Fischbach, home of a Grand Ducal castle and an old ironworks

Fischbach sits between Mersch and Larochette, straddling the Alzette and White Ernz valleys on the western edge of the Mullerthal. It has two stories that don’t obviously belong together, a castle owned by the Grand Ducal family and a 19th-century past that, according to the regional tourist office, made it one of the country’s industrial centres through mining and ironmaking.

Seven localities, few residents

Just 1,344 people lived here at the start of 2026, by STATEC’s count, one of the five lowest totals of any commune, in the same group as Bech. The national register lists seven localities, Angelsberg, Fischbach, Koedange, Schiltzberg, Schoos, Stuppicht and Weyer. It’s in the canton of Mersch for administration and in the Mullerthal for tourism.

Whose castle is it?

The Grand Ducal family’s, since 1891, and not the state’s, a point the Court itself makes by comparing it with the palace in the capital and Berg Castle. Its roots are early medieval, with a castle lord recorded in the mid-11th century, and the original core stands on a rocky spur above the Wisebaach valley. In 1686 the de Cassal family bought it and remodelled it in a Rococo style influenced by Echternach Abbey, adding terraced gardens. It later passed through the Collart family and the Luxembourg Ironworks, Forges and Factories Company.

Under the Grand Ducal family it started as a summer residence. During the First World War, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde lent it to house poor schoolchildren from the mining district, and between 1923 and 1931 it became a permanent home. In the Second World War it was requisitioned by the Dr. Joseph Goebbels Foundation for Artists. From 1945 it was Grand Duchess Charlotte’s main residence, and later Prince Henri, Grand Duke Jean and, from 2019, the then heir Guillaume and Stéphanie lived there. There’s more on the monarchy in my guide to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

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Al Schmelz and the Napoleonshutt

The part of Fischbach you can actually explore is in the woods. At Al Schmelz iron was made in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the ponds that supplied the furnace with water and power are still there. It’s now a wildlife habitat and a Mëllerdall geopark site, open to the public, with a digital reconstruction of how the iron was made. The 11.1 km Auto-Pédestre circuit starts at the rue du Moulin car park, reaches Al Schmelz along a sunken lane, climbs steps to the Napoleonshutt, a rock that looks like Napoleon’s hat, and drops to Koedange before returning with views over the village. ExtraTour E of the Mullerthal Trail also crosses the commune.

Nearby

The lords of Fischbach once owned Meysembourg Castle, next door, and Larochette lies to the north-east. There was a single hotel in 2025, says STATEC, and buses are free across Luxembourg, so a day trip from the capital or from Findel works without a car.

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