Esch-sur-Alzette (, ; ; or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is a city in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

and the country's second-most populous commune, with a population of 36,625 inhabitants, . It lies in the south-west of the country, on the border with France and in the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

of the

Alzette The Alzette (; ; ) is a river with a length of in France and Luxembourg. It is a right tributary of the Sauer (a tributary to the Moselle), and ultimately to the Rhine. It rises in Thil near the town Villerupt in the Meurthe-et-Moselle '' ...

, which flows through the city. The city is usually referred to as just Esch; however, the full name distinguishes it from the village and commune of

Esch-sur-Sûre Esch-sur-Sûre (, ; , ; , ) is a commune and small town in north-western Luxembourg, situated in the canton of Wiltz. At one point it was the second smallest commune by area in Luxembourg (after Remich), until Neunhausen and Heiderscheid were ...

which lies further north. The country's capital,

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 ...

, is roughly to the north-east. Esch was selected as the

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

for 2022, alongside

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

and

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

History

The town was mentioned for the first time in 12 April 1128 in a message for Pope

Honorius II Pope Honorius II (9 February 1060 – 13 February 1130), born Lamberto Scannabecchi,Levillain, pg. 731 was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 December 1124 to his death in 1130. Although from a humble background, ...

. For a long time Esch was a small farming village in the valley of the Uelzecht river. This changed when important amounts of iron ore were found in the area in the 1850s. With the development of the mines and the

steel industry Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the ...

the town's population multiplied tenfold in a couple of decades. In 1911 the steel- and iron-producing company

ARBED The Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange ( French; literally "United Steelworks of Burbach-Eich-Dudelange"), better known by its acronym ARBED, was a major Luxembourg-based steel- and iron-producing company. Created in 1911 after the merg ...

was founded. The development of the steel industry, especially in the south of the country, provided Luxembourg with sustained economic growth during the second half of the 19th century. In the 1970s, as a result of the

steel crisis Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of ...

, the mines and many of the blast furnaces were shut down, the last one, in Esch-Belval, definitively halting its operations in 1997. The blast furnaces were replaced by an electric furnace that is fed with scrap metal rather than iron ore. Today the industrial wastelands on Belval left behind by the steel industry, are being redeveloped and converted into a new, modern town quarter. New cultural buildings such as the cinema Kinepolis Belval in the Belval Plaza shopping mall and the

Rockhal The Rockhal, officially Centre de Musiques Amplifiées, is a concert hall in Esch-sur-Alzette, in southern Luxembourg. It opened on 23 September 2005, has a maximum capacity of 6,500 people and is sited on the former industrial site of Belval, Lu ...

, Luxembourg's biggest concert hall have been made. The area around the old blast furnaces will host different structures of the

University of Luxembourg The University of Luxembourg (French language, French: ''Université du Luxembourg''; German language, German: ''Universität Luxemburg''; Luxembourgish language, Luxembourgish: ''Universitéit Lëtzebuerg'') is a Public university, public researc ...

, many research centres and the national archives.

Government and politics

Local

Esch is governed by its communal council, consisting of 19 councillors. Communal elections take place every 6 years, under a system of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

. Currently the mayor is Christian Weis, of the

Christian Social People's Party The Christian Social People's Party (, , ; CSV or PCS) is the largest political party in Luxembourg. The party follows a Christian democratic and conservative ideology and has been described as centre to centre-right. Furthermore, akin to most ...

(CSV). The governing majority on the council consists of the CSV, the DP and The Greens.

Demographics

Places of interest

The Lankelz miniature railway operates on Sunday afternoons and public holidays from May to mid-October. Esch is home to the Esch Conservatory of Music. The city has the longest shopping street in Luxembourg.

