Unfortunately, our unplanned stay in Luxembourg City only lasted 3 hours. But during this time, we were still able to gain an initial insight that we liked so much that we want to come back.
Tours of the city can be booked through the tourist information office. There are also tours in German. It’s best to just ask!
I tried to retrace the approximate route later and think I’ve found the most important points. Here is the map of the route.
Place Guillaume II
We start our tour of Luxembourg City in front of the tourist information office on Place Guillaume II. This square, which is called Wilhemsplatz in German, is very centrally located and is named after William II, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
In the middle of the 13th century, there was a church and a monastery on the square. After the monastery was confiscated by the French in 1797, it gradually began to be demolished. Today, the large square around the impressive equestrian statue is used as a marketplace.
The equestrian statue of William II.
The impressive equestrian statue of William II stands on Place Guillaume. He reigned from 1840 to 1849 and gave the Grand Duchy its first parliamentary constitution, one of the most liberal in Europe at the time. The bronze statue shows a horse with the King and Grand Duke sitting gracefully on its saddle. The horse is facing the palace and the ruler is also looking towards it. The pedestal shows the coats of arms of the House of Orange-Nassau and Luxembourg and the coats of arms of the cantons of Luxembourg.
The statue was only created after Wilhelm’s death. Is it true that the position of the horse’s legs in equestrian statues shows whether the rider died a natural or unnatural death? In any case, there is an assumption that this is the case. In any case, Wilhelm’s horse has raised its left front leg and died of natural causes. I will pay closer attention to this in future.
National Museum of History and Art
The National Museum of History and Art presents works of art and artifacts from Luxembourg’s history. The current museum was founded in 1845 by the Society for the Study and Preservation of Historical Monuments in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The museum is located on the fish market, the oldest part of the old town. Some very old houses still stand around the square.
In 1997, the decision was made to modernize and expand the exhibition space. It was possible to double the space without having to purchase additional real estate. To this end, 5 new underground floors were created in the rock of the city. The old façade of the building was given a modern windowless façade to give the building a modern appearance. The building was completed in 2002, but there was still not enough space. A number of adjacent buildings were purchased, renovated and connected to the main building with a glass pedestrian bridge.
It is worth taking a short walk into the entrance area of the museum. Here you can take a look down into the depths and see the newly designed underground floors. If you have a little more time, you can discover topics such as archaeology, arts and crafts, folk art, coin collections and the “fine arts” from Luxembourg.
Panorama elevator Pfaffenthal
The upper city center with the old town of Luxembourg City is located over 70 meters above the Pfaffenthal district, which lies in the Alzette valley. A difference in altitude that can now be overcome very easily. A glass elevator connects the two parts of the city. It can be used free of charge and even bicycles fit in the elevator car.
During the ride, you can enjoy a unique view and see large areas of the Pfaffenthal.
The elevator operates daily from 5:45 am to 1 am. Maintenance work is only carried out on the first Monday of the month from 9 a.m. and the elevator is not available again until the next day.
Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge
Popularly known as the Rout Bréck, or “Red Bridge”, the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge spans the Alzette valley. It connects the city center with the European Quarter and is one of the city’s most important traffic arteries.
The bridge is 355 meters long and runs at a height of 75 meters. Today, two lanes in each direction, two streetcar tracks and footpaths and cycle paths cross the bridge.
I find one story connected with the construction of the bridge particularly remarkable. Before the bridge could be officially opened to traffic in 1965, a load test had to be carried out. This required a certain amount of weight to be placed on the bridge. As Luxembourg had no tanks, these were borrowed from neighboring Belgium. As a result, 12 Belgian tanks with a total weight of 42 tons came to Luxembourg for the load test and drove over the bridge.
The color of the bridge was disputed even before construction began. In the end, those responsible decided to paint the bridge chimney red. The rumor still persists that the bridge is hardly protected against rust. The color of the bridge only comes about because the rust shines through. However, this claim is false.
Neumünster Abbey
Neumünster Abbey (Abtei Neimënster) is located in the Grund district. From a path along the old fortifications in the old town above, you have a good view of the complex.
Today we know from excavations that in the 12th and 13th centuries, craft businesses were located on the banks of the Alzette. These were mainly trades that needed the river’s water, such as weavers, dyers and, in the 17th century, tanners.
The monks of the Benedictine order came to Grund around 1606. Their original Altmünster Abbey had been damaged by sieges and they decided to make a fresh start with a new building in a new location. An abbey church and four abbey buildings were built, surrounding an inner courtyard. The mortal remains of the Bohemian King John of Luxembourg, who was buried in Altmünster, were transferred to Neumünster by the monks.
In 1796, the French revolutionary authorities secularized all monasteries and expropriated the order. From 1815, the troops of the German Confederation stationed in Luxembourg used the church and the buildings were converted into a military hospital. After the troops withdrew in 1867, the state took over the building. It then became a men’s prison (until 1980). Today, the old abbey is used as a venue for events and as a cultural meeting place.
Gëlle Fra
The Gëlle Fra or Golden Woman is a monument on the Place de la Constitution in Luxembourg City.
The monument was erected after the First World War to commemorate Luxembourgers who voluntarily served in the French or Belgian armies and died during the war.
The Gëlle woman is a gilded bronze statue modeled on the ancient goddess Nike of Paionis. She holds up a laurel wreath. At the base are bronze figures depicting a fallen freedom fighter and a mourner. Both are wearing antique clothing and not uniforms. In this way, the artist wanted to give the figures universal validity.
