Luxembourg City

Luxembourg City (Stad Lëtzebuerg in Luxembourgish, Ville de Luxembourg in French, Stadt Luxemburg in German) is a 107,247 inhabitants city and capital of Luxembourg. This city is the most populated in Luxembourg and one of the de facto European Union capitals, hosting the European Court of Justice or the European Investment Bank. Its Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1994) and its nickname is Gibraltar of the North. 

How do I arrive to Luxembourg City?

  Luxembourg City is the most important city in Luxembourg so there are many way to arrive there from all over the country and the neighbour ones. 

• Plane: there are many interntational flights to Luxembourg Airport. To go from the airport to the city, 9 km east from the center of the city, there are buses (each 10-15 minutes from Mon-Fri and 30 minutes during weekends) and taxis, journey which lasts 25 minutes. Other near airports are Charleroi (Belgium) or Frankfurt am Main (Germany) ones.
• Train: there are has frequent connections from Luxembourg Gare Centrale with Diekirch (every 30 minutes; aprox. 45 minutes) and other towns all over the country. As an important city it has connections with other countries like Paris (5 daily trains; aprox. 2 hours 15 minutes) in France, Liège (every hour; aprox. 2.5 hours) and Brussels (every hour; aprox. 3 hours) in Belgium or Trier (every hour; aprox. 1 hour) in Germany. 
• Bus: there are bus routes from Luxembourg to all over the country and neighbouring countries.
• Car: if you rented a car, Luxembourg City can be reach from Diekirch (aprox. 30 minutes), from Wiltz (aprox. 50 minutes), among others. Luxembourg City is also well connected with other countries like Brussels (aprox. 2 hours 15 minutes) in Belgium, Cologne (aprox. 2.5 hours) in Germany or Paris (aprox. 3 hours 30 minutes) in France.

Once in Luxembourg the best ways of moving in the city are public transport. In the old city bike or just walking are the best way to move, because they are usually pedestrian streets. Bus service goes from 5:30 am to 22 pm and night buses around the city are also available during Fridays and Saturdays. There's a lift between Rue du St. Esprit and Grund.

History

The area that is now Luxembourg City was an intersection of roads during Roman times. Through an exchange treaty with the abbey of Saint Maximin in Trier in 963, Siegfried I, Count of the Ardennes, acquired the feudal lands of Luxembourg, becoming the first person to rule Luxembourg. He built his castle in the Bock Fiels and in 987, Archbishop Egbert of Trier consecrated five altars in the Church of the Redemption (today St. Michael's Church). From this period the city started developing and growing, becoming a strategic military point. In 1443, the Burgundians under Philip the Good conquered Luxembourg. Luxembourg became part of the Burgundian, and later Spanish and Austrian empires, becoming during the 16th century one of the strongest fortifications in Europe. In 1644 the first casemites were built under Spanish rule, enlarged later under French rule by Marshal Vauban. During the French Revolutionary Wars the city was occupied by France twice (holding out for so long that it was nicknamed "Gibraltar of the North") and then put in the German Confederation (controlled by Prussia) but with personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. After the Luxembourg Crisis, the Treaty of London (1867) required Luxembourg to dismantle the fortifications in Luxembourg City. In 1890 the Grand Duke William III died without any male heirs so the Grand Duchy passed into independent line under Grand Duke Adolphe, becoming practically independent. During WW1 and WW2 Luxembourg tried to be neutral but it was twice invaded by Germany. After the wars, Luxembourg became founder of European Coal and Steel Community and the what would become EU, getting the seat of the European Parliament's secretariat, as well as the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors and the European Investment Bank all in Luxembourg City.

Luxembourg City's top 10

If you have little or you just don't want to visit all Luxembourg City, here's a list of the 7 places you can't miss here.

1. Chemin de la Corniche.
2. Bock Casemates.
3. Luxembourg City Museum.
4. MNHA.
5. MUDAM.
6. Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial.
7. Notre-Dame Cathedral.

What can I visit in Luxembourg City?

Luxembourg is an awesome city and has a very nice walk. There's a card that allows you to get into some monuments for free and get discounts (Luxembourg Card). The old city and the Grund are the most popular and attractive for tourists and Kirchberg plateau is where the EU institutions are placed.