Culture

Film production

In 2001, a Luxembourg film production company had depicted a 40,000 m² and 15 meter high backdrop built for the feature film

Secret Passage Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow pe ...

with

John Turturro John Michael Turturro ( ; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his varied roles in independent films, and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers and Spike Lee. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award a ...

on the ''Terre Rouge'', a site of a former steelwork in Esch-sur Alzette. The filmset represents the contemporary

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

of the 16th century with a 600 meter long copy of the Grand Canal and 118 house facades. The "Venice-sur-Alzette" was built for around 5 million Euro and was one of the largest open-air film sets in European film history. Between 2001 and 2007 many film productions used the gigantic filmset. Among others the feature films ''The Merchant of Venice'' with

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

and ''The Girl with the Pearl Earring'' with

Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress and singer. The List of highest-paid film actors, world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has been featured multiple times on the Forbes Celebrity 100, ''F ...

were shot in Esch. In the summer of 2007, the filmset was torn down because the weather was affecting the buildings.

European Capital of Culture for 2022

The city of Esch-sur-Alzette was selected as the

for 2022, alongside

and

Transport

Esch-sur-Alzette railway station 2025-04 --2

Esch is connected by the bus lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 15, and 17 of the communal public transport company T.I.C.E (''transports intercommunales du canton Esch/Alzette'', intercommunal transportation of the canton Esch/Alzette), their maintenance depot and headquarter is situated in Esch, and Esch also is connected by lines 307, 312, 313 and 314 of the R.G.T.R. Jeunesse Stadion 1

Notable people

François Biltgen François Biltgen (born 28 September 1958 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg) is a Luxembourgish politician who has served as Minister for Justice, Minister for Communications and the Media, Minister for Religious Affairs, Minister for the Civil Se ...

(born 1958), politician, Minister for Justice and judge at the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...

* Dominique Brasseur (1833–1906), politician and jurist,

Mayor of Luxembourg City The Mayor of Luxembourg City (; ) is the mayor of Luxembourg's Capital city, capital and List of towns in Luxembourg, largest city, Luxembourg City. The officeholder, like other mayors in Luxembourg, is appointed by the Monarchy of Luxembourg, Gran ...

1891/1894. *

René Deltgen Renatus Heinrich Deltgen (30 April 1909 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – 29 January 1979 in Cologne, West Germany) was a Luxembourgish stage and film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who port ...

(1909–1979), stage and film actor * Jean Ellis (1946–2006), emergency department physician and climber *

Camillo Felgen Camillo Jean Nicolas Felgen (17 November 1920 – 16 July 2005) was a Luxembourgish singer, lyricist, disc jockey, and television presenter, who represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960 and in 1962. Biography Source: Felgen ...

(1920–2005), singer, lyricist, disc jockey & TV presenter *

Fernand Franck Fernand Franck (born 6 May 1934) is a Luxembourgish prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Luxembourg from 1990 to 2011. Biography He was born in Esch-sur-Alzette on 6 May 1934 and attended primary and secondary school in Esch-sur-A ...

(born 1934), prelate of the Catholic Church &

Archbishop of Luxembourg The archbishop of Luxembourg is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic archbishopric of Luxembourg. The position was created on 23 April 1988, when Luxembourg was promoted from a bishopric. The seat o ...

, 1990/2011. *

Luc Frieden Luc Frieden (; born 16 September 1963) is a Luxembourgish politician and lawyer serving as List of prime ministers of Luxembourg, prime minister of Luxembourg since November 2023. A member of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), he held nu ...

(born 1963), politician and lawyer, 25th Prime Minister of Luxembourg * Gust Graas (1924–2020), abstract painter and businessman, helped develop radio and television group

RTL RTL may refer to: Media * RTL Group, a European TV, radio, and production company *** List of RTL Group's television stations (including part-owned channels) *** List of RTL Group's radio stations ** RTL Lëtzebuerg, usually referred to simply a ...

