Esch on the Alzette
| coat of arms | map |
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| Basic data | |
 The town hall of Esch an der Alzette |
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| State : |
 Luxembourg
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| Coordinates : | 49 ° 30 ' N , 5 ° 59' E |
| Canton : | Esch on the Alzette |
| Residents : | 36,228 (January 1, 2021) |
| Area : | 14.4 km² |
| Population density : | 2525 inhabitants / km² |
| Postal code : | 4001-4374 |
| Community number: | 0204 |
| Website: | www.esch.lu |
| politics | |
| Mayor: | Georges Mischo ( CSV ) |
| Elective system : | Proportional vote |
Esch an der Alzette , internationally Esch-sur-Alzette ( French ) or Esch / Alzette , Luxembourgish Esch-Uelzecht , is a city and a municipality in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and belongs to the canton of Esch . It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Luxembourg .
story
On April 12, 1128 Esch was first mentioned under the name Asch in a writing by Pope Honorius II . In 1328, as Count of Luxembourg , John the Blind gave Esch the title of " Free City ".
Over the centuries, Esch was repeatedly attacked by foreign troops and often badly destroyed. In 1677, by order of Louis XIV, the city walls had to be razed . In July 1841, Esch was named the capital of the canton of Esch by a grand ducal decree .
With the discovery of iron ore deposits and the associated iron and steel industry, the industrial boom began for Esch in the second half of the 19th century. Initially in open-cast mining, later in mines, the minette was dismantled and processed in huts . In particular, the German mining industrialist Adolph Kirdorf invested heavily in the construction and takeover of several blast furnace plants and collieries from 1892 onwards. Together with his brother Emil Kirdorf , he began to build the "Adolf Emil Hut" named after them in 1910. This hut, completed in 1912, was considered to be one of the most modern facilities of its time. Adolph Kirdorf's company, the " Aachener Hütten-Aktien-Verein Rothe Erde " with eleven blast furnaces, now also belonged to the local Arbed with 15 blast furnaces and the German-Luxembourgish mining and smelting company of the Ruhr industrialist Hugo Stinnes with nine blast furnaces major heavy industry companies in Luxembourg. With the new jobs created, the population of Esch rose rapidly. At first the workers came from Luxembourg and especially from the Ösling , but after a short time they had to fall back on workers from abroad. At the beginning these came from neighboring countries, later mainly from Poland and Italy .
Early 20th century
On May 29, 1906, Grand Duke Wilhelm IV appointed Esch a city for the second time. At that time Esch already had 13,000 inhabitants.
From 1910 on, the Brill district was urbanized. Many Italian immigrants found a new home there. The river Alzette (Luxembourg: Uelzecht ; German: Alzig ) was covered and the Uelzechtstrooss with its side streets to the new town center.
At the beginning of the First World War , the German Crown Prince Wilhelm set up his headquarters in Esch. The city became a large military hospital . At that time, the huts produced little or no production. Many foreign workers also went back to their home countries.
Between the world wars
In 1920 the newly introduced universal suffrage resulted in the first socialist majority in the community. The community, as well as ARBED and the Société Métallurgique des Terres Rouges , also began building new workers' settlements . Between 1926, the end of the German economic crisis , and the Great Depression in 1929, Esch experienced another building boom. In 1930 Esch had 29,745 inhabitants. Esch-sur-Alzette Airport existed between 1937 and 1954 .
German occupation 1940–1944
Luxembourg was occupied by the Wehrmacht on May 10, 1940, the first day of the western campaign . As everywhere in Luxembourg, the administrative structures of the German occupiers were introduced in Esch . Like the one in Luxembourg City , the Escher synagogue was destroyed.
Forced laborers , mainly from the Soviet Union , had to work in the mines. Young Luxembourgish conscripts hid from the Nazis in the corridors of the mines; some of them stayed there until liberation by US troops on September 10, 1944.
Post-war period 1945–1975
After the war, the city continued to expand. In the 1950s, new quarters emerged, especially in Lallingen , Bruch and Raemerech. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Wobrécken district in particular was built upon.
