Clervaux Castle, three museums in a castle rebuilt after 1944

You can see Clervaux Castle from anywhere in town, white with slate-roofed towers, and almost everyone visits for one reason only, The Family of Man. I understand why, but I think it’s a mistake to go just for that. The castle has its own story, heavily marked by the war, and a model museum that, for anyone touring Luxembourg’s castles, works as a map of everything you’re about to see.

A castle that had to be raised again

According to visitluxembourg, the castle was built in stages from the 12th century perched on a rocky outcrop above the town. The oldest part, the west wing with the manor house, was probably the work of Count Gerhard of Sponheim, brother of the Count of Vianden. So Clervaux and Vianden share a family link from the outset.

The date that changed everything was 17 December 1944. In the thick of the Battle of the Bulge, the castle was reduced to ruins. The Luxembourg state later bought it and restored it completely, and since the 1970s it has housed institutions and museums. So much of what you see today is a reconstruction. I wouldn’t see that as a flaw, but as part of the story the building itself tells.

The Battle and Castles museum

One ticket gets you two museums. The Battle of the Bulge museum, opened in 1974, uses documents, uniforms and original weapons to explain the last German offensive, launched on 16 December 1944 against the thinly held American line along the Sûre and the Our. According to the Tourist Center Clervaux, the battle lasted nearly two months, there were many civilian casualties even though most people had been evacuated, and General Patton moved his Third Army from the Saar to win back the north of the country sector by sector.

The other is the model museum, in the west wing. It gathers 22 Luxembourg castles and fortresses at 1-to-100 scale, all handmade, with sound and visual information on how they were defended and how they traded. For me it’s the best possible introduction to castles in Luxembourg, because in half an hour you have in front of you the ones you’ll go on to see around the country.

It’s shut on Wednesdays unless there’s a public holiday; otherwise hours run from 10am to 5pm. Around Christmas it closes on 25 December and shuts at 4.30pm on 24 and 31 December. Tickets are €5, €3 reduced, and free for under-21s and with the LuxembourgPass.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Clervaux before prices climb.

If the war really interests you

The museum won’t be enough for anyone looking for something specific, and here the Tourist Center Clervaux offers a well-judged extra. Local historian Tom Scholtes runs private tours on request. One is a walk round occupied Clervaux lasting 60 to 90 minutes. Another, more personal, retraces a particular ancestor’s time in the region, with prior research in the records, so it has to be requested well in advance. For anyone with family history in the region, I think it’s a lovely idea. Requests go by email to the tourist office, with group size and dates.

The Family of Man, in the other wing

The third piece is the exhibition that made the castle famous. The Family of Man gathers 503 images by photographers from 68 countries, settled here in 1994 and was added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World in 2003. It runs to its own timetable, midday to 6pm from Wednesday to Sunday, in a season ending on 1 January 2027, and entry is €6. It deserves a separate, unhurried visit of its own, ideally in the afternoon.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Clervaux before prices climb.

Planning your visit

The trick is in the opening days, which don’t line up. On a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday you’ll find both museums open from midday. On a Monday or Tuesday only the battle museum is open, and on a Wednesday only The Family of Man. In summer the castle also hosts the Clervaux Castle Summer Festival, with young Luxembourg bands and free entry, according to the official portal.

To get there, line 10 trains stop at Clervaux, costing nothing in second class, and the castle is in the middle of town. With only one day for the north, I’d pair it with Clervaux Abbey in the morning; with two, with Vianden the next day.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Clervaux Castle and choose by the reviews.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Luxembourg on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

So you do not pay over the odds, look at trains, coaches and flights to Luxembourg on Omio and pick the one that suits you.