Echternach

Echternach (Iechternach in Luxembourgish) is a 4,610 inhabitants town in the eastern part of Luxembourg, in the border with Germany. This picturesque town is crossed by Sûre (or Sauer) river and was surrounded by medieval walls till WW2, when Echternach was gravely damaged. After it was thoroughly restored and since 1975 it has the Echternach Music Festival, held annually in May and June. This town is considered the oldest town in Luxembourg.

How do I arrive to Echternach?

  Echternach is a small border town so there are some nearby town and cities but it isn't not very well communicated by public transportation. 

• Bus: there are 8 daily buses to Diekrich (aprox. 40 minutes) and at least 1 bus every hour from Echternach to Luxembourg City (45 min). Larochette has also connections with Diekrich (aprox. 20 minutes) or Luxembourg City (1 hour). Echternach has also connections with Germany, cities like Bitburg (aprox. 25 minutes), in Rhineland-Palatinate.
• Car: in case you rented a car Echternach can be reached from Beaufort (aprox. 10 minutes), Larochette (aprox. 20 minutes), Diekrich, Luxembourg City or Mersch (aprox. 30 minutes). It is located in the border with Germany so it can be reached from many places in Rhineland-Palatinate such as Bitburg (aprox. 25 minutes) or Trier (aprox. 35 minutes).
  

History

The Roman village of Echternach is the first human presence evidence in the area, considered the largest North of the Alps. Owned by the Merovingians, later Echternach belonged to the Electorate of Trier till Irmina, daughter of Dagobert II (king of the Franks) gave it to Willibrord. Echternach town grew around the Abbey of Echternach, founded in 698 by Willibrord, a Northumbrian monk born in Ripon. He was the first bishop of Utrecht and worked to Christianize the Frisians. In 1017 Willibrord's buildings were burnt except the Romanesque basilica which had Willibrord's tomb and in this period the abbey's scriptorium and libary had an European reputation The town was granted city chapters in 1236 and in the 18th century the abbey was rebuilt in Baroque style. During the French Revolution the monks were dispersed and the abbey's content, auctioned (like the Echternach Gospels, placed in the National Library of France). In the 19th a porcelain factory was placed in Echternach's abbey. During WW2 Echternach served as southernmost point during the last major German offensive, the Battle of the Bulge. The town was partially destroyed but thoroughly rebuilt afterwards.

What can I visit in Echternach?

Echternach is a very nice small town and is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Luxembourg. It has an important monastery history and a beautiful square, Place du Marche. Every Whit Tuesday takes place the Dancing procession of Echternach around this town, attracting many tourists and pilgrims. In Echternach surroundings hiking and other outdoors sports can be practised.

These are Echternach's main attractions:

• Dënzelt: building located in Place du Marche where the justice court was placed in the past. It was built in the 15th century but rebuilt in the 19th century, having elements in Neogothic style.
• Basilica of St. Willibrord (9:30-18:30): basilica rebuilt after the destruction during WW2 of the shrine where St. Willibrord (a Northumbrian missionary from the 7th century) was buried. The crypt where his tomb was located resulted undamaged.
• Abbey of Echternach (10-17 Tue-Sun from Jul to Aug; 10-12 and 14-17 from Sep to Jun; free): Benedictine abbey first founded in the 7th century by St. Willibrord but had to be rebuilt in the 18th century, adding a French-style garden. Inside it can be visited the Echternach Abbey Museum (10-17 from Jul to Aug; 10-12 and 14-17 from Sep to Jun; 3€/ 1.50€/ free  adults/ retiree/ kids), a small museum which shows Echternach scriptorium (one of the most important in north Europe), its manuscripts and teaches a bit about St. Willibrord's life. It also shows videos and objects related to the dancing procession of Echternach, the last traditional procession of its kind, part of UNESCO Intangible Cultural list since 2010.
• Echternach Prehistory Museum (10-17 Tue-Sun from Jul to Aug; 10-12 and 14-17 Tue-Sun from Jul to Aug; 2€/ 1€  adults/ kids): museum that describes the technical evolution of tools and weapons from the Paleolithic over a period of more than a million years with objects from all over the world. It's placed in Hihof house, a 15th century building with a Gothic façade.
• St. Pierre-et-Paul Catholic Church (12-17 from Apr to Nov): church that was first built in Merovingian times, on the remains of a Roman fort, and modified several times afterwards. Currently its most characteristic style is Gothic.
• Museum of Rural Architecture (10-18 from Apr to Nov): small museum located in a Rococo-style pavilion which has scaled models of buildings.
• Roman Villa Echternach: place has some rests from a former Roman manor which was 1 km long, found during the construction of a dam. It has a Didactic Museum on the Life of the Romans (10-12 and 13-17 Tue-Sun; free), a didactic museum which shows what was the life of the romans like through scenes of the daily life.
  
