Luxembourg

Luxembourg is the world's only Grand Duchy, with its name deriving from the Old High German "lucilinburch," meaning "small town." The head of state is Grand Duke Henri. The Duchy borders Belgium, Germany, and France, and its capital, Luxembourg City, was named the safest city in the world in 2011. Our first encounter with this city began at Constitution Square, home to one of the city's symbols—the Monument of Remembrance, also known as the Golden Lady. This monument depicts a golden woman holding a wreath above two male figures at her feet—a fallen soldier and his grieving comrade...

Next to the square is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Notre-Dame. Initially a Jesuit church built between 1613 and 1621, it was consecrated as the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary about 50 years later, and in 1870, Pope Pius IX consecrated it as the Cathedral of Our Lady. The cathedral is a prime example of late Gothic architecture but also contains many elements and decorations of Renaissance architecture...

We were particularly impressed by the stained glass windows of the Luxembourg Cathedral, which attracted our attention with their soft colors and beautiful design...

Turning from the Cathedral of Our Lady to Place Clairefontaine, where the monument to Grand Duchess Charlotte is located, we headed towards the Grund district (Luxembourgish: Gronn or Grund)...

Walking along the fortress wall, we were treated to the most beautiful views of the Grund district, situated along the banks of the Alzette River in the valley below the city center...

The centerpiece of these views was almost always St. John's Church and the Benedictine Abbey...

Further along, we came to a bridge that offered views of Luxembourg's oldest existing religious shrine - the Catholic Church of St. Michael...

Within the ruins of the Luxembourg fortress are the casemates, which first appeared as a labyrinth in 1644 during Spanish rule. Forty years later, a French military engineer expanded the underground passages to a length of 23 km, and in the 18th century, the Austrians modernized the labyrinths, keeping them ready for war. The casemates consisted of numerous damp chambers and connecting tunnels deep within the rock. The catacombs descended more than 40 meters and ran on different levels. In 1867, part of the city's fortifications was dismantled, but 17 km of tunnels remained. During World War II, the casemates served as bomb shelters for a large number of civilians. The basements of old houses still contain entrances to these underground labyrinths. Today, the casemates are a UNESCO World Heritage site and open to tourists, featuring numerous exits on the cliffs at heights of about 100 meters...

Luxembourg is one of the wealthiest countries in Europe with a very high standard of living. Many EU organizations are located in Luxembourg City. For example, the European Court of Justice, the highest court of the European Union, is housed in the two brown buildings seen in the photo, with its decisions being final and binding...

Another highlight of Luxembourg is its arch bridges, connecting the hilly parts of the city...

The most famous of these is the Adolphe Bridge (Adolphe-Bréck), considered an unofficial symbol of the city. Built during the reign of Grand Duke Adolphe in 1903 from natural stone, it was once the largest arch bridge in the world. The bridge connects the upper and lower parts of Luxembourg City and spans the Pétrusse River at a height of 42 meters...

Below, in the ravine, is a park area where you can completely escape the city's noise. This park is a true haven for joggers, whom we saw in good numbers even during the lunch hour of a working day...

Choosing a cozy spot on the lawn near the "river" Pétrusse, in the shade of trees, we took a break for a mini-picnic. The Pétrusse River clearly loses out to its main competitor, the Alzette River. It looks more like a drainage ditch, but it was home to this charming pair of ducks that became the focus of our camera's viewfinder...

Leaving the park, we gradually approached the Grund district...

In the morning, we observed the landscapes of this part of the city from the heights of the fortress wall, and now it was time to explore the old quarter of Grund from within. The Alzette River contributed to the peaceful atmosphere with its slow flow...

The fortress walls from the Grund district side looked very imposing...

The main landmarks here are St. John's Church (built in 1606, in its current form since 1688) and the Benedictine Abbey with its adjoining square, which looked just as impressive up close as they did from the fortress wall...

Luxembourg is renowned for its vineyards, especially those in the Moselle Valley, but even in the city center, there was space for a few hundred vines of this intoxicating berry...

Ascending to the upper part of the city, we continued our walk through the historic center...

One of the main buildings in the old part of the city is the Grand Ducal Palace, the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, where he performs most of his duties as head of state. The Grand Duke and Duchess, along with their entourage, have offices in the palace, and the state rooms on the ground floor are used for meetings and audiences. The building itself was constructed as the town hall of Luxembourg City in 1572-73 and was restored and expanded several times over the years. From 1817, the town hall served as the residence of the governors of the Orange-Nassau dynasty, and in 1890, Grand Duke Adolphe, the first independent ruler of Luxembourg in many years, chose the palace as his residence. During the German occupation in World War II, the Grand Ducal Palace was used by the Nazis as a concert hall and tavern, but with the return of Grand Duchess Charlotte from exile in 1945, the palace once again became the seat of the Grand Dukes...

From 1945 to 1966, the Grand Duke's Guard provided ceremonial security for the palace, and since 1966, these duties have been performed by soldiers of the Luxembourg Army...

Cycling is as popular here as in all European countries...

We then arrived at the main square of Luxembourg, where a monument to William II, who was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1840 to 1849, is located...

Theater Square delighted us with these amusing sculptures...

A bit more interesting statistics: Thanks to favorable conditions and an offshore zone, the capital hosts around 1,000 investment funds and over 200 banks—more than any other city in the world. According to the IMF in 2012, Luxembourg ranked second on the list of the world's richest countries, with a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity of $80,119. It is no surprise that the streets of the capital of such a wealthy state are very well-maintained and clean...