Longwy: Vauban Fortress, Museums and City History

Longwy combines a distinctive fortress heritage with museums devoted to faience, enamel and irons, as well as other historic buildings. With its hexagonal layout and six bastions, the Vauban Fortress offers a tangible introduction to the city’s architectural history. The museums and green spaces add their own distinct touches.

Vauban Fortress and guided tours

Longwy’s fortifications are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and are freely accessible. Their hexagonal layout, with six bastions, makes the geometric design of the Vauban Fortress a defining feature of a visit. If you would like to learn more about the Place Forte, a full guided tour is available: it combines a traditional walk inside the fortress with a stroll through the moats.

Guided tours take place year-round from Monday to Saturday, but only by prior reservation and for groups of at least four people. When planning, note that there are two different options: access to the fortifications is free, while the guided tour has specific participation requirements. Check your preferred date in advance and make your reservation in good time.

Museums: faience, enamel and irons

The Musée des Émaux et Faïences de Longwy is housed in a former military bakery. The museum brings together the history of the building and the city’s craft traditions. On display are faience pieces made from 1798 onwards, as well as enamelwork, which emerged in the early 1870s. A collection belonging to the Vernaujou-Brunet couple includes more than 200 works in Longwy enamel. The dates show the different stages: the faience pieces go further back, while the enamelwork marks a later period in the history of local crafts.

The Musée des Fers à Repasser offers a very different perspective on everyday objects. Its collection includes 3,700 irons and 105 heaters or heating stoves. The objects illustrate the history of the iron from the 15th century to the present day. The two museums therefore differ not only in their collections: one explores faience and Longwy enamel, while the other focuses on a household object and its long evolution. The Musée des Fers à Repasser is open to groups of at least four people by reservation through the tourist office.

Green spaces and archaeological remains

The grounds of the Vieux Château are home to the Tour de la Chapelle, the Tour de la prison and a connecting wall. The archaeological remains lie in a green space between Longwy-Haut and Longwy-Bas, which also includes orchards and an arboretum. Here, historic structures and landscaped green spaces share the same setting; the towers and wall recall the site’s medieval history.

The Parc des Récollets is a public garden that can be visited free of charge. Its features include avenues of plane trees, a pond and a fountain, as well as bridges and footbridges over the canalised Chiers. The park’s landscape differs from that of the Vieux Château: there, archaeological remains, orchards and an arboretum define the setting, while water and avenues of plane trees stand out at the Parc des Récollets. When planning your trip, you can choose between these two distinct urban green spaces without confusing them with the fortifications.

Saint-Dagobert Church and the Puits de Siège

Saint-Dagobert Church was built in 1683. Its features include Art Deco stained-glass windows, an organ by François Didier dating from 1926, and an 18th-century statue of Notre Dame de Longwy. The different dates of these artworks give the church a distinct place alongside the city’s older buildings and museums.

The Puits de Siège was built between 1679 and 1690 and is 60 metres deep. It is the only surviving one of the five wells once built in Longwy. Today, it houses the Grand Longwy tourist office. This site brings together historic infrastructure, a precisely documented construction period and a present-day visitor function.

Discover more destinations: Cerville, Domèvre-En-Haye, Pierre-Percée, Bréhain-La-Ville, Richardménil, Jaulny, Neuves-Maisons, Laxou.

For the broader travel overview: Meurthe-Et-Moselle.