A few weeks back, I spent a quiet Sunday at the Ansembourg Castle, one of Luxembourg’s seven castles, a place where one can go back in time for a few hours.
If you happen to live nearby Luxembourg or you have decided to spend more than a few days in the area, make sure you include Chateau d’Ansembourg on your to-do-list.
Without being as large and pretentious as Europe’s other better known castles, this is a good place for those who like walking around in small gardens, enjoying more countryside scenery.

The castle of Ansembourg is said to have been built from the first half of the 17th century by Thomas Bidart, a pioneer of the local iron industry. One century later the castle was subject to significant transformations as the heirs of Thomas Bidart were elevated to the title of Baron (1728),Earl of Merchant and Ansembourg and lastly became Count of the Holy Royal Empire (1749-1750).
Around the castle, the gardens were laid out in 1750 and are adorned with statues, stairs and decorative fountains.

The day I was there, the sun was out, flowers were in bloom everywhere and generally, the castle and its surroundings offered me a very laid-back and relaxing atmosphere.

For those worrying about the place being too crowded, I would suggest not to worry to much on that matter. I went there on a sunny Sunday afternoon and there were only a few people and families walking, visiting around. Therefore, most probably, Chateau d’Ansembourg is one of those places where rushed (first time in Luxembourg-type) tourists would not not know/want to go to.

Better know as the Valley of the Seven Castles, Luxembourg tourist bodies brand the Eich valley to its full potential, but quite frankly, unless you have the time to go see each one of the 7 existent castles (amongst which 2 are private properties that aren’t open to the public), make a selection of the ones that are worth visiting, which in my opinion, are Chateau d’Ansembourg, Septfontaines Castles and Koerich Castle.

These are some of the pictures I took on my visit to Chateau d’Ansembourg: