Luxembourg City

To some people the name Luxembourg is synonymous with the now defunct Radio Luxembourg and to others it is merely a place to stop off, en route to the south, to buy cheap petrol and cigarettes. People have been travelling through Luxembourg for centuries. The Vikings went south and the Spaniards went north, conquering people and trampling the little country underfoot. I have been stopped here for 21 years now.

The jewel of its crown is the capital, also called Luxembourg, and its old quarter. It was nominated European capital of the year 1995 and much money was spent in restoring parts of the old city.




Built on an outcrop of cliffs and protected on two sides by river valleys, it was the obvious site for a fortified city.



Now the fortifications have become the central attraction for a popular walk, called the Wenzel walk, which shows off the city to its best advantage.



In the summer the garden allotments built into the hillside are alive with birdsong and the buzz of contented bees. Swallows fly through the air questing for insects.
Today the quadrangle outside the Neumunster Abbey is a Sunday morning jazz venue and exhibition area, while the old prison now hosts exhibitions.




Cobbled streets twist up the hillside towards the old commercial part of the town with names like Fish Market and Butchers Street. The beautiful baroque church is home to one of the rare statues of a black Madonna.

Here you can visit the History of the City of Luxembourg museum, one of the best museums I have ever visited. Starting at the bottom you climb up through the centuries of the city’s history until you reach the modern day exhibits. The lifts have glass walls so that you can see the older rock structure as you move upwards through time. Wooden “maquettes” illustrate the growth of the city over the last few centuries.

On a sunny day there is no better place to go for a walk, sit in the sun with a drink and admire the view.



Luxembourg is, of course, famous for its food – mostly French but served in Germanic portions!