Responding to a parliamentary question, youth minister Claude Meisch explained the closure of the Bourglinster hostel was due to the limitations of the building. “It became apparent that the building was not adapted to the needs of its users. The standard of dormitories and rooms did not meet the access and infrastructure conditions for people with reduced mobility,” the minister said.

There are no plans to renovate or extend the building “because the works required are difficult and would require considerable investment.”

Its listed building status also made it complex to install the necessary infrastructure, such as a lift. “Elsewhere, the hostel is not adapted to the needs of families because of a lack of family rooms,” Meisch said.

While during the first half of 2017, overnight stays in youth hostels around Luxembourg grew by almost 10% compared to the same period in 2016, the Bourglinster hostel has seen a decline in stays. Overnight stays halved from 5,830 in 2012 to 2,753 in 2017. The minister credited this decline to “new and more modern infrastructure opening in the Mullerthal region, in Echternach and Beaufort.”

Between them, these two other youth hostels offer 180 beds, in addition to 77 beds in Larochette, which Meisch suggested was sufficient to cater to demand in the region. A renovation project on the latter, meanwhile, is underway.

The Youth Hostel Association has made the former Beaufort youth hostel building available to the Luxembourg State, which is considering future uses including housing for young people.

According to figures published by the tourist ministry, during the first half of 2017, the number of people hiking along the Mullerthal’s trails exploded by 64.8% compared to the same period in 2016.