Larochette Castle, five noble houses inside one wall

Some castles make sense from below and some only from inside. Larochette’s works both ways. From the village you see a ruin clinging to the rock, dressed-stone walls above the trees, and once you’re up there you realise it wasn’t a single castle at all but a small neighbourhood of noble houses enclosed by one wall.

From an 8th-century refuge to five houses

The Centre des Monuments, which manages the castle, traces the first signs of occupation to the 8th century, when a refuge was set up on the rock. The first stone castle dates from the 12th century, ringed by a wall you could only reach through a large outer bailey, itself guarded by an earth rampart from the first half of the 11th century. In 1176 an «Arnoldus de Rupe» appears as witness to a charter, and in 1241 the name «la Rochete» is recorded for the first time.

The lords of Larochette came from an old noble family from Ouren, south of Saint-Vith in Belgium, and ranked among the most loyal vassals of the counts of Luxembourg. In the 14th century Arnould IV of Fels served as seneschal to John the Blind, who in 1343 granted him a privilege capping the number of looms Larochette’s drapers could run, a sign of how much cloth mattered here even then. According to the Syndicat d’Initiative, Emperor Wenceslas gave the lords of Fels the right to mint coins in 1402.

After 1348 the castle was split among heirs, and over the following century at least five lordly houses went up inside the walls. Two are still known by name, the Homburg house, from around 1350, and the Créhange house, from around 1385. Repeated divisions ended its military role, and a fire around 1565 left it the ruin you see today.

Who owns it, and what has been restored?

In 1905 Grand Duke Adolphe sold the site to the Count of Fels. The state signed a long lease with his family in 1979 and bought the castle outright in June 2020 to restore it, make it safe and open it up to visitors. The Créhange house, the only one properly restored, was rebuilt between 1983 and 1987, and the Homburg house was consolidated in 1987 and 1988, according to the Syndicat d’Initiative. Inside Créhange is a well 2 m across, cut deep into the rock.

The legend attached to it is a good one. When a treacherous provost let enemies into the castle, the lady of the house leapt into the well with her baby; the invader, struck by her courage, threw the traitor in after her. His ghost became a dragon that still guards his blood money, and at midnight on Good Friday it is said to rise and lead a devilish dance in the empty courtyard.

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Opening times and tickets

The official sources don’t agree, so it’s worth being clear. The Centre des Monuments says it opens every day between 15 March and 15 November, 10:00 until 18:00, with ticket sales stopping an hour before closing. visitluxembourg, however, showed the castle closed on Wednesday in the week of 29 September 2026, and its guided tour page shortens the day to 17:00 from 26 October. I wouldn’t turn up on a Wednesday without phoning first.

Adults pay €7, students aged 18 to 26 and over-65s €5, and 6 to 17-year-olds €4. Entry is free with the LuxembourgPass and the Kulturpass. Groups of 12 or more pay €6 each, and the regional tourist office supplies guides from €80 an hour. Temporary art exhibitions and the odd concert take place inside. Dogs are welcome on a lead, and wheelchair access is partial.

Getting there and combining it

You walk up from the village by the Montée du Château. The Larochette, Spuerkeess bus stop is about 300 m away, there’s parking at the gate, and buses are free across Luxembourg, which helps if you’ve come from Findel without a car. Trail L2 leads on to private Meysembourg Castle. Before or after, climb to the Verluerekascht, the castle’s old lookout tower, to see the ruins face on; I cover it in my guide to Larochette. One branch of the lords of Fels took its name from nearby Heffingen, and Route 3 of the Trail leads on to the Beaufort castles. My overall ranking is in castles in Luxembourg.

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

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

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