These are Luxembourg City's main attractions:

Chemin de la Corniche

• Chemin de la Corniche (literally meaning "ledge way"): pedestrian path following the 17th century walls which provide an awesome view of Luxembourg city. It's known as the most beautiful balcony in Europe. The path continues to Boulevard Victor Thorn till the tower Dräi Tier ("Triple Gate").
• Bock Casemates (10-17:30 from Feb to Nov; 7€/ 6€/ 3.50€  adults/ reduced/ kids): under Montée de Clausen can be found this underground passages digged by the Spaniards around 1644. They have had several uses (like bakery, barracks) and during WW1 and WW2 were used as air raid shelter and in 1994 they were placed in UNESCO World Heritage list.

  

  Bock Casemites

  
  
• Grand Ducal Palace (10-17 Thu-Tue from Jul to Sep; 7€/ free  adults/ people under 26): 16th century palace that has been enlarged several times, whose style goes from Medieval Gothic-style to Romantic one. Nowadays it hosts the Grand Duke residence and the Luxembougish parliament. During summer there are 45 min guided tours inside which have to be booked in the tourist office.
• National Museum of History and Art (MNHA) (10-18 Tue-Sun; free): this modern museum makes a huge contrast in the old city. It has expositions that go from the Neolithic period to modern paitings. The highlights are Gallic tombs, Roman coins and mosaics and Picasso and Cézanne's paintings. There's a floor dedicated to the Luxembourgish expressionist painter Joseph Kutter and temporary expositions (7€/ free  adults/ students and people under 26) too.

  

  St. Michel Catholic Church

• St. Michel Catholic Church: oldest church in Luxembourg City, first built in 987, which has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The current one is from 1688 and has a mixture of different styles like Romanesque, Gothic and Barroque.
• Luxembourg City Museum (10-18 Tue-Sun; 5€/ 3€/ free  adults/ retiree/ students and people under 26): museum located in a former 18th century summer palace of Orval bishop which tells Luxembourg City's history in a very interactive way. It's a very good museum and it also has great views in the terrace and a nice garden.
• Place de la Constitution: triangular square with a monolith to WW1 Luxembourgish deads. 
  



Notre-Dame Cathedral

• Notre-Dame Cathedral (10-12 and 14-17:30): 17th century cathedral which has some memorable sights like the high black capitals, Renaissance façade and the stained glass windows. It also has the Luxembourgish royal family tombs.
  
• Casino Luxembourg (11-19 Wed-Mon, 9-17 Sun from Oct to Apr; free): 19th century manor used as a center for cultural and social events in addition to its gaming functions. The pianist F. Liszt gave his last concert here. Nowadays it hosts Contemporary art expositions.
• Luxembourg City Art Museum (10-18 Wed-Mon; 5€/ 3€/free  adults/ retiree/ students and people under 26): museum located in Villa Vauban (a 19th century mansion) which has 18th and 19th century works of art from painters like J.P Pescatore, E. Delacroix, G. Dou or J. Dupré.

  

  Neumünster Abbey

• Museum of Natural History of Luxembourg (10-18 Tue-Sun; 5€/ 3€/ free  adults/ retiree/ students and people under 26): interactive museum which talks about all the periods of natural history, from dinosaurs skeletons to stuffed animals.
• Neumünster Abbey (8-19 Mon-Fri; 10-18 Sat-Sun): former Bernadine abbey which was reformed and that is now a cultural center. In the cloister there's a permanent exposition of sculptures by Lucien Wercollier and has many other expositions. From the yard there's a great view of the Alzette River.
• Spanish Turret: one of the former 38 turrets that belonged to Luxembourg's defensive system built in 17th century by the Spaniards and continued by Vauban.
• Museum of Modern Art (MUDAM) (10-18 Tue-Sun; 5€/ free  adults/ students and people under 26): museum built by I. M. Pei has modern art expositions compouded of photography, fashion and multimedia art.

