Luxembourg City, the country’s capital, is noted for its strategic position dating back to the Romans. It earned the designation of a UNESCO World Heritage Site for more than just the Bock Castle ruins. You will also be delighted by the old walls, the town squares, the palace and their hospitality.
Since the Roman times, the city of Luxembourg has a very long history of building forts and being conquered. The most significant period of fortification growth occurred under French King Louis XIV. He commissioned Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban to manage 3,000 workers to build 160 fortresses in the city from 1685 through 1688, thus earning it the nickname the “Gibraltar of the North.” Much of the defenses blew up in a 1554 gunpowder explosion. The citadel was further dismantled after Luxembourg became an independent state in 1867. However, some of the ruins can still be explored.
10 Montée de Clausen, 1343 Luxembourg
In 963 AD, Siegfried, the Count of Ardennes, built a fortification that he called Lützelburg which means “Little Castle.” This is how Luxembourg derived its name. Over several centuries, it expanded into three rings of walls with 24 forts and 14 miles of casemates built into rock that housed thousands of soldiers. This view from Bock Promontory shows some of the ruins along the Alzette River.
10 Montée de Clausen, 1343 Luxembourg
This photo displays a sharp contrast between the Medieval and modern sides of Luxembourg City. The stone ruins, called Huelen Zant which means Hollow Tooth, are from the Bock castle that was built in 963. In the background is the modern skyline of the Kirchberg district. Many of these skyscrapers are part of the European Union Headquarters while others house the University of Luxembourg and various financial institutions.
10 Montée de Clausen, 1343 Luxembourg
In the foreground is the former Church of St. John, built by the Benedictine monks along with the Neumünster Abbey. Center Culturel de Rencontre Abbaye de Neumünster now houses a concert hall and theatre. On the left are part of the ruins from the 10th century Castle of Lucilinburhuc. Flowing through the Ville Basse valley, called the “Low City,” is the Alzette River. The buildings on the cliff are a section of Ville Haute. This is the “High City” or Old Town dating back to the Middle Ages.
2 N1 1343 Lëtzebuerg, Luxembourg
This sentry box on an ancient bastion overlooks a deep gorge that contains the Pfaffenthal Quarter and the Alzette River. It is found along Boulevard Victor Thorn.
Boulevard Victor Thorn 2732 Luxembourg
The Chemin de la Corniche is a wonderful promenade around the historic fortresses and river gorges of Luxembourg City. It is often called “Europe’s most beautiful balcony.” The walking path ends on Boulevard Victor Thorn at this Triple Gate tower called Dräi Tier. The center tower dates back to around 1200. The two flanking columns were constructed during the 14th century.
Boulevard Victor Thorn 2732 Luxembourg
The Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, also called the Red Bridge for obvious reasons, spans 242 feet over the Pfaffenthal District and the Alzette River to connect Luxembourg’s Old Town, also called the Ville Haute, with the modern part in the Kirchberg quarter.
Boulevard Robert Schuman 2143 Luxembourg
This detail of a bronze horn player with a sheep below him is part of a four-man band water fountain called Roude Pëtz on Grand Rue. The accordionist on the right is a self-portrait of sculptor Wil Lofy. They are portraying a local music club playing a traditional song called “Hämmelsmarsch” during the mutton parade at the start of the summertime Schueberfouer festival.
Grand-Rue & Rue Genistre, 1623 Luxembourg
It was fun watching this cute little girl and her brother chasing pigeons around Place d’Armes in front of the Cercle-Cité. The Cercle Municipal was built as a local government administration building in 1909 before becoming a court house in 1952. In 2011 it became a convention hall after five years of renovation.
2 Rue Genistre, 1623 Luxembourg
Despite claiming to be neutral during World War I, Luxembourg was conquered by the Germans. Although they were allowed relative independence, 3,700 volunteered to fight alongside the French. This memorial with a 69 foot obelisk is a tribute to the 50% of those soldiers who died. Located in Constitution Square, it is called the Monument of Remembrance or Gëlle Fra.
33 Boulevard Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1143 Luxembourg
At the top of the Monument of Remembrance is this gilded woman holding a laurel wreath, which is why this tribute to fallen WWI soldiers is often called The Golden Lady. In both Greek and Roman history, the laurel wreath was placed on the heads of military or athletic victors. This memorial was erected in 1923, dismantled by the German occupation in 1940, and then reconstructed in 1984.
