The theme of Military architecture in Europe was integrated into the Council of Europe programme in May 1995 and the Wenzel and Vauban routes were awarded certification as a “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” on 16 June 2004.

The fortified castle which Count Siegfried, the founder of the House of Luxembourg, had built in the late 10th century on the Bock Pomontory, where the City of Luxembourg was founded, was the starting point for a series of defenses which were continually added to over the years. The Wenzel route presents the medieval walls erected during the reign of Duke Wenceslas. It offers an interpretation of the city revealing all the layers of European history and the cultural, scientific and technical influences left by occupying armies. The route attracts over 150 000 visitors a year.

In the 17th century, Luxembourg was described by Vauban as “one of the most important fortified sites in Europe” and in the 18th century it was rightly regarded as the “Gibraltar of the North” The Vauban route presents the fortifications built in more modern times (after the Middle ages) and offers an interpretation revealing the history left from the Voban time.

European Institute of Cultural Routes
Information source: The Council of Europe Cultural Routes brochure, 2004
Photo: The Wenzel Route in Luxembourg; © EICR