City of bridges from the past to the future
The first watchtower appeared here back in the 4th century AD, but the city, whose name translates as “little fortress,” traces its origins to a fortification built on the Bock rock in 963 by order of Count Siegfried of Ardennes. For several centuries it remained impregnable to foreigners.
Part of these bastions has survived to this day, although starting from the 15th century numerous conquerors—Burgundian, French, Spanish, Austrian, Prussian—swept through Luxembourg in powerful waves. The city was sacked many times, but its residents stubbornly restored its viaducts, houses, and temples. Moreover, the best military engineers of the conquerors themselves, in turn, over more than four centuries made a considerable contribution to the construction of the Northern Gibraltar, in order to protect themselves from other conquistadors. As a result, as many as three fortification belts arose here. So Luxembourg can be considered one of the first fruits of all-European cooperation in construction.
Deep antiquity...
From the height of any of the nearly a hundred large bridges and viaducts thrown across the gorges, along the bottom of which the once full-flowing rivers Alzette and Pétrusse flow, an unforgettable panorama opens up, unique for a European urban landscape.
The rocky slopes on several levels are dotted with black tiled roofs of small villas, which gives Luxembourg an impression of multi-storey height, especially in the evening when streets and squares are brightly lit. This is emphasized by the huge elevator operating on Place du Saint-Esprit, which connects the lower and upper parts of the city, with its shaft height of 80 m, as well as one of the tourist routes—the so-called Corniche Boulevard, which allows you to admire not only the views of the gorge but also the local architecture. You can descend into the labyrinth of casemates cut into the rocks many centuries ago and extending for 17 km, with some sections also having several levels and reaching a depth of 40 m. They more than once saved local residents from foreign invaders, and during the First and Second World Wars, more than 30 thousand people could take shelter in them from aerial bombing at the same time. In 1994, UNESCO declared the surviving fortifications, along with the old part of the city, a World Heritage Site.
The upper level of the old town, with its cobblestone pavements running down to steep paved streets and even staircases leading to the valleys of the Alzette and Pétrusse, differs little from similar places in the cities of neighboring Germany, France, Belgium, or the not-so-distant Netherlands: here the spirit of antiquity is preserved and, despite the bustling modern life, cultivated. So, were it not for the signs of numerous small restaurants and cafes around the cozy Place d'Armes, one could easily film scenes of medieval knights' tournaments for historical movies on it and in the surrounding pedestrian zone. There are many such squares in Luxembourg, and before holidays they are brightened up with colorful tent pavilions, where souvenirs, beer, and snacks are sold until late, and in winter mulled wine is poured from large heated steel vats; townspeople and numerous foreign tourists enjoy themselves to the music of brass bands and cheer on street performers.
The architecture of the Royal Boulevard and Avenue de la Liberté contrasts with the ancient squares and ochre-colored buildings, where the headquarters of local and branches of numerous foreign banks and insurance companies are concentrated. Over the past 40 years, Luxembourg, thanks to its geographical position and liberal legislation, has become one of the largest financial centers not only in Europe but also in the whole world, and highly paid “white-collar” workers now almost prevail among the residents of the duchy.
...and modernity
In the morning, the ringing of church bells gives this city, immersed in park greenery, a special patriarchal calm and sedateness. However, it is enough to cross the 355-meter road-and-pedestrian bridge named after Grand Duchess Charlotte, thrown over the deep gorge in 1966, and you find yourself on the Kirchberg plateau, where buildings of modern architecture are freely located and where the country's tallest 22-story structure stands. The flags of 25 states fluttering on high masts and the blue banner of the European Union testify that this is the district where part of the EU institutions are concentrated, which long ago chose the homeland of one of its “fathers,” Robert Schuman. It was he who, while Minister of Foreign Affairs of France on May 9, 1950, issued his famous Declaration calling on the FRG government to put an end to strife and begin a qualitatively new stage in bilateral relations. Less than a year later, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was created—the prototype of the future European Economic Community, now the European Union.
The small, charming house of this outstanding statesman (1886–1965), who was one of the initiators of creating a united Europe, is among the city's landmarks. Now the building houses the European Studies Center bearing his name.
Today Luxembourg, along with Brussels and Strasbourg, is rightly considered the capital of a united Europe, not only because the Grand Duchy was one of the six founding countries. According to another strategist of the future European Union, the Frenchman Jean Monnet, “this small city has become a true crossroads of Europe.”
Indeed, the fact that the city's name translates as "little fortress" does not at all contradict its openness to the outside world for most of its history, which is characteristic of the national character of the Luxembourgers. This was appreciated, for example, by the great Hugo and Goethe, who lived in the city at different times. Luxembourgers maintain traditional friendly relations primarily with their neighbors - the French, Germans and Belgians, but people from many other countries also feel comfortable here. Almost all townspeople and other residents are fluent in three languages: French and German, along with the local Letzeburgesch, which is also declared an official language. At the same time, they carefully preserve their identity and do not intend to dissolve among the populations of the large neighboring countries. It is no coincidence that one of the ancient slogans of the inhabitants of the miniature state says: "We want to remain who we are."
Living memory
Luxembourg is rich in theaters, museums, art galleries, ancient churches and numerous monuments. Among the monuments and memorial plaques, many are dedicated to the last world war, from which the population of this then neutral country suffered, perhaps more than anyone else, in proportion to the number of losses it incurred. It was in the Grand Duchy in 1942 that the first general strike in Western Europe against conscription into the occupation army took place, which came as a surprise to the invaders...
On Cannon Hill, the flame of the eternal fire flickers at the National Monument of Solidarity, erected in honor of the participants of the Resistance movement against the fascist occupiers and all those who died in that terrible conflict. Nearby, on the tiny Constitution Square, a tall stone stele crowned with a Golden Woman reminds of the Luxembourg soldiers who died since the First World War. In 1940, the monument was destroyed by the Nazis, but then restored to its original form. And next to the city's central railway station is the Deportation Memorial - a former holding facility where unreliable people were kept before being sent to concentration camps.
There are other memorials in Luxembourg. The American and German military cemeteries are carefully maintained. At the first, more than five thousand white crosses rise, including over the grave of General George Patton, who died together with American soldiers and officers in the winter of 1944-45 in the Battle of the Bulge. One of the city's avenues bears his name. The German cemetery has about 11 thousand graves, including those remaining from the First World War...
It seems that the desire to prevent new military conflicts in Europe at one time served as an important stimulus for economic and political integration in this country, and not only with its neighbors. Since the creation of the association, miniature Luxembourg has traditionally played a prominent role in European politics, which is especially evident during its presidencies of the European Union. Much is expected from the Grand Duchy in this half-year as well, when its government, at the head of 25 countries, has to solve complex tasks.