The "Groussherzogleche Palais" is the Grand Duke's city resident and main workplace.

When the Grand Duke Henri, head of Luxembourg - the currently only existing grand duchy, and his family go to vacation, the palace opens for public via guided visits. Only the ground and parts of the first floor may be seen as the rest are private areas. This year the tours take place from 13.07.2019 till 05.09.2019 and are available in English, French, German, and Luxembourgish - the four languages any native citizen learns in school. The tours take place hourly and last about the same time. It is highly recommended to order tickets online in advance as only a limited number of people are allowed per visit and they might be sold out if you try to get them at the "Luxembourg City Tourist Office" at short notice. Adults pay 14€, kids (4-12 years) 7€, infants (0-3 years) can be taken in for free.

The meetup is in front of the gate at the rear entrance, guarded by two soldiers. In contrary to the guard marching in front of the building - who's absent as long as the Grand Duke isn't back in house - the two at the back may be talked to and help out if you have questions. In addition, a policeman will check your items at a metal detector and watch over the bags which need to be left in the driveway.

The building itself is big. But the chamber of deputies right next to it is comparatively downright tiny and needed to be extended by another building at some point. Historically, the palace and the huge amount of memorabilia have a lot to tell, or rather the guide does. Guns, furniture, tapestry, cannons, swords, chairs vases, frescoes, paintings, and more. Actually, there was first a town hall which got destroyed by a gun powder explosion before it got rebuilt to what we know nowadays. At some point it became the seat and residence of the governor of Luxembourg and even later reserved for the Grand Duke and their family. A lot got destroyed and painted over as the Nazis occupied Luxembourg, but eventually the structures got back into the - then - Grand Duchess' ownership. Over all that time the building got extended and renovated several times.

Before this turns into a full fledged history lesson, just go there and listen to the tour guide. The one I joined was held in English by a Luxembourgish woman. She had a notable accent but spoke the language proficiently. Her voice was loud enough so everyone could hear, she was sympathetic, answered questions, it was nice. She had a lot to tell, and there's certainly much more she could have, but not during three quarters of an hour. Also a pity that taking photos inside is absolutely prohibited.

This year a lot of items of the former Grand Duke Jean, father of the current Grand Duke Henri, are on display as he died 23.04.2019 at the age of 98 years.