![]() ![]() On 30 August, Helmuth von Moltke moved his headquarters to Luxembourg City, closer to his armies in France in preparation for a swift victory. Thus, Luxembourg, which had hitherto been independent in theory only, became a truly independent country, and Luxembourg City regained some of the importance that it had lost in 1867 by becoming the capital of a fully independent state.ĭespite Luxembourg's best efforts to remain neutral in the First World War, it was occupied by Germany on 2 August 1914. When, in 1890, Grand Duke William III died without any male heirs, the Grand Duchy passed out of Dutch hands, and into an independent line under Grand Duke Adolphe. Furthermore, the Prussian garrison was to be withdrawn. Their demolition took sixteen years, cost 1.5m gold francs, and required the destruction of over 24 km (15 miles) of underground defences and 40,000m² (10 acres) of casemates, batteries, barracks, etc. The Gëlle Fra monument commemorates those that volunteered for service in the armed forces of the Allies in World War I.Īfter the Luxembourg Crisis, the 1867 Treaty of London required Luxembourg to dismantle the fortifications in Luxembourg City. Under the 1815 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Napoleonic Wars, Luxembourg City was placed under Prussian military control as a part of the German Confederation, although sovereignty passed to the House of Orange-Nassau, in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1795, Luxembourg was annexed into the French Republic as part of the département of Forêts, with Luxembourg City as its préfecture. By the late eighteenth century, Luxembourg's fame as an impregnable fortress was such that it became known as the Gibraltar of the North, second to only Gibraltar itself. These were then enlarged under French rule by Marshal Vauban, and augmented again under Austrian rule in the 1730s and 1740s. In the 17th century, the first casemates were built initially, Spain built 23 km of tunnels, starting in 1644. Subsequently, the Burgundians, the Spanish, the French, the Spanish again, the Austrians, the French again, and the Prussians conquered Luxembourg. By the 16th century, Luxembourg was one of the strongest fortifications in Europe. Luxembourg became part of the Burgundian, and later Spanish and Austrian empires. In 1443, the Burgundians under Philip the Good conquered Luxembourg. The reconstructed Fort Thüngen, formerly a key part of Luxembourg City's fortifications, now on the site of the ' Mudam', Luxembourg's museum of modern art. In about 1340, under the reign of John the Blind, new fortifications were built that stood until 1867. Nicholas Church (today the cathedral of Notre Dame), new walls were built that included an area of 50,000 m². By the end of the 12th century, as the city expanded westward around the new St. The first fortifications were built as early as the 10th century. The city, for reasons of its location and natural geography, has through history been a place of strategic military significance. At a Roman road intersection near the church, a marketplace appeared around which the city developed. In 987, the Archbishop of Trier, Egbert ( 977- 993), blessed five altars in the Church of the Redemption (today St. Siegfried built his castle, named Lucilinburhuc ("small castle"), on the Bock Fiels ("rock"), mentioned for the first time in the aforementioned exchange treaty. Through an exchange treaty with the abbey of Saint Maximin in Trier in 963, Siegfried I of the Ardennes, a close relative of King Louis II of France and Emperor Otto the Great, acquired the feudal lands of Luxembourg. In the Roman era, a fortified tower guarded the crossing of two Roman roads that met at the site of Luxembourg city. Luxembourg is a seat of several institutions of the European Union, including the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors, and the European Investment Bank. Luxembourg City is one of the wealthiest cities in the world, having developed into a banking and administrative centre. Luxembourg City lies at the heart of Western Europe, situated 188 km (117 miles) from Brussels, 289 km (179 miles) from Paris, 190 km (118 miles) from Cologne. The city's metropolitan population, including that of surrounding communes of Hesperange, Sandweiler, Strassen, and Walferdange, is 103,973. ![]() It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern LuxembourgĪs of 2005, the commune of Luxembourg City has a population of 76,420, which is almost three times the population of the second most populous commune. The city of Luxembourg (as its French name sometimes Luxemburg as its German name in Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg), commonly known as Luxembourg City, is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |