Grand Ducal Palace

This is where Luxembourg's head of state actually works: the official residence and office of the Grand Duke, though he and his family live at Berg Castle, twenty kilometres north. If you see a soldier posted at the entrance, that's not just for show — this building is in daily use, and the army has mounted the guard here since 1966.

It didn't start as a palace at all. The oldest part was built in 1572 as the city's town hall, in the ornate Flemish Renaissance style you can still see in the turrets and the detailed stonework across the front. It was the town hall for more than two centuries, then the seat of the French prefecture, then from 1817 the residence of the governor who represented the Dutch kings. Only in 1890, when Luxembourg got a ruling house of its own under Grand Duke Adolphe, did it become the Grand Duke's palace — and Adolphe promptly added a new wing for his family.

Its worst years were 1940 to 1945. The German occupiers turned it into a concert hall and a tavern, hung swastika banners down the front, and ruined much of the furniture and art. Grand Duchess Charlotte came home from exile in 1945 and took it back.

Look closely and you'll see the building next door is joined to it: the Chamber of Deputies, Luxembourg's parliament, built in 1860. That's a fairly literal illustration of how this small country works — the head of state and the elected legislature, standing wall to wall.

If you're here in summer you can get inside: the palace opens for guided tours from mid-July to mid-September, one of the few chances all year to see the state rooms in person.