• In the east of Echternach can be found Müllerthal trails, a group of paths that go across gorges, forests and streams in this area of Luxembourg, Müllerthal. Route 1 (which goes into Wolf's gorges) and Route 2 (the most beautiful one) both start in Echternach.
• Going 10 km north there's the 2,816 inhabitants town of Beaufort (Beefort in Luxembourgish, Befort in German). The town has two castles: one of them is Beaufort Medieval Castle (9-18 from Apr to Nov; 5€/ 4€  adults/ students and kids), a 12th century castle that was neglected during many years until in 1928 its owner started the cleaning and repairng works. The other ones is Beaufort Renaissance Castle (Thu-Sun from Apr to Nov; booking in advance from Dec to Mar; 10€/ 5€  adults/ students and kids), castle built around 1645 by Jean Baron de Beck whose main characteristic is a preciously equipated interior. The castle is also home of a berry liquor company.

Place du Marche and Dënzelt

Abbey of Echternach

Larochette Castle

Also close to Echternach, far, it's located the small village of Larochette (Fiels in Luxembourgish, Fels in German) a 2,094 inhabitants town with many house that have slate rooves. Some of the things to do in here are visiting places like Larochette Castle (10-19 from Jun to Aug; 10-18 from Sep to May; 3€/ 1.50€/ free  adults/ retiree/ kids), 12th century castle ruins standing in a promontory (it provides a great view of the town) that has two different houses (Hombourg and Créhange, from the 14th century) partially rebuilt; St. Donatus Catholic Church, a 19th century church with frescoes in the choir by the artist Nicolas Brücher or Mëllerdall Geopark, an area with an unique geological heritage of imposing sandstone cliffs with narrow ravines and deep valleys that make the region something very special, nicknamed as little Switzerland, that can be discovered by Müllerthal Trails. Route 3 begins in Larochette and reaches Beaufort but there are many other paths to hike and even a barefoot path (May-Sep; 750 m). Just 4 km from Larochette can be found Meysembourg Castle (not open to visitors), a castle which dates back to the 12th century, even though the current Neo-Renaissance style building dates back to the 19th century.

Mersch Castle

Going 10 km west from Larochette can be found Mersch (Miersch in Luxembourgish), a 9,440 people town in the center of the country. It has some things to do here like visiting the National Literature Center (guided tours with min. 10 people); Mersch Castle (only accesible the outter part), a 12th century castle built by the Lords of Mersch and rebuilt in 1585, currently it's used as local council. Mersch is also the entrance to the Seven Castles Valley, with castles like Pettingen Castle (open everyday; free), one of the best preserved castles in the country; Schoenfels Castle (only accesible the outter part) or Koerich Castle (open everyday; free).

Where can I eat in Echternach?

There aren't many culinary offers in Echternach but some of them are Gelateria Venezia (3 Rue de La Gare) with tasty ice creams, GriMouGi (34 Rue du Pont) with Mediterranean food or Oktav Amadeus (56 Rue de La Gare).
Beaufort has a nice restaurant, L'Auberge Rustique (55 Rue du Château), specialised in trout.

Posted in: Europe,Luxembourg