Bock+Casemates

Bock Casemates is a 21 kilometer network of underground passages. This network of passages is located in Luxembourg city's north-eastern historic district. The original Bock Casemates expanded for 14 miles with protective passageways. Some passages even extend 131 feet underground!

The tunnels were first built around the time of the Spanish domination to serve as defensive and protective passages for the military, around 1644. Vauban, an engineer and fortress builder, expanded the tunnels 40 years later. The tunnels were big enough to accommodate thousands of occupants, their horses, belongings, artillery workshops and equipment. Various levels were built in order to create greater lines of defense and to accommodate the army. Bock Casemates became known as “Gibraltar of the North” when Luxembourg held off French sieges for seven months after the French Revolutionary War.

The tunnels are open to the public since 1933 and serve as a historical site with important significance to many people. Over the years the tunnels have attracted many famous visitors such as Prince Henry of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, and the great Napoleon Bonaparte.