Steel crisis 1975–1985
Like the other cities in the Minette region, Esch was hit particularly hard by the steel crisis. Revenues fell and the mines and most of the smelters had to close. The restoration of the ailing city center could only be tackled in the mid-1980s.
Since the 1960s, the population has decreased from nearly 30,000 in 1960 to 25,000 in 1985. Many residents moved to the suburbs of the city. This trend was only stopped in the 1990s, so that the city of Esch now has around 30,000 inhabitants again.
Culture
International film productions in Esch
The Luxembourg-based film production company Delux Productions had a 40,000 m 2 and 15 meter high backdrop built for the feature film “Secret Passage” with John Turturro , which was shot in the summer of 2001, on the Terre Rouge ( Rote Erde ) ⊙ site of a former steelworks in Esch Depicted Venice of the 16th century on a 1: 1 scale. Between February and July 2001, one of the largest open-air film sets in European film history was built from scratch for a construction cost of five million euros. 430 craftsmen from all over Europe built the set consisting of 118 house facades, 2300 m 3 of wood, 18 tons of nails, 63 tons of steel and 6 tons of paint. The 600-meter-long canal system, which can be navigated with Venetian gondolas, had to be filled with 6000 m 3 of water.
As a result, other international film productions used the gigantic film set known as “Venice-sur-Alzette” for shooting. The films The Merchant of Venice (2004; directed by Michael Radford , leading actors: Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons ) and The Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003; directed by Peter Webber , leading actress: Scarlett Johansson ) were produced here. In the summer of 2007, the Venice set was finally torn down for safety reasons, as the weather was badly affecting the building materials. In addition, the maintenance and preservation of the backdrop caused too many costs.
Esch today and tomorrow
As part of the 100th anniversary of the city of Esch, the city was the destination and starting point of two stages of the 2006 Tour de France
In the 2010 budget of the city of Esch, housing, schools and all-day care, urban development and infrastructures as well as the expansion of the business and university location form the focus for investments. The "Nonnewiesen" project has started to create new living space. The Ronn Bréck was demolished in 2017.
European Capital of Culture 2022
On November 10, 2017, Esch was selected by the European Council as the European Capital of Culture 2022 on the recommendation of the responsible committee . The city shares this title with the Lithuanian city of Kaunas and the Serbian city of Novi Sad . In addition to the other ten municipalities of the PROSUD syndicate , the municipalities of the Pays Haut Val d'Alzette municipal association across the border in France will also take part in the events
Esch Belval
The Belval site extends over a length of two kilometers from Beles in the direction of Raemerich and over a width of 800 m from Escher Strasse in Beles in the direction of Belval Usines. The mines and smelting works have been closed except for the rolling mill, which is still producing today. The Amicale des Hauts Fourneaux PAB Association of Blast Furnaces is committed to preserving contemporary witnesses of industrial culture . See also: Belval blast furnaces .
After that, around 650 hectares of industrial wasteland are available, for the conversion of which ArcelorMittal , the State of Luxembourg and the municipalities of Esch and Sassenheim have formed the "Agora" company. To connect the French motorway network with the Luxembourg motorway network (Liaison Micheville) , a 450 m long tunnel will be passed under Belval. In the north-east of the blast furnace terrace, next to the RBC Dexia bank building, the buildings of the University of Luxembourg were rebuilt .
To promote the planned Luxembourg-French economic conurbation ( éco-agglomération , 2000 ha with more than 120,000 inhabitants), Claude Wiseler , Luxembourg's then Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, and his French colleague Michel Mercier , Ministre de l'Espace rural et de l 'aménagement du territoire , agreed the creation of a European grouping for territorial cooperation .
Service companies and public institutions (educational institutions, national archives, concert halls) will be located in the open areas . Apartments and commercial space are planned under the title “Plaza I”. The Rockhal was inaugurated in 2005 as the first building on the Belval conversion site . With a capacity of up to 6500 seats, it serves as a venue for major events such as concerts by international artists.
