Overview
Luxembourg Fortress © Luxembourg City Tourist Office
In the early morning haze Luxembourg City is reminiscent of an
ancient fairytale city, with its towers and turrets. The old centre
of town, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can
trace its history back to the 10th century, when Siegfried, Count
of the Ardennes, built a castle on a rock above the Alzette River.
He named the castle Lucilinburhuc. Over the centuries the castle
and surrounding town was strengthened with numerous additional
fortifications, walls and gates until it became known as the
'Gibraltar of the North'. Today the various components of the
fortress are the city's chief tourist attraction. There are some
other interesting sights in the old centre of town too, including
several museums.
Modern Luxembourg on the plateau du Krichberg is more concerned
with business than pleasure, as the work of a major international
financial centre goes on inside the many modern office complexes in
the area. Luxembourg has the highest number of banks of any city in
Europe, and it is also home to numerous European Union
institutions. The European Council of Ministers holds their
sessions in the city for three months every year, and the European
Court of Justice presides here too.
