RSSThe city of Luxembourg is one of the most spectacularly sited capitals in Europe amidst the deep canyons of its two rivers, the Alzette and Pétrusse, lending it an almost perfect strategic location. It is not only the country's capital but also one of the three capitals of the European Community.
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It is the headquarters of the European Court of Justice and of the European Investment Bank and is one of the three seats of the European Parliament, since Luxembourg was the birthplace of Robert Schuman, often called the "Father of Europe" because of his role in bringing together the original European Economic Community. |
But despite the banks and Euro-office blocks, the city has retained plenty of its small-scale, almost provincial ambiences. The city is broadly divided into three distinct sections. The Old Town, on the northern side of the Pétrusse valley is not very ancient, but its tight grid of streets, home to most of the city's sights, makes for a pleasant, lively area by day. On the opposite side of the Pétrusse, connected by two bridges, the Pont Adolphe and Pasarelle, lies the modern city - the location of the city's train station and main hotels. The valleys themselves, far below and most easily accessible by lift from place St-Esprit, are a curious mixture of houses, allotments and parkland, banking steeply up to the massive bastions that secure the old centre.
The Old Town focuses on two squares, the most important of which is Place d'Armes, fringed with cafés and restaurants. To the north lie the city's principal shops, mainly along Grand Rue, while on the southern side a small alley cuts through to the larger place Guillaume, the venue of Luxembourg's main general market on Wednesday and Friday. A block away is the Ruritanian Palais Grand-Ducal, originally the town hall, but adopted by the Luxembourg royals as their residence in the nineteenth century.