33 Boulevard Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1143 Luxembourg
Approximately four to six million allied military personnel died during WWI. This bronze statue by Claus Cito is a magnificent portrayal of a grieving soldier as he sits in anguish beside a fallen comrade (off camera). Both are at the base of the Monument of Remembrance in Luxembourg City.
33 Boulevard Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1143 Luxembourg
This impressive clock tower, as seen from across the Petrusse Valley, was the Hôtel de la Caisse d’Epargne when it was built in 1909. Today, it is the headquarters of Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Eta. Founded in 1856, the BCEE is owned by the Grand Duchy. It is Luxembourg’s oldest and largest savings bank.
110 Boulevard de La Petrusse, 2330 Luxembourg
In a city first settled by the Romans and then reestablished in 963 AD, it seems like a misnomer to refer to the Passerelle viaduct as “The Old Bridge” because it was built in the mid-19th century. Its 24 arches span the Pètrusse Valley. The Al Bréck, as the locals call it, is about 951 feet long and connects the Ville Haute city center with the south side of the gorge towards the railway station.
5 Avenue de la Gare, 1611 Luxembourg
This is Place Guillaume II with the equestrian statue of the square’s namesake: William II. He was the former king of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It is a typical scene of the quiet, charming and non-pretentious capital city of about 100,000 Luxembourgers. What is very surprising is this small, landlocked country with about half a million people has the world’s second highest GDP per capita at about $80,000.
17 Rue du Fossé, 1536 Luxembourg
My wife loves white asparagus, so during spargel season in Western Europe, she can hardly wait to enjoy a dinner of the spears garnished with an egg, a lettuce sprig and a slice of tomato and cucumber. This asparagus is the same as the green variety but it is denied sunlight which prevents photosynthesis. Some sandy soils of Germany are big producers and they host spargel tourist routes, festivals and even have a spargel queen.
During the French Revolutionary War, Napoleon seized a Franciscan Monastery that once stood on this spot, making way for the construction of this neo-classical city hall which was finished in 1838. The Hôtel de Ville de Luxembourg was seized by Germany during WWII but since the war ended it has remained as the offices for the local government including the mayor.
42 Place Guillaume II, 1648 Luxembourg
Rue de la Reine is a pedestrian walkway in the center of the Ville Haute quarter which is the historical center or old town of Luxembourg City. It leads from the Place Guillaume II square to the Grand Ducal Palace in the background.
Rue de la Reine in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Since it was built in 1572, this Flemish Renaissance building has been a city hall, government headquarters, the governor’s home and, during WWII, a tavern for occupying Germans. Today, the Grand Ducal Palace is the residence and official offices of Grand Duke Henri. The royal mansion is guarded by soldiers from the Grand Ducal Guards.
19 Rue du marché-aux-Herbes 1728 Luxembourg
Behind this coat of arms and balcony, in the Palais Grand-Ducal, lives the world’s only remaining Grand Duchy. Since 1815, Luxembourg’s head of state, called a Grand Duke, is a constitutional monarch yet their government is a representative democracy with elected officials.
19 Rue du marché-aux-Herbes 1728 Luxembourg
There are several versions of the Luxembourg coat of arms that have their origin from the Medieval period. This one, with the Grand Duke’s royal crown and a single lion with two forked tails, is called the Lesser version. It closely resembles the design used by Henry VI while he was the Count of Luxembourg from 1282 through 1288.
19 Rue du marché-aux-Herbes 1728 Luxembourg
If you need to relax after a long day exploring Luxembourg City, then consider sitting outside the Ennert de Steiler building. It was built in 1350. Since 1842, it has been the Steiler, the city’s oldest pub. Ask for a tall, cold Bofferding beer, a local brand from Luxembourg’s largest brewery.
2 Rue de la Loge 1945 Luxembourg
In the springtime, the green rolling hills in Luxembourg’s countryside are carpeted with yellow fields of rapeseed flowers. They are a spectacular sight. The plant’s seeds are used for producing cooking oil, biodiesel and animal feed. A significant share of the sparsely populated northern region of Luxembourg, called Oesling, is devoted to small, family-owned farms.
