Following a great weekend attending the Paper Money Fair in Valkenburg, The Netherlands, I journeyed on to Luxembourg City, where I visited the Head Office of the Banque et Caisse d'Epargne. Alas, I had the misfortune to visit the one day that the bank was holding a special event for its employees, and it had shoved all the banknote displays into an inaccessible corner. The most interesting installation was a mini theater in the old bank vault, which was inexplicably playing a montage of every bank heist movie ever made (not exactly building confidence in the bank's security). The bank doesn't have any items for sale, nor any take-home educational material, but it is free and worth a stop if you're in town. The exterior of the bank is quite beautiful, though the view is temporarily marred by the renovation of the Adolphe Bridge just in front.




Afterwards, I walked 15 minutes to the Banque Central du Luxembourg, which is housed in a very modern building. After being buzzed into the secure numismatic exhibit hall, I was greeted by a large table with many brochures detailing the security features of various euro denominations, but again, nothing was available discussing the country's prior banknote issues. They did offer for sale a huge assortment of numismatic products containing coins, however. This exhibit is also free and worth checking out if you're in the area, though I must admit i enjoyed my stroll through the nearby ravine much more.

Tags: Luxembourg