The Grund is also known as the fairytale district of Luxembourg and believe me that this is not exaggerated. It's a district in the heart of the city located in the valley of the river Alzette that will remind you of a charming village. It's one of the oldest districts in Luxembourg ville dating back to the 14th century. When you walk through the cobblestone streets and you're surrounded by medieval buildings you will go back in time and absorb the atmosphere around you. It's one of my favorite places in Luxembourg, and I make sure to go there every time we visit the city.
We walked a lot that day, so we decided to make it easier for us and took the elevator from the Pescatore park to the Alzette valley instead of walking down the hill. It was my first time taking this elevator and I was a bit nervous as I'm not comfortable in a closed space, but this elevator has glass walls, so it wasn't that bad.
It takes 71 meters to get to the valley and you can enjoy panoramic views on the way. It goes 2 meter every second which I thought would be very fast, but it was much slower than I expected. It's a nice experience and you should try it when you're there.
This is the elevator from Pfaffenthal and I still find it scary looking at it...
There are two elevators in the city - this one and the other one is in the Grund. We decided to walk from Pfaffenthal to the Grund as the trail will lead us along the city fortification through the Bock Promontory and finally to the Grund. On the way, we will walk through the district of craftsmen and professions with spectacular views of the Parc des Trois Glands and the Parc Dräi Eechelen.
It sounds like we have a plan, so let's go!
There is this charming house right in front of the elevator. Look at the plants behind the windows, I'm sure I would be friends with the owners instantly 😊 I was tempted to peek inside, but I got myself under the control and walked away...
But not before I took a photo of their autumn/Halloween decoration...
We walked through the park and noticed the strong contrast between the UNESCO World Heritage Site right below us with the new district called Kirchberg in the back...
Pfaffenthal is not so big, so in about 15 minutes we were approaching the casemates. From here we can see The Hollow Tooth (on the right) also known as Den Huelen Zant. It's a tower that has been partly dismantled and its remains remind us of the hollow tooth, hence its name. Next to it is the old bridge or Passerelle.
Luxembourg is such a green city! It's a pity, I'm not a runner as I'm sure it's a paradise for them...
On the left side of the trail was the valley and on the right side we walked along the cliffs. I don't know any other city that would have so many different layers...
Until now I only saw The Spanish Turret from the upper level of the city, so it was interesting to walk below it. There were many of them scattered along the fortification in the 17th century, but there are only a few of them that we can still see today.
The watch towers were part of the fortification, and therefore their purpose had to do something with the military (their exact purpose is not known), but they are so idyllic and I see their purpose rather in the romantic sense - maybe a meeting point for lovers to get inspired by the views and talk about the literature? Well, that's how I imagine dates in the medieval times 😊
My favorite part of our tour was when we approached The Castle bridge or Le Pont du Château. It's built out of red sandstones and the sunlight made it shine. It's a spectacular piece of architecture.
The bridge was built in the 18th century to connect the upper city with the Bock Promontory. It was built to replace the old wooden bridge which could be burned down in case of a threat. The region was in time of peace, and therefore it made sense to build something to last long. The bridge was renovated 30 years ago. Bridge
When you walk under the bridge you will have the Grund right in front of you...
I'm sure that it doesn't surprise you that the castle bridge is built on a cliff, right? We literally walked from one cliff to another and it seems that the entire city is somehow built on a cliff. You can see the castle bridge on the right...
From the tower ruins of the fortress we will down to the river to get to the Grund...
High above us was The Monument of the Millennium which was built to celebrate the first millennial anniversary of Luxembourg. It's an archaeological site and a view point.
We are approaching The Stierchen bridge with the views of the old bridge...
From the bridge we have the most beautiful views of the oldest parts of the city...
Once we crossed the bridge we could continue on the archaeological trail, but it would lead us up the cliffs again. Instead we stayed in the Grund...
The main monument of the Grund is the St. John Church which dates back to the 17th century. Those loungers have the perfect position to admire the Bock Promontory. Can you see the castle bridge peeking through the cliffs?
I was waiting for some wind as I imagined a photo with waving flags, but well, this must be enough too...
The Grund bridge is one of the most photogenic spots in Luxembourg...
It's always either up or down in Luxembourg...
This set up with the car made me somehow think of the south of France 😊
Before we knew it we were back in the elevator! Only this time it was more scary as it starts underground and there were way too many people for my liking. It took ages even though my husband claims that it was less than a minute.
The elevator is in front of The Justice Palace. The construction was finished only 15 years ago, and I like that the architects respected their surroundings and didn't design a concrete/glass building.
Temporarily, there are these large colorful vases placed in one of the walls that reflect the views of the valley which looks really nice.
The justice palace is part of many city trails also because of the views of the Grund from the sightseeing platform in front of it.
The Grund below us, Bock Promontory on the left, Kirchberg in the back.. so many things to see!
On our way back through the old town we stopped at The Grand Ducal Palace. It's the official residence of the grand ducal family. I was looking through the window hoping to see the grand duke with no success.
The palace was built in 1418 and it served as the town hall at that time. It serves as the residence since the 19th century. Palace
During summer months the palace is open to public when you can join one of the guided tours which includes the visit of some of the private chambers of the family. We missed the last tour by a couple of days and I still hope that one day we will come on time.
I was surprised to see only two guards in front of the palace, but truth to be told, it is not uncommon to meet the Grand Duke Henri in public places, such as the church on Sundays.
I have no idea in which part of the castle are the private chambers of the family, but my guess was that it's right there because of the curtains that were different in other parts of the palace.
The coat of arms of Luxembourg was inspired by the arms of the Duchy of Limburg. It has all the colors of the Luxembourgish flag. I guess this is the main gate to the palace.
This frowning face on the other side of the street caught my attention...
And as usually, there must be something hanging above our heads in the streets of the upper town. I remember umbrellas, butterflies and now plants leaves! My favorite tropical plant is a monstera and I was happy to see that it was included in the set up too...
It was our last day in Luxembourg and we had a long drive ahead of us, so we needed some sugar to motivate us. We found this charming place with fancy virgin cocktail and pretty decorations. We regretted to have eaten before as the menu looked good, but now we have one more reason to return 😊
I hope you have enjoyed another day with us...
Thank you for reading!
Cheers!
Martina