Senningen

The town developed following the late-17th-century establishment by monks of a paper mill within the town powered by the fast flowing Senninger Brook.[1] Following a fire in 1750, Pierre Bourgeois, a French immigrant, ordered the facilities of the mill enlarged and the residential property on the site rebuilt in the classical style.[1] Output was under the ownership of Jacques Lamort throughout the early 1800s, with mechanisation improvements to the mill and the canalisation of the Senninger Brook. However, as a result of economic problems, the mill was finally closed in 1882.[1] The same year, the site was bought by Ernest Derveaux who demolished the mill and transformed the owner's residence into a revival-style castle, Senningen Castle, (French: Le château de Senningen), which included neo-gothic wings, and a landscaped surrounding park with ornamental plants and trees and lake with a fountain.[1]

From 1940 to 1944, the Nazis used the castle as a convalescent home for artists during the occupation of Luxembourg.[1] In 1952, the Luxembourg army used it for one of its battalions until 1968. Since then, the site has acted as the seat of Luxembourg's National Communications centre, as well as a conference centre for use during State visits, with a press room and cabins for interpreters.[1] Additional renovation work was completed in 2004. The Luxembourg government used the site for European Council summits during its 1991 and 1997 presidencies of the Council of Ministers.[1]

On 24 May 2007, Senningen Castle hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker for an official visit.[2]

The Centre National de Crise (CNC) national crisis centre next to the castle complex was inaugurated in 2021.[3]