The earth tunnels in Luxembourg City’s Pétrusse district will reopen to the public this weekend for the first time in seven years, after a €2. 5 million primary renovation.
The passages, casemates, were built in the seventeenth century and are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The historic site beneath Gëlle Fra, or Golden Lady, is a “major tourist attraction,” said Tom Bellion, director of the Luxembourg City Tourist Office, the official reopening on Thursday, in which the Grand Duke of Luxembourg cut the ribbon. The site will be open to the public starting Sunday, june five.
The origins of the Underground Pétrusse, one of the few preserved fortifications in the Luxembourg capital, date back to the time when the Spanish modernized medieval fortifications and built bastions.
Over the years, it has been used as a mushroom growing stand, clubhouse, charity bazaar stand and bomb shelter.
However, in 2015 it closed for remodeling, after the passages were considered under hygiene and protection rules, with electrical wiring, some of which date from World War II, broken by rainwater.
In its renewed form, visitors will be able to delight in an audiovisual adventure through the tunnels, with lights, sounds and video.