Esch-sur-Alzette facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Esch-sur-Alzette
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
City and commune
|
|||
|
Esch-sur-Alzette seen from Gaalgebierg Park
City Hall
Rue de l'Hôpital and St. Joseph's Church
Rue de l'Alzette
Belval Campus
|
|||
|
|||
Map of Luxembourg with Esch-sur-Alzette highlighted in orange, and the canton in dark red
|
|||
| Country |  Luxembourg |
||
| Canton | Esch-sur-Alzette | ||
| Area rank | ? of 100 | ||
| Highest elevation | 426 m (1,398 ft) | ||
| • Rank | 32nd of 100 | ||
| Lowest elevation | 279 m (915 ft) | ||
| • Rank | 84th of 100 | ||
| Population
(2023)
|
|||
| • Total | 36,625 | ||
| • Rank | 2nd of 100 | ||
| • Density rank | 63rd of 100 | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| LAU 2 | LU0000204 | ||
| Website | esch.lu | ||
| Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |||
.png)
Esch-sur-Alzette is a city in Luxembourg, a small country in Europe. It's the second-largest city in Luxembourg, with about 36,625 people living there in 2023. The city is in the southwest of the country, right on the border with France. It sits in the valley of the Alzette river, which flows through the city. People often just call it "Esch" to make it shorter. This helps tell it apart from another village called Esch-sur-Sûre further north. The capital city, Luxembourg City, is about 15 kilometers away to the northeast. Esch was chosen as a European Capital of Culture for 2022, sharing the title with Kaunas and Novi Sad.
Contents
History of Esch-sur-Alzette
How Esch Grew from a Village
Esch-sur-Alzette was first mentioned in a document on April 12, 1128. For a long time, it was just a small farming village. It was located in the valley of the Uelzecht river.
The Rise of the Steel Industry
Everything changed in the 1850s. Large amounts of iron ore were discovered nearby. This led to the growth of mines and the steel industry. Because of this, the town's population grew very quickly. It became ten times bigger in just a few decades.
In 1911, a big steel and iron company called ARBED was started. The steel industry helped Luxembourg's economy grow a lot during the late 1800s.
Changes in the Steel Industry
In the 1970s, the steel industry faced problems. Many mines and blast furnaces (large ovens for melting iron) had to close. The last blast furnace in Esch-Belval stopped working in 1997.
Now, electric furnaces are used instead. These furnaces use scrap metal (recycled metal) instead of iron ore.
Modern Redevelopment of Belval
Today, the old industrial areas in Belval are being rebuilt. They are becoming a new, modern part of the city. You can find new cultural places there, like the Kinepolis Belval cinema. The Rockhal, Luxembourg's biggest concert hall, is also in Belval.
The area around the old blast furnaces will also be home to parts of the University of Luxembourg. Many research centers and the national archives will be located there too.
Population Growth of Esch-sur-Alzette
This chart shows how the number of people living in Esch-sur-Alzette has changed over many years.
Places to Visit in Esch-sur-Alzette
- The Lankelz miniature railway is a fun place to visit. It runs on Sunday afternoons and public holidays. You can ride it from May to mid-October.
- Esch is home to the Conservatoire de Musique. This is a special school for music.
- The city also has the longest shopping street in all of Luxembourg.
Culture and Arts in Esch-sur-Alzette
Film Production in Esch
In 2001, a film company from Luxembourg built a huge movie set. It was 40,000 square meters and 15 meters high. This set was built on the Terre Rouge, an old steelwork site in Esch-sur-Alzette.
The film set looked like Venice in the 1500s. It had a 600-meter-long copy of the Grand Canal. There were also 118 house fronts. This "Venice-sur-Alzette" cost about 5 million Euro to build. It was one of the biggest outdoor film sets ever made in Europe.
Many movies used this giant set between 2001 and 2007. Some famous films shot in Esch include The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino. The Girl with the Pearl Earring with Scarlett Johansson was also filmed there. The film set was taken down in the summer of 2007. This was because the weather was damaging the buildings.
Esch as a European Capital of Culture
Esch-sur-Alzette was chosen as a European Capital of Culture for the year 2022. It shared this special title with two other cities: Kaunas in Lithuania and Novi Sad in Serbia. This means the city hosted many cultural events and projects.
Getting Around Esch-sur-Alzette
Esch has many bus lines that help people get around. These are lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 15, and 17. They are run by the local public transport company T.I.C.E. This company has its main office and bus depot in Esch.
There are also regional bus lines that connect Esch to other places. These include lines 307, 312, 313, and 314 of the R.G.T.R.
Famous People from Esch-sur-Alzette
Many interesting people have come from Esch-sur-Alzette.
.png)
- François Biltgen (born 1958), a politician and judge at the European Court of Justice.
- René Deltgen (1909–1979), a well-known actor for stage and film.
- Camillo Felgen (1920–2005), a singer, songwriter, and TV presenter.
- Luc Frieden (born 1963), a politician and lawyer. He served as the 25th Prime Minister of Luxembourg.
- Gust Graas (1924–2020), an abstract painter and businessman. He helped create the large radio and television group RTL.
- William Justin Kroll (1889–1973), a metallurgist. He invented the Kroll process in 1940, which is used to make metals like titanium.
- Désirée Nosbusch (born 1965), an actress and TV presenter.
- Viviane Reding (born 1951), a politician. She was a Member of the European Parliament and a Vice-President of the European Commission.
- Victor Thorn (1844–1930), a politician who was the 11th Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1916 to 1917.
- Steve Thull (born 1967), an Army general and the Chief of Defence (Luxembourg).
Sports Personalities
- Gilles Bettmer (born 1989), a footballer who played over 240 games for clubs. He also played 58 games for the Luxembourg national team.
- Mandy Minella (born 1985), a former professional tennis player. She is now a Member of Parliament.
- Louis Pilot (1940–2016), a footballer and manager. He played over 450 games for clubs and 49 for the Luxembourg national team.
Twin Towns and Sister Cities
Esch-sur-Alzette has special connections with other cities around the world. These are called "twin towns" or "sister cities." They often share cultural events and ideas.
See also
In Spanish: Esch-sur-Alzette para niños
