9/17/24: Luxembourg City at Long Last!

After spending the last three nights in Vianden in north-central Luxembourg, Steven and I headed toward Luxembourg City, the country's capital where we were spending our last two-plus days. We stopped to see our last roadside chapel in Bastendorf en route.

Even though Steven and I were 'castled out' the day before after viewing several of the country's castles, we stopped at the little-known Walferdange Castle located in the small town of the same name in central Luxembourg. William I of the Netherlands, who was also Grand Duke of Luxembourg, built it as a stud farm for breeding horses between 1824 and 1828. 

It was converted into a royal residence by his son, William II, where he stayed when visiting Luxembourg. During the 20th century, the castle was used successively as a hospital, a teacher training college, an army barracks for the American and then the Luxembourg army, and a teaching institute, before it was acquired by the University of Luxembourg in 2003. 

Perhaps the donkey was a university mascot?

After returning the car at the airport and taking an Uber to our new apartment to drop off our bags, we jumped on a local bus located a minute's walk away to take us into the city. One of the huge benefits for anyone visiting Luxembourg is that public transportation is free for locals and tourists alike throughout the country! We'd never experienced that before. 

On the way into the city, we passed the country's only synagogue. 

In one of the central squares where all buses and trams stopped was the Hôtel des Postes de Luxembourg.

The last concert performed by Hungarian composer Frans Liszt took place at Casino Luxembourg. Because of the renovations, we couldn’t fully appreciate the former mansion dating to 1908 that currently hosts rotating contemporary art exhibitions.

The stately Adolphe Bridge over the Petrusse River: 

Towering over the triangular-shaped Place de la Constitution was the Monument of Remembrance more commonly known as Gëlle Fra, Luxembourgish for Golden Lady. If you read the previous posts, you may recall it was a war memorial honoring the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered for the Allies during both World Wars and the Korean War as well as the Luxembourgers who volunteered in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. 

Atop the 21-meter-tall granite obelisk stood a gilded bronze statue representing Nike, the Greek goddess of victory holding out a laurel wreath as if placing it upon the head of the nation. When Luxembourg was occupied by the Nazis in WWII, the Germans dismantled the memorial in the fall of 1940. Fortunately, several portions of the memorial were rescued, and the monument was partially restored after the war. But the Gëlle Fra remained missing until January 1980 when she was found hidden beneath the main stand of the national football stadium! 

The lovely Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg was built in the mid-1600s by the Jesuits and enlarged just before the Second World War.

Tour books acclaim its distinctively elongated black spires but Steven and I were struck by its richly sculpted alabaster columns, tapestries, and stained glass. Let me know what strikes your fancy. 

Above the altar was a highly revered Madonna and Child idol.

The 1897 fresco depicted the Wedding at Cana. 

The crypt, dedicated to St. Peter, is mostly used for confessions, bishops' funeral services, and for the Grand Ducal family.

Two bronze lions bearing the Luxembourg coat-of-arms flank the entrance to Grand Ducal's family burial chapel. They were cast in 1934 and 1937.

From the adjacent Place Guillaume, we had a better view of the very pointy steeples!

The largest building in the square was the Hôtel de Ville or Luxembourg City (LC) Hall, a neoclassical-style building constructed in 1838 mostly from the stones of a Franciscan monastery that occupied the site. 

Taking center stage in the square was the statue of  William II, the King of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, from 1792-1848.

A few minutes’ walk away and also in the center of the city was the Palais Grand Ducal, the official residence and where most of the duties as head of state of the Grand Duchy are performed though his principal residence is elsewhere.

We counted ourselves very lucky that we just happened to be there when the Changing of the Guard took place!

La Maison de Raville was a 16th-century residence where the Lords of Raville lived. We could only peer through the gate to catch this glimpse.

I loved the facade of this building on one of the many pedestrian streets in central Luxembourg. 

The city's famous Hammelsmarch statue portrayed marching bands parading down the street with a flock of sheep. 

For architectural buffs, LC is definitely worth a wander as there are buildings sporting Art Deco and Art Nouveau facades as well as enough other eras all within a few blocks to make your head spin!

We remarked that we hadn't remembered noticing so many independent bookstores before visiting LC. We smiled reading the English-language sign out front!

Nearby was the Saltimbanques or Acrobats statue.

Why don't more cities honor their history and people of note with more than just a street name as LC does?

On our way back to the apartment we'd rented, we passed a pretty park and appreciated the fact you could walk wherever you wanted, unlike the parks we'd recently visited in Japan.

In the past, because some readers have expressed interest in where we stay when we travel, I'll try and include some photos from time to time. Our abode in LC was a winner!

Next post: Walking along the Corniche, described as Europe's most beautiful balcony!

Posted on October 23rd, 2024 on our last night in Tozeur, Tunisia where we've seen more than a few mosques, more than a few oases, and enough desert over the last few days to last us both a good long while! Please take extra special care of yourself and your loved ones.