Bock Casemates

The Bock Casemates are a network of underground caverns beneath the surface of Luxembourg City, excavated in the 17th century when the Spanish ruled the Low Countries. At their peak they extended for 23 kilometres and were designed to protect the city from invading armies. The caverns were so large that they could conceal entire garrisons, and even today the cliffs that surround the city are dotted with excavated windows from which Luxembourger forces would fire cannons at opposition armies from an almost impenetrable position.

The caverns have been used as a defensive bastion during numerous campaigns throughout history. For 8 months throughout the Siege of Luxembourg (1794-95) during the French Revolutionary Wars, Habsburg forces sheltered themselves in the casemates to protect themselves from the French invasion. Later on, during the World Wars, the tunnels had the capacity to shelter 35,000 civilians from aerial bombardment.

There are even rumours that the mythical Melusina, who allegedly married Count Siegfried around the founding of Luxembourg City in 963, occasionally surfaces in the well of the Casemates. When the two wed in the 10th Century, they did so under the condition that Melusina be permitted to be left totally alone each Saturday. When the Count eventually felt compelled to follow Melusina one Saturday, he discovered a disturbing secret - his darling wife was in fact a mermaid! On the day he followed her, she spotted him spying on her and so swam away into the depths of the river Alzette, and is still occasionally spotted frolicking in the rivers that cross Luxembourg to this day...Read more