The high ground above the River Alzette and the Grund district is known as the Rham Plateau. After taking the city of Luxembourg from the Spaniards, the French fortress builder Vauban built the military barracks on the plateau in 1685. Having served as social institutions since the end of the 19th Century, the buildings are still in use today. The plateau is worth the climb as, apart from its historical buildings, it offers magnificent views of the Citadel de Esprit and the Corniche.