BOCK'S PILLBOXES

The Bock and Pétrusse casemates are the longest casemates in the world. They are Luxembourg's most visited tourist site (over 100,000 visitors a year) and have been on the Unesco World Heritage list since 1994. Both have been renovated in recent years. The former can be visited freely or with a guide, while the latter can only be visited with a guide.

Casemates du Bock. Access Rocher du Bock - Montée de Clausen.

Built from 1745 onwards and dug into the rocks of the Bock fortress, these underground galleries served as refuges, barracks and communication corridors for soldiers and townspeople in the event of an attack. They once covered an area of no less than 1,100 m². The main casemate, 110 meters long and 7 meters wide, offers a vivid insight into military life at the time. Through the loopholes, soldiers could watch over the surrounding area and defend the town against attack. Today, the site offers a glimpse of the ingenuity and military might of the time, as well as superb panoramic views over the valley. The Casemate du Bock is home to the legend of Mélusine, a mysterious woman married to Count Sigefroi, the founder of Luxembourg. Betrayed by her husband, who had broken his promise never to see her on a certain day of the week, Mélusine threw herself into the waters of the Alzette, disappearing forever. A visit to the site reveals the famous 47-metre-deep well in which she is said to have disappeared...

Casemates de la Pétrusse. Place de la Constitution.

Successive occupants transformed the city into one of the world's greatest fortresses, equipping it with three fortified belts (with twenty-four forts and sixteen other powerful works) and an extraordinary underground network of 23 km of casemates. The first casemates on the Petrusse were built in 1644, under Spanish rule, who modernized the medieval works. Then, in 1745-1746, the Austrians improved the defensive system with the Bock casemates. These had a surface area of 1,500 m² and could house a garrison of 1,500 soldiers, as well as some 50 cannons. All this quickly earned it the nickname of the "Gibraltar of the North". After the fortress was dismantled in 1867, the casemates were partly destroyed and reduced to 17 km.