Kirchberg, Luxembourg
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Kirchberg (; , ; ) is a quarter in north-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 ...
. It consists of a
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
overlooking the north-east of the historical city center,
Ville Haute The Ville Haute (, ; ; ) is a Quarters of Luxembourg City, quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is the historical district, historic center of Luxembourg City and is involved in its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. , th ...
, connected to the rest of the elevated city by the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, which spans the Pfaffenthal valley. It is often referred to, in reference to the geographical feature it inhabits, as the Kirchberg plateau by Luxembourgish residents. Kirchberg is the predominant location of the European Union institutions and bodies based within Luxembourg, and is sometimes used as a
metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...
for the EU's judiciary, which occupies the quarter. It is thus the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
of Luxembourg.


History

Although Kirchberg is first mentioned in historical records in 1222, one may assume there was an earlier settlement there, due to its useful location close to the
Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
from Reims to Trier. Little now remains of this ''Kiemwee'' (Roman road), but around 1900 it was still a popular walking destination for the city's inhabitants. In that year, the historian Nicolas van Werveke declared in a speech: "Who among us does not know the ''Kiem'' of Grünewald, ..it is so well preserved on the whole stretch of the plateau, to the point where it leaves the forest, that one may boldly consider this part of the road one of the best-preserved of Gaul." Kirchberg, as well as Neudorf, belonged to the parish of Weimerskirch. As Neudorf did not have its own church for a long time, on Sundays its inhabitants had to climb the hill between them and Weimerskirch to get to the church there. So the "Berg zur Kirche" ("hill to the church") became the "Kirchberg", the church hill. The isolated elevated position of the plateau made it an important defensive position and led to the 1732 construction of Forts Thüngen and Olizy in southeastern Kirchberg, as part of Luxembourg's impressive fortifications. Its strategic importance was reaffirmed with several expansions to their battlements. However, much of Luxembourg's fortifications were destroyed following the 1867 Treaty of London. In 1875, the Parish Church of Our Lady, Refuge of the Sick, was built to serve a small farming community that had established themselves in central Kirchberg. Kirchberg remained largely undeveloped until the post-war period in the latter half of the 20th century, when its cheap land, and proximity to the city provided an attractive locality as the seat of various institutions of the
European Communities The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of Institutions of the European Union, institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Co ...
- the forerunner to today's
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
. The failure of the six founding states of the
European Coal and Steel Community The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to integrate Europe's coal and steel industries into a single common market based on the principle of supranationalism which would be governe ...
(ECSC) to agree on a single basis for its institutions' location, had led to Luxembourg becoming its provisional seat upon the ECSC's creation in 1952. However, with the development of the
European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
and the European Atomic Energy Community, other cities had successfully bid for their institutions - noticeably
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
and
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
. Discussions leading up to the 1965
Merger Treaty The Merger Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Brussels, was a European treaty which unified the executive institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Commun ...
, which merged the governing institutions of the three communities, focused on resolving the deadlock in finding a single basis for the three communities' institutions. The Luxembourg government, seeking to retain and further attract the communities' institutions, commissioned the construction of the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, spanning the Pffafenthal valley, to connect the Kirchberg plateau directly with Limpertsberg, and the rest of the elevated city, opening up its cheap land for development for the communities. The Luxembourg government's efforts were successful and today Luxembourg is considered one of the EU's three de facto capitals, retaining several institutions, most importantly, the
Court of Justice of the European Union The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ( or "''CJUE''"; Latin: Curia) is the Judiciary, judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Seated in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, this EU ins ...
.


