A fly on the walls of the Grand Ducal Palace

Anyone walking along the Krautmaart in Luxembourg City will see a Renaissance façade, two sentries and a closed door. What lies behind it remains hidden from most people.

That there is a palace here at all should not be taken for granted. In 1554, lightning struck the neighbouring Franciscan church, igniting the gunpowder stored there and destroying large parts of the city, including what was then the town hall. It was not rebuilt until twenty years later, in the Flemish Renaissance style. What began as a town hall became a prefecture under Napoleon, then the seat of the Dutch governor, and only in 1890 did it officially become the Grand Ducal Palace, when Luxembourg gained its own Grand Duke following the death of the Dutch king.

Today, Grand Duke Guillaume works here. The family lives at Berg Castle. But the palace is far more than just an office. This becomes clear as soon as you enter the staircase: marble steps, malachite-green accents, wrought-iron balustrades. The Salle des Rois is adorned with portraits of the Grand Ducal family, and on the ground floor stands an unassuming chair on which the Grand Dukes were sworn in before Parliament. The wrought-iron balustrade on the façade has remained unchanged since 1741.

Our photo series reveals what cannot be seen from the outside: the quiet elegance of a place that, for such a small country, holds a surprising wealth of history.