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Location of Luxembourg in Luxembourg
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| District | Luxembourg | |||
| Canton | Luxembourg | |||
| Area | 51.46 km² | |||
| Population | 76,420 (2005) | |||
| List of communes of Luxembourg | ||||
The city of Luxembourg (German: Luxemburg, Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg), population 82,268 (2002), is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Located at the conjunction of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers, it is a banking and administrative center. The city is located at 49°36' North, 6° 8' East (49.6, 6.1333). 1
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History
In the Roman era, a fortified tower guarded the crossing of two roman roads that met at the site of Luxembourg city. Through an exchange treaty with the abbey of St. Maximin in Trier in 963, Sigfrid I of the Ardennes, a close relative of King Louis II of France and Emperor Otto I the Great of the Holy Roman Empire, acquired the feudal lands of Luxembourg. Sigfrid built his castle, named Lucilinburhuc ("small castle"), on the Bock, mentioned for the first time in the aforementioned exchange treaty.
In 987, the Archbishop of Trier, Egbert (977a href="993.html" title="993">993), blessed five altars in the Church of the Redemption (today St. Michael's Church). At a Roman road intersection near the church, a marketplace appeared around which the city developed.
Fortifications
The city, for reasons of its location and natural geography, has through history been a place of strategic military significance. The first fortifications were built as early as the 10th century. By the end of the 12th century, as the city expanded westward around the new St. Nicholas Church (today the cathedral of Notre Dame), new walls were built that included an area of 5 hectares.
In about 1340, under the reign of John the Blind, new fortifications were built that stood until the dismantlement of 1867, when the Duchy of Luxembourg attained independence and asserted neutrality. This neutrality was disregarded by Germany on the occasions of both World War I and World War II when Luxembourg was invaded. In 1952 the city became the headquarters of the European Coal and Steel Community.
In 1443, the Burgundians under Philip the Good conquered Luxembourg. Luxembourg becomes part of the Burgundian, and later Spanish and Austrian empires. By the 16th century, Luxembourg was one of the strongest fortifications in Europe. Subsequently, the Burgundians, the Spanish, the French, the Spanish again, the Austrians, the French again, and the Prussians conquered Luxembourg. The Austrians, who occupied Luxembourg from 1715 to 1795, further expanded the fortifications to withstand a possible French assault.
In the 17th century, the first casemates were built: 23 km of galleries and rooms. They served as storage places for artillery, shelters from enemy fire and allowed the movement of troops between the inner and outer fortifications.
Places of Interest
Places of interest include the neogothic Cathedral of Notre Dame, the fortifications, the grand-ducal palace, the Gëlle Fra (war memorial), the casemates, the Neumünster abbey, the Place d'Armes, the Adolphe Bridge and the city hall. The city is the seat of a university, Radio Luxembourg, and several institutions of the European Union, including the European Court of Justice, the secretary general of the European Parliament, the European Court of Auditors and the European Investment Bank, the preponderance of which are located in the area of the city known as Kirchberg.
Mayors of Luxembourg since 1800
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| François Scheffer | 1800-1802 |
| Jean-Baptiste Servais | 1803-1811 |
| Charles Baron de Tornaco | 1811-1814 |
| Bonaventure Dutreux-Boch | 1814-1816 |
| François Scheffer | 1816-1817 |
| Constantin Joseph Pescatore | 1817-1820 |
| François Scheffer | 1820-1822 |
| François Röser | 1822-1827 |
| François Scheffer | 1827-1843 |
| Fernand Pescatore | 1844-1848 |
| Jean-Pierre David Heldenstein | 1848-1850 |
| Gabriel de Marie | 1850-1854 |
| Jean-Pierre David Heldenstein | 1855-1865 |
| Théodore Eberhard | 1865-1869 |
| Jean Mersch-Wittenauer | 1869-1873 |
| Charles Simonis | 1873-1875 |
| Emmanuel Servais | 1875-1890 |
| Alexis Brasseur | 1890-1894 |
| Emile Mousel | 1894-1904 |
| Alphonse Munchen | 1905-1914 |
| Léandre Lacroix | 1914-1918 |
| Luc Housse | 1918-1920 |
| Gaston Diderich | 1921-1946 |
| Emile Hamilius | 1946-1963 |
| Paul Wilwertz | 1964-1969 |
| Colette Flesch | 1970-1980 |
| Camille Polfer | 1980-1981 |
| Lydie Wurth-Polfer | 1982-1999 |
| Paul Helminger | since 1999 |