Castle of Walferdange
The Walferdange castle changed considerably & constantly over time, both in design, purpose and decoration.
1817 it was conceived as a stud farm by William I of Orange for the King and Grand Duke William I. The Belgian Revolution that broke out in 1830 put an end to that plan and the building remained unoccupied for some ten years.
In 1841, King William II offered to refurbish the premises to create a royal residence for the King/Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
On 5 February, 1850, King William III appointed his brother Henry as the Lieutenant-Representative of Luxembourg. Prince Henry then moved to Walferdange and lived there until his death in 1879.
In 1853, he married Princess Amalia Maria de Saxe Weimar. When she moved to Walferdange Castle shortly thereafter, the inhabitants gave her and her husband a warm welcome. The couple was much loved by the population of Walferdange as proven by many documents, testimonies and anecdotes.
On 2 May 1872, the city of Walferdange and the rest of nation mourned the passing of Princess Amalia.
Six years later, Prince Henri married Princess Marie of Prussia in his second marriage. With her he continues a tradition established 20 years earlier, namely to give Christmas presents to the children of Walferdingen. But at school several children fall ill with measles; the prince is infected by this contagious disease. Three weeks later, he suddenly dies of this childhood disease, which no one could have suspected would have such a fatal outcome.
On 22 January 1879, Prince Henry left Walferdange Castle for the last time. The illustrious prince had lived there for nearly thirty
After Prince Henry’s death, the castle was mainly ignored. Its only use between 1891 and 1905 was as secondary residence for Grand Duke Adolph. During the First World War, children and families evacuated from threatened neighbourhoods in the City of Luxembourg found refuge in Walferdange. In 1930, the Normal Teachers’ School was founded in the castle and operated until 1944.
The 2nd World War
Temporarily occupied by American troops at the end of World War 2, the castle was used as barracks by the Luxembourg army from May 1945 to July 1967.
Since then, most of the castle has been used by the the Higher Institute for Educational Study and Research.
In 2003, the buildings of the Walferdange Castle site were transformed and have served as the Walferdange Campus, an annex to the University of Luxembourg created in 2003.
Starting in September 2015, the site was reassigned to the Ministry of National Education, Childhood and Youth, which relocated some of its resource departments and administration there.