PRESS TRIP ROYAL WEDDING

Transcription

1 PRESS TRIP ROYAL WEDDING Touristic and cultural program throughout the country October 19-21, 2012 Friday, 19 October 2012 morning departure Tour A (Royal wedding at 3.30 pm at the townhall, not open to public and no public viewing) Saturday, 20 October 2012 Tour A afternoon departure 2.00 pm 7.30 pm 2.00 pm 7.30 pm 2.00 pm 7.30 pm (Royal wedding at the cathedral at 11 am, public viewing) Sunday 21 October 2012 morning departure Tour A

2 Tour A Visit the Luxembourg Ardennes region Departure by bus towards VIANDEN (+/- 1 hour) Guided visit of VIANDEN medieval castle + small guided tour of the picturesque town of VIANDEN (+/- 2,5 hours) Lunch Arrival in Luxembourg-City (at 2.30 pm or at 7.30 pm) Visit of Schengen in the Luxembourg Moselle region Departure by bus towards SCHENGEN, the most famous village in Europe (+/- 30 min) Guided visit of SCHENGEN European Museum + small guided tour of the town (+/- 1,5 hours) Domaine Ruppert": guided visit of the wine cellars + tasting + lunch. Arrival in Luxembourg-City (at 2.30 pm or at 7.30 pm) Visit the Mullerthal region, Luxembourg s Little Switzerland Departure by bus towards LAROCHETTE (+/- 1 hour) Guided visit of LAROCHETTE castle + small guided tour of the town of LAROCHETTE (+/- 2,5 hours) Lunch Arrival in Luxembourg-City (at 2.30 pm or at 7.30 pm)

3 / Tour A / VIANDEN Extremely picturesque location on both banks of the Our, set amid magnificent scenery. Its fine feudal manor dating back to the 9th century, seat of the Counts of Vianden and handed down to the dynasty of Orange-Nassau, is a remarkable medieval building, a real architectural jewel unrivalled in the Ardennes and the Eifel and which is mostly restored. An outer wall with guard towers encircles the town. The chateau of the counts of Vianden was built between the 11th and the 14th century on the foundations of a Roman fort and a Carolingian refuge. The chateau was inherited after 1417 to the House of Orange- Nassau. Superbly restored since 1977, this chateau and palace is one of the largest and finest feudal residences of the Romanesque and Gothic periods in Europe. The castle come under the property of Grand-Duke Adolphe in 1890 and belonged to the grand-ducal family until 1977 when it became into public ownership. / SCHENGEN / / Monument "Accord de Schengen" The name Schengen is inextricably linked to peace and freedom in Europe, as it was in this small winegrowing village on the River Moselle that an important chapter in European history was written in Signed onboard the MS Princesse Marie-Astrid, the Schengen Agreement was the first step towards the disappearance of borders in Europe. It also put Schengen on the map. Schengen was chosen because of its ideal location in the Three-Border-Region. It s here where the three Benelux countries meet Germany and France. The abolition of controls at the internal frontiers consolidated the Member States of the Schengen Area. Now (in 2011) the Schengen Area counts 25 Member-States and the Agreement allows over 400 million Europeans travelling without barriers. Centre Européen Schengen To accommodate the growing demand of tourists and those interested in the EU, the Centre Européen, administrated by the association Schengen asbl, was built in The European Center Schengen houses a café, a Tourist Information Office, a branch of the Europe Direct Network (a series of information centres on EU policies) and the European Museum Schengen. The Tourist Information Office is open all year round and provides visitors with extensive information on our offer of sightseeing tours in the region. It also organizes group visits on request. The Europe Direct Contact Center acts as a local intermediary between the EU and its citizens. Covering the entire territory of the EU, the Europe Direct network aims to provide information and advice on questions pertaining to the EU and its policies, while actively

4 promoting the local and regional debate on EU-related issues. Information leaflets and documentation are available free of charge. European Museum Schengen Located within the European Centre, the European Museum Schengen was inaugurated on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Agreement. This interactive museum retraces the development of Europe in nine chapters, while providing background information on the famous treaty. Château de Schengen - Hotel and Restaurant The Schengen Castle. First mentioned in 1350, this moated castle changed owners several times before it became the property of the Collart, a dynasty of steel mill owners, in In 1812 Jean-Nicolas Collart decided to demolish the initial building to make way for a neo-classical mansion built from the rubble of the castle. Only one of the three existing towers was preserved. In 1939 the castle was acquired by the St Elisabeth Order and used for various purposes. Since April 2010 the Schengen castle has been operating as a hotel. The castle s most famous resident was the French writer Victor Hugo, who during his stay in 1871 as a guest of the Collart family created a drawing of the building using coffee grounds. The original drawing can be seen in the National History and Arts Museum in Luxembourg City. In front of and vis-à-vis the Schengen castle are a Baroque garden and a herb garden that are part of the project «Garden without limits», a transnational project centered on restored parks and thematic gardens in the Greater Region. Visitors have free access to the gardens. / LAROCHETTE High on a promontory of Luxembourg sandstone, the ruins of Larochette Castle dominate the valley of the White Ernz. The main castle is surrounded by a wall, mostly destroyed today. A deep ditch, partly of natural origin, cuts the castle in two. The ruins witness the great quality of civic gothic architecture. During de 19th and the beginning of the 20 th centuries, the castles belonged to Grand-Duke Adolphe, founder of Luxembourg s own dynasty, for some 20 years in order to strengthen his deep links to the nation he had to govern. Since its acquisition by the Luxembourg state in 1979, this historical part of Larochette has seen numerous restorations and valuations. The Lords of Larochette are first mentioned at the end of the XII century, among others as banner carrier for the House of Luxembourg.

5 Inscription for the guided visits throughout the country via return mail of the inscription form before to Infos: Luxembourg National Tourist Office Lis Lorang, Press & Public Relations Department BP 1001 L 1010 Luxembourg lis.lorang@ont.lu Tel : (+352)

6 INSCRIPTION FORM TO THE GUIDED VISITS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY Name.. First name Media.. Function Cell phone .. Website

7 Friday, 19 October 2012 morning departure Tour A Saturday, 20 October 2012 afternoon departure Tour A 2.00 pm 7.30 pm 2.00 pm 7.30 pm 2.00 pm 7.30 pm Sunday 21 October 2012 morning departure Tour A Deadline inscription: Inscription: Via mail to the Luxembourg National Tourist Office Lis Lorang, Press & Public Relations Department lis.lorang@ont.lu Tel. (+352)