A month ago, the Bock Casemates in the city centre were reopened, after having been closed to the public for the past three years. Those who moved here during the pandemic, haven’t even had a chance to see the Casemates yet. Now, the time has come. For today’s Local Matters, we’ve visited the Bock Casemates.

The Casemates date were built, dug into the rocks in the 18th century, when Luxembourg was under Austrian domination. The Austrians built this fortress underneath the Bock rock, a sand stone rock on top of the valley. The castle underneath however dates back way longer. It was built in the year 963 when Siegfried I founded the city of Luxembourg. Down in the crypt, you still see remains of the old walls of the thousand-year-old castle. In the thousand years that followed the place was used for defence and strategic purposes. During the second world war, the population used the Casemates as bomb shelters. Up to 30.000 people found shelter between the stone walls, guarded by the bock rock.

When the Casemates were built, they were twenty times larger. The underground galleries used to cover the entire historical city centre. But parts have been destroyed, others are closed for the public now.

The stone galleries have various openings, large wholes in the walls that offer views in the valleys around the casemates – the Grund with its former abbey Neimünster and the Cite judiciaire on top, the green valley of Clausen.

Luxembourg-city in the Middle Ages was surrounded by fortifications. On the other side of the valley of Pfaffenthal, you still see one of the old forts, Fort Thüngen in Kirchberg today as well is open for visitors and hosts the fortification museum. A visit for another day.

Tickets for the Casemates can be bought at the entrance or on the website of the Luxembourg Tourist Office. The number of people inside has been restricted after the renovation works for safety purposes. As the Casemates are quickly sold out, I’d suggest to plan the visit beforehand and book a slot online.