Munsbach Castle

Munsbach Castle (Luxembourgish: Schlass Mënsbech; French: Château de Munsbach; German: Schloss Münsbach) is located to the west of Munsbach, in the Schuttrange commune, east of Luxembourg city. Built in 1775^[1] in the Baroque style, the main building was originally used as a manor for a long time, before it was transformed into a castle at the end of the 19th century, with the addition of two towers and a number of independent buildings.^[2][3]

The castle is situated in the midst of a park with a rose garden that is permanently open to the public free of charge,^[4] and which hosts an annual Rose Fest in September.^[5] The garden preserves a collection of more than 600 rose varieties^[6] with a rich history of Luxembourgish heritage, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, when Luxembourg was once the largest exporter of roses in the world.^[7] The rose garden was created and is regularly maintained and improved by volunteers of the Lëtzebuerger Rousefrënn (Luxembourg Rose friends) association, in collaboration with the Schuttrange commune.^[6]

The castle itself cannot be visited, and it now serves as the administrative building of the Centre for Social and Emotional Development (CDSE) which created and designed the first open-air mindfulness trail in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which was inaugurated in 2021 by Claude Meisch as Minister of National Education, Children and Youth. With the help of mindfulness, a practice with origins in Buddhism, the CDSE promotes awareness of emotional skills and well-being. It was originally an initiative in response to the effects of stress and emotional insecurity caused by the covid-pandemic.^[8][3][9][2]