Grand Ducal Palace

The Grand Ducal Palace began in the 1570s as the city hall, its facade worked in a Flemish Renaissance manner with pinnacles and decorated stonework, and it became the sovereign's residence in the nineteenth century. It is still used for that purpose and for state functions, so it opens to visitors only for a few weeks in summer, on guided tours through the state rooms. A guard stands at the door year round. It lies within the inscribed old quarters.

History

The building was Luxembourg's city hall from 1572 to 1795, the seat of the prefecture of the French Département des Forêts from 1795, and from 1817 the residence of the governor who represented the Dutch grand dukes, used as such by Prince Henry; its interior was renovated in 1883 for a visit by King William III and Queen Emma. When the House of Nassau-Weilburg came to the throne in 1890 the palace was reserved for the grand duke and his family, and under Grand Duke Adolphe it was fully renovated and given a new wing by the Belgian architect Gédéon Bordiau and the state architect Charles Arendt. During the Second World War it served as a concert hall and tavern and much of its furniture, art and jewels was ruined; Grand Duchess Charlotte returned in 1945, had it redecorated in the 1960s, and it was thoroughly restored between 1991 and 1996 (Wikipedia, Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg).

What you'll find

• The Renaissance facade - the decorated sixteenth-century front on the street.
• The state rooms - the interiors shown on the summer guided visits.
• The guard - the sentry on the door through the year.
• The old town setting - the palace in the middle of the inscribed quarter.

When to go

Guided visits run only from mid-July to early September and must be booked. The facade can be seen year round. Tickets sell out.

What to expect

Interior access is limited to a few weeks a year and tickets go quickly. Outside that window only the outside can be seen. Photography inside is not permitted.

Nearby

Notre-Dame Cathedral is south, and the Chemin de la Corniche is east.

Key facts