. * Pierre Gramegna (born 1958), career diplomat and politician *

Émile Hamilius Émile Hamilius (16 May 1897 – 7 March 1971) was a Luxembourgish politician of the Democratic Party (Luxembourg), Democratic Party. He was the Mayor of Luxembourg City from 1946 until 1963, and also sat three stints in the Chamber of Deputies ...

(1897–1971), footballer, politician &

, 1946/1963 * Paul Helminger (1940–2021), politician who was

, 1999/2011 * William Justin Kroll (1889–1973), metallurgist, invented the

Kroll process The Kroll process is a pyrometallurgical industrial process used to produce metallic titanium from titanium tetrachloride. As of 2001 William Justin Kroll's process replaced the Hunter process for almost all commercial production. Process In the ...

in 1940 * Gérard López (born 1971), Luxembourgish-Spanish businessman * Karin Monschauer (born 1960), embroiderer and digital artist *

Désirée Nosbusch Désirée Nosbusch (born 14 January 1965) also known as Désirée Becker, is a Luxembourgish actress and television presenter. She was the host of the Eurovision Song Contest 1984. Early and personal life Nosbusch was born in Esch-sur-Alzette ...

(born 1965), actress and TV presenter. *

Viviane Reding Viviane Adélaïde Reding (born 27 April 1951) is a Luxembourgish politician and a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Luxembourg. She is a member of the Christian Social People's Party, part of the European People's Party. She ...

(born 1951), politician, MEP, European Commissioner & Vice-president of the European Commission * Maggy Stein (1931–1999), sculptor, died locally * Victor Thorn (1844–1930), politician & the 11th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, 1916/1917. *

Steve Thull Steve Thull (born 23 April 1967) is a Luxembourg Army general who is currently serving as Luxembourg's Chief of Defence (Luxembourg), Chief of Defence, the professional head of the country's military. He assumes the role of Chief of Staff of the ...

(born 1967), Army general &

Chief of Defence (Luxembourg) The Chief of Defence () is a position in the military of Luxembourg and head of the Luxembourg Army. The Chief of Defence is the professional head of the armed forces, and in charge of the day-to-day operation. The current Chief of Defence is Ste ...

* Laura Thorn (born 2000), Singer, Music teacher, represented

Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster submits an origina ...

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and award 22th out of 26th in Grand Final

Sport

* Gilles Bettmer (born 1989), footballer with over 240 games and 58 for

Mandy Minella Mandy Minella (born 22 November 1985) is a Luxembourgish politician and former professional tennis player. Having made her debut on the WTA Tour in 2001, she peaked at No. 66 in the WTA singles rankings in September 2012, and No. 47 in doubles ...

(born 1985), former tennis player, now Member of Parliament * Louis Pilot (1940–2016), footballer and manager, played over 450 games and 49 for

Twin towns — sister cities

Esch-sur-Alzette is twinned with: *

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

, Portugal *

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, Germany *

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, Belgium *

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, France *

Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian Mödling (district), district of the same name located approximately 15 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises ...

, Austria *

Offenbach am Main Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...

, Germany *

Puteaux Puteaux () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department, from the centre of Paris. La Défense, Paris's business district hosting the tallest buildings in the metropolitan ...

, France *

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Netherlands *

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, Italy *

Velletri Velletri (; ; ) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring communes are Rocca di Papa, Lar ...

, Italy *

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

, Serbia *

Stryi Stryi (, ; ) is a city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the left bank of the Stryi (river), Stryi River, approximately south of Lviv in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. It serves as the administrative center of Stryi R ...

, Ukraine

References

External links

*
Official website of the town of Esch-sur-Alzette

A large private collection of pictures of the town and its surroundings
— ''articles in German, French and Luxembourgish''
HoloGuides : Esch/Alzette - photos, events, etc.

- discusses quite a few matters relating to Esch {{DEFAULTSORT:Esch-Sur-Alzette Alzette Cities in Luxembourg Communes in Esch-sur-Alzette (canton) Towns in Luxembourg