In cooperation with the city of Trier and funded by the EU, a cross-border science park called TriLux will be created. On November 12th, 2009, the mayor of Escher, Lydia Mutsch, and the mayor of Trier, Klaus Jensen, presented the staff and the organizational structure of the science park to the public.
Transport links
Since the inauguration of the new bus station on November 9, 2009, TICE buses have been running every 15 minutes. The new Belval-Université station was officially opened in 2010. 32,000 travelers are expected there every day by 2020; this will make this station the second largest in Luxembourg.
The direct connection line 80 Thionville - Esch Belval - Longwy was opened on December 14, 2009 , with a TER Métrolor with 340 seats being used four times a day. In particular, this will improve access for cross-border commuters from Lorraine to their workplaces on Esch Belval. As everywhere in the country, information about all connections in local public transport can be called up via the mobility center.
The A4 motorway , also known as Escher Autobunn , connects Esch an der Alzette with the capital Luxembourg , as well as the A13 with neighboring European countries.
sons and daughters of the town
- Nicolas Adam (1881-1957), Turner
- Simone Asselborn-Bintz (* 1966), politician
- Jacques Bach (1941–2013), football player
- Pol Belardi (* 1989), jazz musician
- François Besch (* 1963), photographer and journalist
- François Biltgen (* 1958), politician, former minister and judge at the European Court of Justice
- Raoul Biltgen (born 1974), actor
- Taina Bofferding (* 1982), politician ( LSAP ), Minister of the Interior and Minister for Equality between Women and Men
- Jasmine Braun (* 1988), author
- Paul Breisch (* 1974), musician and cathedral organist at the Luxembourg Cathedral
- Helen Buchholtz (1877–1953), one of the first women composers in Luxembourg
- Jos Cillien (1911–1984), artistic gymnast
- Gérard Claude (* 1956), painter and sculptor
- Simone Decker (* 1968), artist and university professor
- René Deltgen (1909–1979), actor
- Bim Diederich (1922–2012), racing cyclist
- Alain Duschène (* 1960), General
- Marcel Ernzer (1926–2003), racing cyclist
- Romain Fehlen (* 1956) radio presenter, author, journalist for SWR4, grew up in town
- Romain Feitler (* 1946), racing car driver
- Camillo Felgen (1920–2005), singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter
- David Fiegen (* 1984), athlete
- Tom Flammang (* 1978), racing cyclist
- Steve Fogen (* 1979), cyclist
- Fernand Franck (* 1934), Archbishop of Luxembourg
- Suzie Godart (* 1962), racing cyclist
- Gust Graas (1924-2020), media manager
- Marion Hammang (1964–2017), powerlifting athlete
- Guy Helminger (* 1963), writer
- Gérard Jeitz (* 1961), soccer player, coach and official
- Dan Kersch (* 1961), politician
- Max Kohn (* 1954), visual artist
- William Justin Kroll (1889–1973), researcher, metallurgist and inventor
- Michel Majerus (1967–2002), artist
- Marcel Mart (1927–2019), journalist and politician
- Claude Michely (* 1959), cyclist
- Mandy Minella (* 1985), tennis player
- Jean-Claude Mondot (* 1952), painter
- Joseph Noerden (1927–1991), actor, poet, director
- Désirée Nosbusch (* 1965), presenter and actress
- Louis Pilot (1940–2016), soccer player and soccer coach
- Marco Pütz (* 1958), saxophonist and composer
- Viviane Reding (* 1951), journalist and politician
- Henri Scharry (1904–1954), football player and Olympic participant
- Lydie Schmit (1939–1988), politician
- Marco Serafini (* 1956), director
- Marc Spautz (* 1963), politician
- Victor Thorn (1844–1930), politician
- Arthur Useldinger (1904–1978), politician
- Jean-Pierre Weisgerber (1905–1994), football player
Town twinning
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literature
