Minett The Land of the Red Rocks

The Land of the Red Rocks, also known as the "Minett", is located in the south of Luxembourg. The region owes its name to the bright red iron ore that gives the earth its colour and made the success of the steel industry in the country possible. In the meantime, a positive structural change has taken place in the Minett. From the open-air museum to the university campus and the modern shopping centre: here you can find both the past, marked by coal and steel, and the new technologies of the present. But you can also see everywhere how nature is reclaiming the former mining area. The Minett has a very high biodiversity and is full of rare plants.

Since October 2020, the Minett officially bears the UNESCO "Man and Biosphere" label. The region is now part of a prestigious international network of more than 700 biosphere reserves in 124 countries, whose quality is officially recognised by the UNESCO Man and Biosphere label.

Steelworks and Fond-de-Gras

The Fond-de-Gras industrial and railway park recalls the iron and steel industry as an important period in Luxembourg's history. Whether it is the Train 1900 steam train, the old power station, the grocery shop where the workers bought daily items or the mining railway: the past comes alive here.

University, culture and shopping

Modern, young and dynamic - this is the best way to describe Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange and Dudelange, the cities of southern Luxembourg. Shops, street theatre, music festivals and concert halls ensure a varied offer. In Esch-sur-Alzette, more precisely in Belval, you will also find the campus of the University of Luxembourg, where the two blast furnaces, surrounded by modern architecture, will continue to bear witness to the great era of steel processing. The Rockhal concert venue in Belval is a meeting place for international stars of the music scene.

The Land of the Red Rocks – fun for families

In addition to the many sights of the former coal and steel region, the south of Luxembourg offers a wide range of leisure activities for children. In the Parc Merveilleux in Bettembourg, you can take over the playgrounds and admire crocodiles, snakes, parrots and monkeys. Visitors can also discover the underground passages and tunnels of the former mines of Rumelange in creaky railway carriages.

Mountainbike Trails

The RedRock Mountain Bike Trails guide bikers on the traces of Luxembourg’s industrial and historical past through former open cast iron ore mines, which today have become protected nature reserves. The trails, each between 25 and 35 km, can be combined with one another according to sporting ambition, either on one day or over several days. The trail network is growing steadily and was extended by another trail "Belvaux-Differdange" in the beginning of the year. On a total of 165 km bikers will get their money's worth.

Different levels of difficulty are offered, ranging from S1 to S2+, following the German Single Trail Scale. However the trails are suited best for bikers who master the basic techniques and who have already gained first experience on the mountain bike.