Luxembourg

My Luxembourg travel summary:

Visited: July 2013

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: Luxembourg city

Population: 610.000 (2013)

Luxembourg travel blog reading time: 5 minutes

• An organized, calm, and peaceful city, perfect for exploring by bicycle or on foot.
• Kirchberg – modern part of Luxembourg City with European Investment Bank and the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce.
• European Court of Justice ensures that EU law is interpreted and applied.
• Enjoying open air activities, positive vibe and atmosphere in central.
• Overgrown grass along the pathways, up to half meter high.

This small landlocked country in Western Europe, bordering Belgium, Germany and France is among the world’s richest and most expensive to visit. Furthermore, it is among the smallest nations in Europe, covering an area of only 2,586 square kilometers.

UNESCO declared Luxembourg City, with its old quarters and fortifications, a World Heritage Site in 1994. It is one of the four capitals of European Union, hosting Court of Justice of the European Union.

Luxembourg’s culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its French and German neighbors.

My Luxembourg travel adventure was focused on an extended weekend in the capital city, where I found most of the historic and modern landmarks. The impact of EU institutions in such a small place is very obvious.

Luxembourg has an interesting mix of ancient buildings and modern structures. I could see 16^th -century constructions alongside the European Court of Justice. From City Hall to Galleries Lafayette, from the neo-Renaissance Savings Bank to the European Investment Bank. The city blends old and new beautifully.

I stayed at a hotel in Luxembourg City for three nights, enjoying easy access to the city’s main attractions. Although people often call Luxembourg City small and compact, I found the distances surprisingly long when travelling around by bicycle.

Combining the primary points of interests with the central park and a wide network of cycling lanes, the best option to explore the city is on a bicycle and walking.

The city features many parks and gardens, with landscaped greenery as well as sections of natural, untamed grass.

The Municipal Park is just a short walk from the city center. Old trees provide shade, fountains entertain children, and plenty of seating allows visitors to relax and enjoy the greenery.

I enjoyed watching the variety of informal activities in the early afternoon. People practiced tai chi, office workers in suits ate lunch on the grass, and young boys balanced on a suspended webbing between trees.

Many of Luxembourg residents are foreigners, who leave the city over the weekend, therefore is rather empty and quiet.

Le Chemine de la Corniche, also known as the most beautiful balcony in Europe, offers magnificent view over the city across the river canyon to massive defense walls.

Historic Old Quarter consists of beautifully laid out parks and gardens, while the charming old homes and buildings line its cobbled streets. Dubbed the Gibraltar of the North, the impenetrable ancient fortress stood until authorities dismantled it from 1867 to 1883.

I spent a few enjoyable hours exploring this site, highlighted by numerous bridges, including the stunning Adolphe Bridge. An unofficial national symbol, representing Luxembourg’s independence, was built between 1900 and 1903. At that time, the bridge attracted great international interest because it featured the world’s largest stone arch.

The Grand Ducal Palace is another must-see place to visit in Luxembourg City. This gorgeous Renaissance building dates from 1572 and serves as the official residence of the country’s reigning monarch, Grand Duke Henri. The palace hosts foreign heads of state during official visits to Luxembourg.

Stores and corporate offices dominate the central district. The area is lively, with streets mostly reserved for pedestrians, making driving difficult.

Luxembourg was one of the founding countries of the present-day European Union, along with Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and The Netherlands. In 1952, Luxemburg city became the temporary headquarters of the European Coal and Steel Community and the first capital of Europe.

The original initiative probably granted this tiny country special privileges within the modern European Union on a long term. Therefore, future benefits, special status, or extensive welfare based on its European role should not be a concern.

Although the European Union has never listed Luxembourg on its blacklist of noncooperative countries for tax purposes, it is publicly known that there is a special treatment for international corporations getting privileged position comparing to other EU member countries.

Luxembourg City is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union (together with Brussels, Frankfurt and Strasbourg) and the seat of several EU institutions, notably the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority.

Most of the European institutions present in the Grand Duchy operate from the European quarter – Porte de l’Europe on the Kirchberg plateau. The European institutions started as a small enclave on the Kirchberg plateau east of Luxembourg City. Today this is a bustling center of a manifold of activities with a huge impact on the cityscape. They employ over 14,000 people from every part of the European Union.

One of the most remarkable landmarks of Luxembourg is The Philharmonie Luxembourg Authorities commissioned a concert hall on the Kirchberg Plateau in 1997 and completed it in 2005.

The Grand Auditorium with its extraordinary architecture and design can accommodate up to 1,500 listeners. Other two halls are much smaller.

The world’s richest country makes an excellent weekend travel destination during the summer. A combination of historic old town, new European institutions, a mix of nationalities and international cuisine is best explored on a bike or walking.

Even though Luxembourg City is expensive, travelers can still explore it on a reasonable budget and enjoy it fully.

For me, the open-air bars and relaxed activities in the Municipal Park were more memorable than ticking off every tourist landmark. The only exception was some modern buildings in the Kirchberg Plateau.