Once, only one road led through the village. Today, Schengen is synonymous in Europe with open borders and freedom of travel. For since the European Treaty came into force, signed on 14 June 1985 on the Moselle ship Marie-Astrid, there have been open borders in Europe. On the European Promenade, right on the riverbank, where the flags of the EU member states fly and stars for each EU country are carved in stone, you can walk the historic stages. But once Schengen was in no man’s land. It was not until the signing of the Schengen Agreement in the mid-1980s that the place became world-famous.

The Koch House in Schengen dates back to the 18th century. Originally intended to be the centre of Schengen, the baroque house on the Place de l’Europe is now owned by the municipality. There you can still find a facsimile of the Schengen Agreement and a photo gallery with portraits of prominent politicians. Helmut Kohl, José Manuel Barroso, but also EU opponents such as the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen have visited this symbolic place.

While Remerschen was still in the headlines as a bone of contention in the early 1970s because one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe was to be built here and opponents to nuclear power protested here, the small wine-growing community of “Schengen” in the border triangle (Germany – France – Luxembourg), which emerged in 2011 from the merger of the municipalities of Remerschen, Wellenstein and Burmerange, today symbolises a Europe of open borders. Only the deserted toll booths on Luxembourg’s outer borders still bear witness to a time when border controls still existed.

On 14 June 1985, the Schengen Agreement was signed on the ship Marie-Astrid by the then Luxembourg State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Robert Goebbels, and his colleagues from France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. However, border controls were only abolished in 1995. In 2004, the Schengen asbl was founded so that tourists could be professionally welcomed. Its headquarters are in a submarine-like structure called ‘ponton’ floating on the Moselle, just opposite the museum. To mark the 25th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, the Schengen Museum was built, where children and adults can explore the history interactively over 200 m2.

Since this summer, there is now also a new accompanying brochure. “Schengen am Klengen” is suitable for children aged 6 and over. The brochure contains numerous quizzes and puzzles about the Schengen area and is written in simple language. Here children can explore the history of Schengen in a playful way and find out what the history of the place is all about, what borders and passports are and why Schengen is considered the cradle of Europe … The brochure (in German) can be ordered via the website www.visitschengen.lu.

Information for parents

  • Address: Centre Européen Schengen a.s.b.l., 6, rue Robert Goebbels, L-5444 Schengen. Website: www.visitschengen.lu. Telephone: +352 26 66 5810.
  • Museum opening hours Daily: 10:00- 18:00. Free entrance; the museum is barrier-free.
  • For better organisation, groups wishing to visit the museum are kindly requested to register by email: info@schengenasbl.lu. This is the only way to be sure that the museum is available.
  • Tourist Info: Tél.: +352 23 60 93 11. Email: info@schengenasbl.lu
  • How do I get there? CFL (from Luxembourg train station): by bus 28 and 315 or by tram from Luxembourg train station to Kirchberg, Luxexpo, then by bus 140 from Kirchberg-Gare Routière.