A small castle from 1635 is now a small hotel where the ghost of Sherlock Holmes haunts.

We are far south-west of Luxembourg, in the Minett Region, or The Land of the Red Earth. There is an industrial heritage where iron ore was mined on a large scale from 1880 to 1955. Our destination is the MinettPark Fonds de Gras, an old iron mine that was converted into an open-air museum in 2002 and has been on the UNESCO list of ‘Man and the Biosphere’ ‘ since 2010.

Surrounded by dense forests we suddenly come across a railway yard: a little later we walk with a guide through an old mining area where black and white pictures of miners hang on the walls. Our guide explains: “In 1870, a process was invented to mine and process the iron ore found in the soil here. Before that time, Luxembourg was a very poor and agricultural country, half of the population had now moved, mainly to France and the United States. As you can see from their Mediterranean appearance in the picture, the thousands of miners who were needed at short notice for the new iron mines almost all came from Italy.”

Adjusted to the eye of a real character

After lunch at the open air museum we go to Château de Clémency. We are welcomed by the Dutch speaking manager Mayke van Straalen. He explains all kinds of things about the hotel. “Château de Clémency dates from 1635 and was bought by Pascal Zimmer in 2004: “The castle has been renovated with great care and with an eye to its original character. The four rooms each have their own design, decoration, theme and appearance.

We have placed Honor: a tribute to the miners who turned a poor Luxembourg into a rich country. When we enter our room, we immediately see a large and playful painting of a miner with a pickaxe over his shoulder (in the shape of a dog), smacking his lips and holding a bottle of beer. Dogs are also displayed on the pillowcases on the bed.

Later we hear that miners were often accompanied by dogs, because they could feel, hear or smell if trouble was happening somewhere. Original miners’ lamps and sconces hang on the walls and the high ceiling suggests that our room is located in the tower section of the castle. While the Tribute bathroom, made entirely of black concrete, is reminiscent of a dark mine shaft. In short: all congratulations for this honor to the old miners.

We are allowed to see two other rooms. Peggy’s Belle Époque is a group that evokes the atmosphere of the festive years between 1890 and 1910. And successfully, if only because of the various mirrors placed on the walls and under the ceiling in the style of bronze from that time of play. This is further emphasized by a whirlwind of colorful drawings, by painter Peggy Dihé, which bring to life in an interesting, colorful way. Up and down… Belle Epoque !

The next room is about Roaring Twenties . This room is completely dedicated The Golden Age of Travel . A real veteran of the show – with cool, beige shirts that wouldn’t be out of place in Indiana Jones – steals the show here. Small steamships, such as the France and the Queen Mary, are decorated with original equipment from the Roaring Twenties, such as film cameras and cameras from the era. In short: pictures!

There is also the Sherlock Suite, where you can reportedly immerse yourself in all sorts of curiosities from the mid-19th century, during the time of Sir Conan Doyle, the creator of the world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes. This larger accommodation in the hotel seems to have been planned for a longer period of time and therefore we cannot take pictures there. But don’t worry: click on the hotel website and you will get a good idea of ​​the interior of this room.

Enter Pascal Zimmer. Apart from being a hotel owner, he seems to also be an antiques dealer and also used to be a judo and commando in the army. No wonder he takes us to a gym that he himself has set up in a building near the castle. Nearby are also some well-hidden garden areas with terraces and small water features. We make ourselves at home and open our bottle of wine.

As we go to our room in the evening – tired but satisfied – it seems as if we hear someone shouting in English from the Sherlock Suite: “Watson! Watson where are you!? What’s up Watson!? Watson!?” If we understood this correctly it will always remain one of the great mysteries of Château de Clémency. An acceptable small castle but at the same time very beautiful. That’s right…Watson!?