The Château de Septfontaines was built in 1783–1784 by Jean-François and Pierre-Joseph Boch, who had opened their nearby porcelain factory in 1767, when Luxembourg was part of the Austrian Netherlands. The brothers had chosen Rollingergrund for their factory, as it offered all that was needed: clay, water and wood for the ovens. It was designed so that both their families could live there, which explains why the first floor is divided into two separate sections for the bedrooms, while the rooms on the ground floor, including the dining room and lounge, could be used by both families.
The castle was once occupied by French troops and was sold in 1914. After Luitwin von Boch had acquired it once again in 1970 in the name of Villeroy & Boch, he charged his cousin Antoine de Schorlemer to undertake comprehensive renovation work which lasted a full 12 years.
The rooms now testify to the success of the Boch brothers. Porcelain of all shapes and sizes decorates the walls and the windows. In the dining room hangs a portrait of the Austrian empress Maria Theresa (1717–1780), who had allowed them to build their factory in Rollingergrund and who had freed them from taxation for the first ten years. Now available for business conferences and receptions, the building is still used by the management, partners and clients of Villeroy & Boch when they are in Luxembourg.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.