  

  Dräi Eechelen Museum and MUDAM

• Dräi Eechelen Museum (10-18 Wed-Mon; 8€ /5€ /free  adults/ people under 26/ students and people under 21): 18th century twin towers (rests from Fort Thüngen) which hosts a museum about the Luxembourg City walls and defensive fortifications. If the gate is open, you can get the flat roof to get views from all the city and MUDAM's window panes.
• European Investment Bank: EU's nonprofit long-term lending institution, created under the Treaty of Rome (1958), used to financing operations to bring about European integration and social cohesion.
• Court of Justice of the EU: supreme court of the European Union in matters of EU law. For people who can be curious about this some public hearings admit visitors (9:30 Tue-Thu).

  

  Court of Justice of the EU

• Spuerkeess (9-17:30 Mon-Fri; free): the State Bank of Luxembourg, a public bank founded in 1856, has its headquarters in a building with castle shape. Inside there's Bank Museum (9-17:30 Mon-Fri; free), an interesting and curious museum about the history of banking, from the past to the ATMs and even bank robbery.
• Am Tunnel Contemporary Art Gallery (9-17:30 Mon-Fri; 14-18 Sun; free): this art gallery is focused in photography, having an exposition of Edward Steichen and a 350 m long tunnel under Bourbon plateau where there are some other temporary ones.
• Museum-Memorial of Deportation (9-11:30 and 14-16:30 Tue-Fri; free): small museum located in Hollerich train station where thousands of Luxembourgers started their deportation during the Nazi German occupation in WW2. It also pays tribute to Luxembourgers who were forced to get into the German army and Luxembourgish Jews. 

  

  Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

• Tramsways and Bus Museum (13-17:30 Thu, 10-18 Sat-Sun; free): small museum with two functioning electric trams, two tram coaches, a lifesize horse-drawn tram replica, two buses and a spectacular Ford car for track maintenance. 
• Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial (9-17): cemetery in Hamm area where are more than 5,000 tombs of American soldiers who died (most of the in the Battle of the Bulge) in WW2, among them the General George Patton, who played a major role in Luxembourgish liberation. Among the white crosses of the tombs there are some with the Star of David.

Bourglinster Castle

Near Luxembourg, 15 km northeast, can be found the municipality of Bourglinster (Buerglënster in Luxembourgish, Bourglinster in French, Burglinster in German), a small village with 656 inhabitants whose main interest is Bourglinster Castle (visited by appointment), a castle which was first built in the 12th century and partially destroyed in the 16th century. Afterwards it was rebuilt in Renaissance style and added a Baroque façade. Inside it there are expositions and two elegant restaurants, La Distillerie (8 Rue du Château) and Brasserie Côté Cour (9 Rue du Château). 

Which activities can I do in Luxembourg City?

 Luxembourg City is the cultural center of Luxembourg. There are important threaters like Philharmonie (concert hall with jazz, classical music concerts and operas), Grand Théâtre (dance, opera and theater hall) or Théâtre des Capucins (open-air threater) and there's a popular concert hall, den Atelier.

Where can I eat in Luxembourg City?

Eating in Luxembourg City isn't cheap but there is an important variety of places where you can eat. In low budget circunstances an Alsacian food restaurant, Bosso (7 Bisserweg) or the cafe À la Soupe (9 Rue Chimay) can be some nice choices. With an average price there are some interesting places like L'Annexe (7 Rue du St Esprit), Am Tiirmschen (32 Rue de l'Eau), Chiggeri (15 Rue du Nord) and Mousel's Cantine (46 mtée de Clausen). Among internationa food restaurants these are some: the French restuarants L'Adresse (32 Rue Notre Dame) and Bouquet Garni (32 Rue de l’Eau) or the Italian Basta così (10 Rue Louvigny). For a higher budget these are the suggestions: Le Sud (8 Rives de Clausen), La Cristallerie (18 Place d'Armes) or Brasserie Guillaume (12 Place Guillaume II). The city has also pubs and clubbing offer, with places like wine bars Dipso (4 rue de la Loge) and Vinoteca (6 Rue Wiltheim), the pubs Café des Artistes (22 Montée du Grund), Le Palais (13 rue du Marché-aux-Herbes), the bar Brauerei (12 Rives de Clausen) or the club Verso (17 Rives de Clausen).

Posted in: Europe,Luxembourg