Happy in Hainesport: Luxenbourg City, Luxembourg

Luxembourg City is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Because of its strategic location, Luxembourg City was a military post for hundreds of years beginning in Roman times. Luxembourg, the Duchy, has been repeatedly conquered. It has been controlled by the Burgundians, the Spanish, the French, the Spanish again, the Austrians, the French again, and the Prussians. The Grand Duchy became and independent country in 1890 though it was occupied by Germany in World Wars I and II. Today, Luxembourg is a banking and administrative center.

The first thing we did was to take a ride on this lift.

Nice Views

This is the Place de la Constitution (Constitution Square).

The Monument of Remembrance or Gëlle Fra (Golden Lady) is situated in Constitution Square. The monument is dedicated to Luxembougers who volunteered for service during both World Wars and the Korean War.

The pedestrian shopping area had pricey shops.

The Elephant Parade is an open air display of painted elephant sculptures that Luxembourg hosted in 2013. These exhibitions raise money to help prevent the extinction of the Asian elephant. We visited one shop that sells smaller versions of this guy and other pachyderms painted with assorted designs.

This is the Grand Ducal Palace. It is the Grand Dukes official residence.

These are some of the old fortifications. Luxembourg City has three layers of walls. Plans were in the works for a fourth wall, but the project was never finished.

Casemates du Bock
The Montée de Clausen castle once sat on this spot. The Bock Casemates is a 10.5 mile long tunnel carved out of the rock under the former castle. The Spanish began the project in 1644. The Austrians completed it from 1737-1746. The tunnels held 50 cannons, 1,200 soldiers and their horses, as well as workshops, kitchens, slaughterhouses, and bakeries. It was a bomb shelter during the World Wars.

Today, the casemates are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can rent out this gallery for parties.

This garden, operated by the city, produces food and wine. The food is donated to charity. I don't know who gets the wine, but our tour guide told us it is delicious. The garden is across the river from St. John's Church built in 1606. The church contains a Black Madonna. Being a non-Catholic, I don't give Madonnas much thought, but when I do think about them, I presume that, like most people depicted in church art, they look like Caucasians. Imagine my surprise when I learned that there were many Black Madonnas created during the 12th-15th centuries. Today, there are 400-500 in Europe, alone.