Neumünster Abbey, Luxemburg, Luxembourg

After the original Benedictine Abbey on the Altmünster Plateau had been destroyed in 1542, the monks built a new abbey or Neumünster in 1606 in the Grund. This in turn was destroyed by fire in 1684 but was rebuilt on the same site in 1688 and extended in 1720. After the French revolution, it served as a police station and prison before becoming a barracks for the Prussians after Napoleon's defeat in 1815. From 1867, it once again became a state prison. During World War II, the Nazis used the Abbey to imprison political resisters to their occupation of Luxembourg. Among the most notable of those political prisoners was Luxembourg's best-known sculptor Lucien Wercollier.

Today Neumünster Abbey is a public meeting place and cultural centre. Since 1997, it has been the home of the European Institute of Cultural Routes.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Luxembourg

User Reviews

Serge P (12 months ago)
Warm, cozy inside. As it's in the centre, parking place should be planned in advance.

Juan Ramón Blanno Vidal (12 months ago)
Amazing culture spot in luxembourg a must see if you are in town!

Beatrice Senese (13 months ago)
Personally, I love this place in Luxembourg. There are often concerts and public events going on, the space is fantastic, and the ancient architecture all around is registered as UNESCO heritage. Right now, it is possible to go there just to sit or lay around and enjoy the nice weather. I also recommend the cultural events and the concerts.

Dicky Silitonga (13 months ago)
This building stands out with that pointing rooftop/tower. Clean and situated in a great landscape ready for a calendar background picture. Must be even prettier during a white winter, so european.

Léo Etlesbas (14 months ago)
A real nice place. Lots of events are organized here !

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The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

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In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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