City of Luxembourg

City of Luxembourg
The City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications is
one of Europe's greatest fortified sites.

Luxembourg - not a city yet - already made its appearance in history in 963. In that year, Count Siegfried came in possession of the strategic rock. He built a castle there, which could be defended easily because of the Alzette Valley that surrounded it for the largest part.

The successors of Siegfried did not succeed in keeping hold of the rock, though they built large walls to defend themselves. Until the 19th century several European powers overtook control. Among them were the Burgundians, the Spanish, the French, the Austrians and the Germans. Every single group fortified the place even more, until it was known as the Gibraltar of the North.

Underground a phenomenal network of casemates, 23 kilometers in total, was constructed. This was meant as a hiding place for the soldiers in times of war. Large parts are still intact, and can be visited.

Year Decision Comments
1994 Inscribed Reasons for inscription



Visit April 2001

Luxembourg is such a lovely city. I had been there before (in 1984), but it did take me with surprise. The old city is very well preserved. It takes you back in time to the European Middle Ages (though most of the remains date from the 16th - 19th century).

Probably the best thing to do there is to take the Wenzel-walking tour. The route is well-signposted around the city, and takes you up and down - and beneath - the old fortifications. The walk takes about two hours and gives you a lot of photo-opportunities: the panoramas are sublime.



More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery

Reviews

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I've had the opportunity to visit Luxembourg thrice - admittedly, it is a charming and lovely, lovely country.

Small enough to be in peace but big enough to do things you wish.

Very calm, which I enjoy - could see myself living there for sure! My fiancee likes it a lot there so who knows what the future may bring...

Arthur Katalayi
 
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i lived in luxembourg for 12 years and it is the most beautiful place in the world. the culture, the people and the lifestyle are second to none and i miss it every day. the history is amazing. i believe it is one of the only cities in the world that has kept its identity and the true meaning of history and heritage close to the heart.
 
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Luxembourg is fantastic, I came here 23 years ago for the weekend, fell in love with the place and guess what? I'm still here!!!
 
Joyce (Netherlands):
The view from the old city wall is beautiful and you can easily spent some time hanging around there. When you get up early and go to the city wall the city looks beautiful in the foggy morning light. Visit the Casemates (the fortified wall) where you can actually walk inside the wall since it used to be a castle.
Downtown, the Place d'Armes and the Place Guillaume are interesting and a place where lots of people gather. The city is beautiful, with nice little streets and squares, beautiful buildings and parks. It really shows the people have a lot of money, you hardly see any small cars and I didn't see any homeless people at all.
Date posted: December 2005
Jose Gomes (Portugal):
It seems that 25% of the local population is portuguese. It is a nice city but I don't have the same oppinion of the other reviewers. It is far from being the nicest European Capital... Anyway, on my way from Luxembourg to Amiens I've visited a spectacular castle in the frontier between Belgium and France, Bouillon Castle.
Date posted: June 2005
Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
I only saw Luxembourg on a daytrip from Brussels, but it was a very nice experience. On the one hand, Luxembourg is a European capital with lots of banks and office buildings in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual environment, on the other hand its old town is very well preserved and interesting, especially the cathedral and all the fortifications. Luxembourg was once the most heavily fortified place in Europe, and it shows. Not all remains, but what you can still see gives you a great impression of military architecture, of forts and castles, ramparts, walls, cannon, etc. A worthwhile trip not only for history buffs.
 
Ian Cade (England):
Luxembourg is a real treat. I was not expecting much of it but it turned out to be one of my favourite European capitals so good I decided to go back! The setting is almost perfect with the historic centre surrounded by a valley which has some nice bridges and parks at the bottom all of which are lit up spectacularly at night. It is also one of the cleanest places I have ever been to and whilst the centre is not stocked with monumental buildings there are lots of nice little places (the smallest parliament building I have ever come across) and the square in centre seems to have lots going on there! I have seen two classical concerts and a Brazilian dance troupe and I have only spent two nights here!