- Esch-sur-Alzette, du village à la ville industrial: art et révolution industrial au pays de la terre rouge: 13 octobre – 5 novembre 1989: hôtel de ville d'Esch-sur-Alzette. on-line
- Esch-sur-Alzette, Catholic parish church St. Heinrich, Schnell, Art Guide No. 2486, Verlag Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg, ISBN 3-7954-6388-2
- Denis Scuto: Industrialization and urbanization: l'exemple d'Esch-sur-Alzette. on-line
- Norbert Ketter: Esch-sur-Alzette. editions claude diderich, 1970 (German-language text)
Web links
- Website of the municipality of Esch an der Alzette
- Website of the Belval district
- Official website for the European Capital of Culture 2022
Individual evidence
- ↑ STATEC Luxembourg - Population par canton et commune 1821–2021 (French)
- ↑ TV reports about the construction, filming and demolition work on the Venice film set in Esch-sur-Alzette (in last burgess)
- ↑ Filming location Luxembourg gets its own exhibition L'essentiell, February 11, 2021 (with aerial photo of the Venice film set in Esch-sur-Alzette)
- ↑ Cinq films à voir ... pour passer la frontière du Grand-Duché Le Républicain Lorrain, April 24, 2020 (with numerous aerial and set shots of the Venice film set in Esch-sur-Alzette)
- ↑ Aerial photo of the Venice film set in Esch-sur-Alzette Photographer: Raphael Gaillarde / Agency: Getty images, September 5th, 2001
- ^ Photo of the exterior of the Venice film set in Esch-sur-Alzette Photographer: Raphael Gaillarde / Agency: Getty images, September 5th, 2001
- ↑ Photo of the interior of the Venice film set in Esch-sur-Alzette Photographer: Raphael Gaillarde / Agency: Getty images, September 5th, 2001
- ↑ Geo Special, Issue No. 1 February / March 2004, page 100
- ↑ Venise-sur-Alzette, folie de producteur RTL 5 minutes , May 20, 2020
- ↑ Belval: Industrial and post-industrial transformation, pages 50 to 54
- ↑ Gerry Erang: Iconic film locations in Luxembourg RTL Today, August 10, 2020
- ↑ Venise-sur-Alzette, folie de producteur RTL 5 minutes , May 20, 2020
- ↑ Esch / Alzette: Investments remain as high as in 2009. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Day sheet. Fir Lëtzebuerg newspaper December 12, 2009, 9:06 a.m.
- ^ Dan Elvinger: The "Nonnewisen" project continues. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Tageblatt, April 23, 2010.
- ↑ Esch becomes the cultural capital. Tageblatt, November 10, 2017, accessed on the same day.
- ↑ Esch / Alzette becomes European Capital of Culture. L'essentiel, November 10, 2017, accessed on the same day.
- ↑ Alexa Lepage: From junk to the wall. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Tageblatt, May 3, 2010.
- ^ La société AGORA. (French)
- ^ "Liaison Micheville": Construction work is in full swing. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Tageblatt, April 4, 2010. / 138 millions pour relier le tunnel entre Micheville et Belval à l'A4 l'essentiel, January 20, 2012
- ^ Le Luxembourg et la France créent un CEGT à Esch-Belval. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Day sheet. Fir Lëtzebuerg newspaper , January 7, 2010. 15:31: 0.
- ↑ Rockhal Rockhal - Center de musiques amplifiées.
- ^ City Hall Newspaper Trier , February 6, 2007
- ↑ Cross-border science park TriLux: The Trier and Esch / Alzette locations serve corporate development.
- ^ Inauguration de la nouvelle gare routière à Esch / Alzette et ouverture au trafic de la gare Belval-Université. Department of Transport, November 9, 2009.
- ↑ In 34 minutes from Thionville to Belval. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Day sheet. Fir Lëtzebuerg newspaper December 14, 2009.
- ↑ Esch / Belval se sont rapprochés de Thionville. l'essentiel December 14th 2009, 3:14 pm (French)
- ↑ Mobilitéitszentral. Internet portal, French.
- ↑ town twinning. From: offenbach.de, accessed on March 25, 2018.
