On Saturday 5 April 2014, the Pétrusse Casemates are reopening for the 2014 tourist season.
2014 also signifies the 20th anniversary of the tourist attraction being listed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
The Pétrusse Casemates will remain open throughout the Easter school holidays, until 21 April 2014, before the open for the summer season on 7 June 2014.
The underground labyrinths of the Casemates are one of the most visited attractions of Luxembourg. Hewn in the rock, the Casemates are unique and reflect the glorious past of the legendary fortress city which formed part of the defense system of the former "Gibraltar of the North". For four centuries, Luxembourg was under foreign domination, and the best Burgundian, Spanish, French, Austrian and Prussian engineers transformed the ancient fortress city into one of the strongest places in the world. At the time, the defense of the citadel was provided by three fortified belts, 24 forts and by the extraordinary network of underground bunkers which extended over 23 km in total.
The Pétrusse Casemates date from 1644, when the Spaniards modernised the medieval fortifications and built great bulwarks as the Beck bastion, whose platform is occupied by the present Place de la Constitution. Then, in the early 18th century, the Austrians enhanced the defensive system in the Pétrusse Valley.
Less known than their cousins, the Casemates du Bock, those in Pétrusse are as spectacular as they are still home to the famous "Austrian staircase" which has 132 steps down to the Pétrusse Valley. Guided visits are by trilingual guide (EN, DE, FR) by the staff of the Luxembourg City Tourist Office.
Opening hours (5-21 April & 7 June - 14 September: daily from 11:00 to 16:00.
Guided tours start each hour on the hour; reservations on the Place de la Constitution
Admission: adults €3, a group of adults (min. 10 pers.) €2.80 per person, children €2.50.
Photo of Pétrusse Casemates by Christoph Weber
