Park
The castle grounds include a large park, along the main road, from which it is separated by a high wall. The park was renovated after 1910, which left the old trees standing. Two of these, a black pine and an oak tree, are counted among the "notable trees" of Luxembourg.
In the park grounds, there are three separate buildings, which are used for social purposes:
the Haus Marie-Consolatrice (opened in 1982), on the Mullendorf side: an old people's home
the Haus Nico-Kremer, alsos called the Foyer du Tricentenaire (1996), a home for the handicapped
the Chalet Ginkgo (the former laundry building); used since 1980 by youth groups.

Heisdorf Castle

Mamer Castle is the town hall for the commune of Mamer, in south-western Luxembourg. It is the home of the communal council, the site of local government offices, and the centre of administration for communal services.
It is located on Place de l'Indépendance near the centre of the town. It is made up of four buildings, set in recently landscaped surroundings. At the main entrance, there is a sculpture of Nicolas Frantz, two-time Tour de France winner, and Josy Barthel, Luxembourg's only Olympic gold medallist, both of whom were born in Mamer.
History
A castle was originally built in Mamer in the 10th century. By the French Revolutionary Wars, it had fallen into ruin, and was seized and sold off by the occupying French forces in 1798 to Thierry de Bastogne. Police chief Frederic François built a new castle on the site in 1830, surrounded by a 2-metre high wall. It passed hands to Jacques Fischer and Julie Kremer in 1934, surrounded by 1.72 hectares of farmland.
In 1995, the property was purchased by the communal administration, which, in 1997, voted unanimously on 4 June 1997 to restore it. This was done between September 1999 and February 2002. The communal administration has been located at Mamer Castle since 1 March 2002. Mamer Castle was the location of the draw for the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, which was held in Luxembourg.