Casino Luxembourg - Forum d'art contemporain
© Eric Chenal

The Good Life Luxembourg City's Museumsmile

4 minutes

Art as a stroll

Destination(s): Luxembourg City

The compact capital truly makes museum visits a stroll. The so-called MuseumSmile is home to seven museums, a mile that forms a smile, and not just when plotted on the map. 

Even when just viewed from the street, the picture-perfect, stately town house casts its spell on you. And before you set foot in the Villa Vauban, with its collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs and other objects, the surrounding park captures your heart. Although the building has only been a museum since 2010, its history dates back as far as 1873, when it was built. Art lovers will find works from the 17th to the 21st century both in the lovingly renovated, historical part of the Villa and in the contemporary extension.

Villa Vauban Luxembourg
© Gauvin Lapetoule

Art outside the mainstream

Material, sound, light – the Casino Luxembourg - Forum d'art contemporain gallery exhibits vibrant contemporary art and nurtures young artists working well outside the mainstream. The forum celebrates the artistic creative process with all its risks and experiments, putting the spotlight on the creators themselves. Cool workshops, enthralling conferences and courses provide inspirational access to art. And occasionally dancing to a rock, pop and electro beat during the Night of the Museums.

Casino Luxembourg - Forum d'art contemporain
© Sven Becker

The Casino Luxembourg - Forum d'art contemporain, a place for social gatherings for city leaders in the 19th century, today celebrates the creative process with all its risks and experiments and puts the spotlight on the creators themselves.

The Lëtzebuerg City Museum brings more than 1,000 years of the city’s history to life. "The Luxembourg Story" exhibition is particulary well worth seeing. In addition to numerous exhibits – from photographs to statues, to old cash registers and gloves made of leather tanned in the Luxembourg-Grund quarter – digital and multimedia kiosks also tell the city’s exciting history. An especially interesting part of the museum this year is the Unesco Visitor Center. This is the place to immerse oneself in Unesco world heritage history, its significance and distinctive features. Kiosks, some of them interactive, display the historic Old City and fortifications. If you look out of the window you can compare the models and drawings directly with reality. 

The National Museum of History and Art – MNHA provides a "historical sweep" of archaeological finds on Luxembourg territory from the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age, via the Gallo-Roman era to the Middle Ages. A historical and visual highlight is the enormous mosaic from the Roman villa of Vichten, built around 240 A.D. And just how creative are the Grand Duchy’s craftsmen? Aficionados of beautiful things will for example discover art deco treasures from the Villeroy & Boch ceramics factory and furniture from indigenous craft workshops. A Benz Velo, belonging to the industrialist Paul Wurth, is the first vehicle licensed in Luxembourg back in 1895. And just how seductive a gaze Mrs. Condé Nast or silent film star Pola Negri were able to muster for the camera at the dawn of the 20th century has been captured by Edward Steichen – on display in the contemporary art galleries.

Nature at close quarters

Outsized plants, animals from the past or those one doesn’t see every day – the National Museum of Natural History, or "Naturmusée" in Luxembourgish, is a place of discovery and surprises. This begins in the reception area when you need to look twice to realise that the bearded Stone Age man "Loschi" on the sofa isn’t real, or when you marvel at the gigantic dandelion suspended from the ceiling. Fascinating, colourful worlds don’t just reveal themselves here to curious children; an excursion turns out to be informative fun for all the family. Whether evolutionary history or miracle of science, this is a place where all can learn together and solve mysteries – possibly accompanied by experts in one of the many on site courses or outdoor excursions.

Natur Musée Luxembourg Loschbour
© MNHNL

The bearded Stone Age man "Loschi"

The view of the upper and lower town from the large green expanse of the Dräi Eechelen park is worth a visit and some souvenir photos in its own right. This is where the historic, imposing Fort Thüngen, whose venerable walls and subterranean passageways accommodate the museum, can be discovered one casemate at a time. From the very first second, one is immersed in history, moving from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, past original documents and uniforms, coats of arms and weapons. Without a doubt, in these surroundings, the journey is the destination.

Beauty everywhere

The Mudam – Museum of Modern Art brings cosmopolitan flair to the capital and for architectural reasons alone has long since been an icon. Aesthetes will revel in browsing the museum boutique or lingering in the café created by French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. A weekend visit is particularly enjoyable when brunch extends to a family feast or meal with friends. Every Wednesday evening there are live concerts to dance to, performances to applaud or conferences to listen to. A permanent exhibit is the pseudo-Baroque garden fountain by Luxembourg artist Su-Mei Tse, from which black ink bubbles, flows and drips.

Fountain Mudam Luxembourg Kirchberg
© Renata Lusso
LuxembourgCard

LuxembourgCard


  • exclusive discounts of up to -30%
  • free access to more than 90 attractions
7 results
  • © Lynn Theisen
    Casino Luxembourg - Forum d'art contemporain
    Casino Luxembourg: Beyond the mainstream
    Find out more
  • © Renata Lusso
    free
    with theLuxembourgCard
    Lëtzebuerg City Museum
    Lëtzebuerg City Museum: Living history of the city
    Find out more
  • © Tom Lucas
    free
    with theLuxembourgCard
    National Museum of Archaeology, History and Art
    National Museum of Archaeology, History and Art
    Find out more
  • © Gauvin Lapetoule
    free
    with theLuxembourgCard
    Villa Vauban – Luxembourg City Art Museum
    Villa Vauban – Luxembourg City Art Museum
    Find out more
  • © Thomas Linkel
    Dräi Eechelen Museum: Fortress, History, Identity
    Dräi Eechelen Museum: Fortress, History, Identity
    Find out more
  • © Renata Lusso
    free
    with theLuxembourgCard
    National Museum of Natural History - Natur Musée
    “natur musée”: National Museum of Natural History
    Find out more
  • © Thomas Linkel
    free
    with theLuxembourgCard
    Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean
    Mudam — The Contemporary Art Museum of Luxembourg
    Find out more