View of the Petrusse Valley from the Pont Viaduc . The stream of water in the valley is what is left of the Petrusse River, now surrounded by concrete. The canyon is now a beautiful park with paths to stroll and various types of trees and other plantings. It is a lovely place to sit and rest (though it’s quite a climb down and then back up.) I stopped by after spending a couple hours exploring the casemates – hollowed out rooms and passages in the rock on which the city is built. The casemates were used as a refuge, storage and to defend the city.
An amusing life-sized sculpture in the Place du Theatre” (Theatre Square) not far from the Palais Municipal. The sculpture is named “Saltimbdanques” (Juggler) and is a work of the Luxemburgish artist Benedicte Weis. (Thanks to Anatole for letting me know – I forgot to write it down while I was there!) It was a nice sunny plaza with benches. It’s also just a half block away from a cybercafe/restaurant.
The castle looms over the rest of Vianden. It was built on Roman foundations in the 9th century and added to until the 15th. The castle has been restored and many of the rooms are furnished with period furniture. There is a chair lift to take you up to the top, it’s supposed to have great views, but I opted to drive.
Diekirch has a pleasant shopping district with the ancient (dating to the 7th and 9th centuries) St. Lawrence’s church. This is a cute donkey fountain created by Bonifatius Stirnberg. The donkey is Diekirch’s mascot. It also has a good museum of military history.