I have still to see the tunnels and casemates properly which are one of the main reasons for its inclusion on the list as the tours have seemed to be sporadic whilst I have been there.
If you want to add another UNESCO site and country then it is about 30 minutes by train to Trier in Germany, a lovely ride through the vineyard lined Mossel Valley resulting in some very good wines especially the dry Rieslings!
The one problem is that there is very little budget accommodation, one hostel and the hotels are catering for business travellers mostly so you will have to book in advance or go for a bit of a trip up country! But even so Luxembourg is one of my favourite UNESCO sites.
 
Martha Wiley ():
We visited Luxembourg City on a Saturday in September 2004. The city was crammed with tourist buses and lots of tour groups with guides. I was surprised until I remembered how well organized the City's web site is. They have made a truly tourist oriented web site, so I guess lots of groups take advantage of it.

We went especially to see the old part of the city that is the World Heritage Site. The 2 things I would strongly recommend doing is the Wenzel Circular Walk (no fee) (billed as "1000 years of history in 100 minutes") and going inside the Casemates, the underground caverns (1.75 Euro/adult). The Wenzel Walk is quite interesting, not too challenging although there are some steps. And none of the tourist groups were on the walk, so you can move at your own pace without feeling pressured or crowded. You get a better feeling for the ongoing archaeological excavations of the old city wall, too; although you can't go into them you can see them from behind a fence. All of the exhibit signs posted along the walk were in French and German, not English.

We ate lunch at the cafe inside the National Museum of History and Art. No large groups, pleasant staff, better than average food and lunch for 2 with drinks (and a cookie!) was 20 Euros. You can visit the cafe without paying for entrance to the Museum.

We also visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. The little dragons holding up the organ platform were cute and unexpected in a Catholic church. In size and appearance it doesn't compare to other cathedrals in Europe, some of which are World Heritage Sites, but it was still worth a quick visit.

There is always something happening in the main square adjacent to the cathedral. Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market with foods and plants. The day we were there, after the market had closed about noon, the Luxembourg Peace and Justice League set up a Peace Rally with music and booths and displays of various kinds.
 
Jeremy Tollpuddle (England):
Luxembourg came as a big surprise, basically i was in Belgium and suggested we go to Luxembourg hjust so we could say we have been to Luxembourg!
Upon arrival we founf=d that it was a truley fantastic city and possibly the most picturesque setting (up there with Prague for photogenic appearnce) The old town is the cleanest place i have ever seen, even if the area down by the station is a little grubbier but still repectable.

It is well worth the time to take a stroll to the bottom of the valley and just sit and relax by the fountains, and carry on to the Grund to have a stroll around the lower parts of the town. and from here there is a free lift back up.
A brief word of warning though.
Book accomodation in advance especially if you are on a tight budget, there is only one hostle in the city and it fills up quickly, so if you don't have camping equipment you will have to pay a lot more or go further into the country. But the whole of the country seems to be very nice anyway and equaly as clean!
Luxembourg also is close to Trier which is also UNESCO listed and the train ride is very pleasant along the Mosell River.
Luxembourg is definatly well worth a visit to see one of the most picturesque settings for a city in Europe.
 
L.M. (Luxembourg):
ERm, I kinda live overhere and I think what you said about the language switches is totally true. The thing is that a lot of Dutch people visit Luxembourg and yes, you can recognize them !!

It's also true that the old part of the city is very beautiful and preserved, but I find it kinda hard to find a way to get to it !!

Anyway, greets of L.M.
 
Jim Humberd (USA):
The campsite a few miles south of Luxembourg City was very pleasing, with indoor tennis courts, and good facilities for showers. But perhaps that depends on which shower is used. Jim had no problem, while Emmy had all kinds of problems. Water too hot in one place, not hot enough in another, got her clothes wet in the third, you name it. Jim said the fellows would help her with her shower, if she just came to our side.

Soon after the Battle of the Bulge, Jim’s Brother Paul drove his US Army truck into Luxembourg on the day it was liberated, with a member of the ruling family inside. Jim suggested Paul contact the family. Paul said, “No thanks,” he didn’t care to revisit anywhere near the Battle of the Bulge.
 


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