Cents, Luxembourg
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Cents (, ) is a quarter in eastern
Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...
, in southern
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. , the quarter has a population of 6,517 inhabitants. It is the only quarter of Luxembourg City where a majority of residents are of Luxembourgish nationality. The area lies on the eastern side of the city, on an elevated area 60 metres above Clausen and Neudorf.


History

The name ''Cents'' probably goes back to a tax, which the tenants of the Fetschenhof and its fields had to pay to the Altmünster Abbey. In August 1255 Elisabeth, widow of the alderman Walter, had bequeathed 14 morgens of land on the ''Kuhberg'' to the nuns of the Abbey of the Holy Ghost in Luxembourg. Forty years later, on 6 Januar 1292 the rich townsman Philip a.k.a. Girardeus gave the ''Fetschenscheuer'' and its land to the Altmünster Abbey. This encompassed 80 hectares of land, from the Kuhberg to Cents, and from the cliffs above Clausen and Neudorf to the valley of Hamm (''Hammer Dällchen'') and down to the Alzette. The land donation was not without its disadvantages: large parts of the hill ridge were still covered in forest. The Fetschenhof and Fetschental (near Pulvermuhl) were difficult to reach from the Abbey, since there was no navigable path up to the hill. Since the suburb had received towers and walls in the 14th century, in times where there was a risk of war, the narrow footpaths to the Fetschental were also walled up. The monks of Altmünster therefore preferred to cultivate their farmyard with its gardens and lawns in Pfaffenthal. In the cataster of Empress
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
from 1761-1775, the large manors were described as "Cense". It is probable that the term "Cense" was also used for the entire property of the Fetschenhof at the time. The ''Kéibierg'' connects the Grund and Clausen with the elevation of the Fetschenhof. The name "Kéibierg" is first recorded in a document from 20 December 1506 as ''Gyersberg'', and is later also mentioned as ''Gyrsberg'', ''Geierspergh'', and ''Gyhersperg''. In 1666/67 in the accounts of the Hospital of St. John this had become the ''Gansberg'', and in the cadaster of 1824 it is registered as the ''Küheberg''. The plateau of Cents-Fetschenhof was a useful area for any army wishing to attack the
Fortress of Luxembourg The Fortress of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: ''Festung Lëtzebuerg''; French: ''Forteresse de Luxembourg''; German: ''Festung Luxemburg'') is the former fortifications of Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which were ...
from the East. Directly in front of the fortress walls, the elevation allowed a wide view over the whole city. In 1683 Marshal
François de Créquy François de Blanchefort de Créquy, later Marquis de Marines (2 October 1629 – 3 February 1687), was a 17th-century French noble and soldier, who served in the wars of Louis XIV of France. He came from a powerful and well-connected family, ...
started the siege of Luxembourg, on the orders of French King
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
. He set up his permanent camp to the East of the city at Mensdorf, where the name ''Krékelsbierg'' is still a reminder of him to this day. From there his troops — 12,000 infantry and cavalry — marched to the rise of Fetschenhof and fired on the city from the Kéibierg. They fired 6,000 projectiles at the city, causing great destruction. The historian Leo Müller described how citizens of Metz observed "the eerie spectacle of the burning Luxembourg, which was blazing like an almighty torch". Shortly after Christmas, on 27 December 1683, the French marched off. The number of civilian casualties was quite low, but the suffering of the population was severe due to the winter cold. This was made worse by the order of the Governor Chimay, to uncover the houses, in order to decrease the risk of fire. Through the destruction of buildings and the weakened state of the population, it was easy for Marshall de Créqui to take over the city in April 1684 with 35,000. In this siege, the city was devastated by over 50,000 projectiles, and was later fortified by Vauban. The French did not get to make much use of these extensive fortification works, however: in 1697 they returned Luxembourg to the Spanish. From 1713, when Luxembourg passed over to the Austrians under the
Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...
, it experienced a more peaceful time for both the fortress and its surrounding area. On 21 November 1794 however, the French again laid siege to the city, this time under the orders of the
Directoire The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory governed the French First Republ ...
. Once again, the attackers made use of the strategic location of the Fetschenhof plateau. In a week, they had constructed the Fetschenhof entrenchment for 2 cannons — a structure which was expanded in April 1795 by six more cannons. While the city itself suffered less damage than under previous sieges, this time it was more the surrounding areas that suffered destruction. The Fetschenhof, for example, went up in flames. Two months before his coronation as Emperor,
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
visited Luxembourg in October 1804. On this occasion, a plan was considered to build a bridge between the Holy Ghost Citadel (now the Plateau of the Holy Ghost) in the upper city, over the Grund sluice, to the Rue de Trèves in Cens. However, further investigation showed that the ground around the Grund sluice was not viable enough to bear such a construction, and the plan was cancelled.


See also

* Cents-Hamm railway station * Luxembourg-Cents football stadium *
Siege of Luxembourg (1684) The siege of Luxembourg, in which Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV of France (husband of Maria Theresa of Spain) laid siege to the Spanish-controlled Fortress of Luxembourg from 27 April to 7 June 1684, was the most significant confrontation of th ...
* Siege of Luxembourg (1794–1795)


References

{{Quarters of Luxembourg City Quarters of Luxembourg City