Clervaux Castle

Why visit

Clervaux Castle combines a northern hill-town setting with one of Luxembourg’s most internationally significant museum displays. The reconstructed white castle overlooks the town, but the main reason to allow time is The Family of Man, Edward Steichen’s large photographic exhibition about shared human experience. Its presence turns a medieval and wartime site into a place that also speaks to twentieth-century visual culture. The castle can be paired easily with the abbey across the valley, creating a compact day that moves between fortress history, photography and Benedictine religious life.

What you will see

• Reconstructed castle exterior.
• The Family of Man photography exhibition.
• Views across Clervaux.
• Evidence of medieval and wartime history.

History

The castle has medieval origins and was enlarged over later centuries. It was badly damaged during fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and subsequently reconstructed. Since the late twentieth century it has housed The Family of Man, the exhibition assembled by Luxembourg-born photographer Edward Steichen; the exhibition was added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2003.

Visitor tips

1. 1

   Allow time for the surrounding streets, landscape or historic setting where these form part of the place context.

2. 2

   Check current official information before relying on a particular entrance, interior visit, tour, parking area, path or transport connection.

About Clervaux and Northern Ardennes

Clervaux sits amid the wooded Ardennes, where a reconstructed castle, internationally recognised photography and a Benedictine abbey form the main cultural focus.