Memorial sites

Armies, military activities and war have all left their mark on Luxembourg. The extensive legacy and relics of these troubled times will still be visible in the cities and countryside for many years to come.

A walk through the capital already reveals numerous impressive examples: ramparts, the underground tunnels of the casemates and other fortifications planned and constructed by the famous French military architect and engineer Vauban are a reminder that the city was once a stronghold; so unassailable that it was known as the ‘Gibraltar of the North’.

The two world wars also left their traces in Luxembourg. Today, numerous memorials, monuments and museums remind visitors of how the country experienced these conflicts. You can also see the Second World War through the eyes of Luxembourg’s underground resistance movement – for example on the ‘Sentier des passeurs’ (Smuggler’s Trail), the ‘Bunker Hike’ circular walk in Schlindermanderscheid or at the National Resistance Museum in Esch-sur-Alzette.