The ARBED building is the generally used name for the former headquarters of

ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturing corporation, headquartered in Luxembourg City. It is ranked second on the list of steel producers behind Baowu, and had an annual crude steel production of 58 millio ...

and one of its predecessors, the ARBED steel manufacturing company, which was completed in 1922 on the Avenue de la Liberté, opposite the Rose Garden in

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

. The architect was the Frenchman René Théry, and construction was overseen by

Sosthène Weis Sosthène Weis (29 January 1872 – 28 July 1941) was a prolific Luxembourgish artist who painted over 5,000 watercolors, mostly of Luxembourg City and its surroundings. He also worked as an architect, designing some of Luxembourg's most imposing b ...

.Robert L. Philippart, "Le palais de l'ARBED"
, ''Forum'' No. 304, page 21-. Retrieved 17 October 2013.

Description

The building stands on a plot of 59,37 acres, and contains 15,000 square-metres of usable space. When the building was opened, it also included salons, smoking rooms, conference rooms, a restaurant, a library, a ceremonial hall, a bowling lane and a gym. Its style is inspired by French châteaux of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was built of steel and reinforced concrete, but the façade is made of sandstone. Over the main entrance is a sculpture by

René Rozet Auguste René Rozet (1858–1939) was a French sculptor and medalist. He produced portrait medallions, portrait busts, tympanum, and statuettes. A common subject of his work was children. Biography He was born on 14 May 1858 in Paris. Rozet s ...

, which shows Victoria crowning Mercury, in the presence of an

allegorical sculpture Allegorical sculpture are sculptures of personifications of abstract ideas, as in allegory. Common in the western world, for example, are statues of Lady Justice representing justice, traditionally holding scales and a sword, and the statues of P ...

representing science. At their feet are coins and a cog, which symbolise the economic success of industry. Next to them are

putti A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and very often winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University ...

carrying a globe made of copper, a reference to the world-wide activity of business. Some sculptures on the façade are by Duilio Donzelli.

History

After ARBED emerged from World War I in a strong position, having bought some of the steel plants that Gelsenkirchener Hütten A.G. was forced to sell due to the German defeat, it quickly decided to build a new, grand HQ for their central administration. Its staff picked a spot in the railway quarter, along the axis between the Adolphe Bridge and the railway station. The French architect René Théry designed the building, and Sosthène Weis oversaw construction. After Théry's death in 1922, Weis continued work alone. It was inaugurated on 9 December 1922. During the

German occupation of Luxembourg during World War II The German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II began in May 1940 after the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was invaded by Nazi Germany. Although Luxembourg was officially neutral, it was situated at a strategic point at the end of the French M ...

, the ''

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...

'' Gustav Simon installed his headquarters in a wing of the building. In 2002, ARBED merged with other European steel companies to form

Arcelor Arcelor S.A. was the world's largest steel producer in terms of turnover and the second largest in terms of steel output, with a turnover of €30.2 billion and shipments of 45 million metric tons of steel in 2004. The company was created in 2002 ...

, which in turn merged with Mittal Steel in 2006 to form

, and the building changed ownership accordingly. ArcelorMittal no longer used the building as its headquarters, but used it for training. In November 2012 ArcelorMittal announced that it would not use the building from 2013, due to the high maintenance costs. A procedure was then started to have the building registered as a national monument. The city council consented to this on 28 January 2013, and registration was complete on 4 April 2013. Though some members of the Chamber of Deputies expressed concern over the fate of the iconic building, suggesting it could house a public cultural institution in future, the government declared on 20 April 2013 it had no intention of purchasing the building, citing the state's financial constraints.

Description

History

Notes

Further reading