From 1923 until 21 October 1940, the Gëlle Fra symbolized the freedom and independence of Luxembourg for the population. After the German Wehrmacht invaded the country, there were several attempts by the civil administration to destroy the monument. The attempts failed, as the population resisted and construction companies refused to carry out the work. On October 21, 1940, the pedestal was finally torn down with the help of steel cables and a roller. The bronze figures on the pedestal were saved in time. Unfortunately, the golden woman broke into three pieces. Unknown persons hid them from destruction. It was not until 35 years later (1980) that the individual parts were found again under the stands of the Josy Barthel Stadium. In 1985, the Golden Lady was reinstalled and ceremoniously inaugurated.
Today, the memorial commemorates not only those who died in the First World War, but also those who died in the Second World War and the Korean War. Wreath-laying ceremonies are held at the memorial on certain days, for example on September 10 on Liberation Day or on September 21 on the day of the patron saint St. Matthew.
Ponte Adolphe
The Adolphe Bridge or “New Bridge” runs over the Petruss Valley and connects the Boulevard Royal in the old town with the station district. It was named after the Grand Duke Adolph.
The bridge is one of the largest stone arch bridges in the world. It is 153 meters long. The double arch spans a distance of over 84 meters. Over 2800 m³ of sandstone was used just for this arch. There is a reinforced concrete bridge slab on the bridge, which spans four lanes and a footpath on each side.
Since 2017, there has been a suspension bridge for pedestrians and cyclists below the bridge. A beautiful way to cross the bridge and take a look down into the valley.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg
The Roman Catholic church is known in Luxembourg City as Cathédrale Notre-Dame or Mariendom. The cathedral stands on the exact spot where a Jesuit church once stood. After the abolition of the order, the sovereign Empress Maria Theresa transferred the church to the city parish in 1778. It has been dedicated to Our Lady of Luxembourg since 1844 and was elevated to the rank of cathedral in 1870.
The building is built in the late Gothic style, but there are also Renaissance and early Baroque elements. The historic main façade is located on the north side (Rue Notre Dame). Here you can see an impressive entrance portal with the coat of arms of Archduke Albrecht VII of Habsburg emblazoned on the pediment. At the time of its construction, the Archduke was regent of the Spanish Netherlands, to which Luxembourg also belonged.
Between 1935 and 1938, the cathedral was extended to the south. A new entrance portal, the Marian portal, with a large statue of the Virgin Mary was also built. From this entrance, visitors can now access the newly created choir and the crypt of the cathedral. During the entire redesign, the architects took care to ensure that the building blended harmoniously into the cityscape and matched the 17th century Atheneum building, the National Library, the old St. Maximin refuge (1751) (now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the surrounding older residential buildings.
If you walk through the cathedral, you can admire the beautiful windows, which make the light entering the nave very special. The grand ducal gallery is located on the east side of the nave. However, this is not used by the ducal family. They prefer to sit where all the other visitors do. I particularly like the beautiful ribbed vault that rises high above the nave. If you look closely, you can discover a special feature in the nave. The 12 columns in the Gothic hall all have a different design. There are still remnants of the old historic painting of the nave on two of the columns.
One painting in particular catches my eye in the church. It is thought to be a work by Rubens or one of his pupils.
The crypt of the cathedral contains the tombs of the Grand Ducal family and the bishops of the Archbishopric of Luxembourg.
Monument to Grand Duchess Charlotte
Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg (1895-1985) was sovereign of the country from 1919 to 1964 and was greatly admired by her compatriots. A monument was erected in her honor on Clairefontaine Square in 1990.
The bronze statue is 2.75 meters high. It shows a woman in a wide coat. Her right arm is raised and her open palm is pointing towards the sky.
Luxembourg City History Museum
The Luxembourg City History Museum (Lëtzebuerg City Museum) is located in the old town. It is housed in four historic houses built between the 17th and 19th centuries. Modern connections have been created between the buildings, making it possible to visit without having to leave the houses. I found it particularly interesting that old foundations from the Middle Ages were uncovered and integrated into the museum. If you get into the huge glass elevator in the museum, which moves very slowly (it can take up to 65 people), you travel up the old walls and can see the structure of the building very clearly.
The museum is all about Luxembourg City. The permanent exhibition “The Luxembourg Story” deals with over a thousand years of history. This is presented in a particularly impressive way using large models of the city, each of which depicts the structure of a particular era. Multimedia elements support the presentation and bring history to life.
The museum is also home to the UNESCO Visitor Center. This was opened on the 25th anniversary of the inscription of the “Luxembourg, Old Town and Fortresses” site on the UNESCO list. Visitors to the Visitor Center can obtain the most important information about the World Heritage Site.
Grand Ducal Palace
The Palais Grand-Ducal or Grand Ducal Palace is located in the old town of Luxembourg City. It is the city residence of the Grand Ducal family and can be visited during the summer months with an exclusive guided tour.
Originally, part of the building served as the town hall for many centuries. In 1741, the stone railing of the balcony was replaced by the wrought-iron railing we see today. In the middle of the 18th century, the building was extended on the right-hand side. The town weigh house was then located here. In 1860, the Chamber of Deputies moved into the right-hand building complex and in 1890 the Grand Ducal family moved into the main building.
There is always a guard in front of the house. The changing of the guard takes place regularly in a fixed ceremony.
How can you tell if the Grand Duke is present in the palace? Clearly, his flag is flying on the roof. There was no flag flying during our visit, so he was not at home.
Off the tour
If you don’t quite stick to the tour, you will discover one or two other places. We were particularly impressed by the fantastic views and the former fortifications.
The visit to Luxembourg took place in cooperation with Luxembourg for Tourism/Visit Luxembourg.
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