Contemporary developments

The development of the European district acted as a catalyst for the urbanisation of Kirchberg, promoted by the government initiative, the ''Fonds Kirchberg''. The architecture of the Kirchberg plateau is notably modern. The major components of Kirchberg's urbanisation were drawn up by French architect Pierre Vago, with its central axis being the 3.5 km long Avenue John Fitzgerald Kennedy stretching from the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge in southwest Kirchberg to the edge of the Grünewald forest on the north-eastern border. The avenue was beautified from its original inception as an expressway into a tree-lined pedestrian-and-cycle-friendly thoroughfare, with separated
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
and bus lanes. The Kirchberg campus of the
University of Luxembourg The University of Luxembourg (French language, French: ''Université du Luxembourg''; German language, German: ''Universität Luxemburg''; Luxembourgish language, Luxembourgish: ''Universitéit Lëtzebuerg'') is a Public university, public researc ...
is located midway along this avenue, in proximity to, since September 2019, the
National Library of Luxembourg National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
. A number of glass and steel edifices of commercial, and financial institutions spans from central to north eastern Kirchberg, where the Kirchberg Hospital is located. Kirchberg has developed into an important cultural hub. The partially reconstructed Fort Thüngen, listed along with the rest of the former
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 ...
, as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
, hosts the Mudam, a museum of modern art opened in 2006. Designed by I. M. Pei, it displays works by some of the world's most notable modern artists. In close proximity, adjacent to one of the European Parliament's original plenary chambers, is the Philharmonie, Luxembourg's national concert hall. The grand auditorium seats over 1,500 people. On the eastern edge of the European district, Luxembourg's National Sports and Culture Centre,
d'Coque The National Sports and Culture Centre d'Coque ''(),'' better known simply as d'Coque, () is a sporting and cultural venue with an indoor arena and Olympic-sized swimming pool, amongst other facilities, in Kirchberg, a quarter of Luxembourg C ...
arena contains an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the country's largest indoor arena with seating for 8,300 spectators. In north-eastern Kirchberg, the mixed-use complex of the
Kirchberg District Centre The Kirchberg District Centre ( French: ''Centre de Quartier Kirchberg''; ) is a mixed-use building complex in northeastern Kirchberg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg containing both an office complex and shopping mall, with their principal tenan ...
contains both the offices of the European Commission's statistics body,
Eurostat Eurostat ("European Statistical Office"; also DG ESTAT) is a department of the European Commission ( Directorate-General), located in the Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statist ...
, and an
Auchan Auchan () is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% ...
hypermarket and shopping mall. Bordering the complex are the cinema multiplex, Kinepolis Kirchberg, and Luxembourg's national exposition centre, Luxexpo The Box. Today, south-western Kirchberg is dominated by the
EU institutions The institutions of the European Union are the seven principal decision-making bodies of the European Union and Euratom governed under the Treaties of the European Union and European Union law. They are, as listed in Article 13 of the Treaty ...
and agencies that were the key to its development. This includes the
Court of Justice of the European Union The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ( or "''CJUE''"; Latin: Curia) is the Judiciary, judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Seated in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, this EU ins ...
, the Court of Auditors, parts of the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
, the
Secretariat of the European Parliament The Secretariat of the European Parliament is the administrative body of the European Parliament headed by a Secretary-General. It is based in the Kirchberg district of Luxembourg City and around Brussels-Luxembourg railway station in Brussels ...
, and the
European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...
. Additionally, the
European School, Luxembourg I The European School, Luxembourg I (ESL1) was the first of the European Schools. It was founded in October 1953 on the initiative of officials of the European Coal and Steel Community, with the support of the Community's institutions and the go ...
provides an education to the children of staff working within the EU bodies. Kirchberg's association with the Court of Justice of the European Union, in particular, has led to it becoming a metonym for the institution. , Kirchberg has a population of 10,725 inhabitants, with just under a quarter possessing Luxembourgish nationality.


Public transport

Plans to provide Kirchberg with a more direct connection to national and international
heavy rail Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: Rapid transit A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid acceleratio ...
links were realized in December 2017, with the opening of a funicular, on the southern edge of the plateau, in proximity to the European district, which provides access to a newly constructed station located in the bordering Pfaffenthal valley below. Connecting the funicular station, a new tram line was opened which, since March 2025, runs from
Luxembourg Airport Luxembourg Airport serves as the principal airport of Luxembourg and the sole international airport within the country. Formerly known as Luxembourg Findel Airport (French: Aéroport de Luxembourg-Findel) due to its location in the Findel are ...
, via its depot in northern Kirchberg, down Avenue J.F.K, across the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, and on to the old town in Ville Haute, before terminating in the Cloche d'Or business district in the south of the city via, the
central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
. In northern Kirchberg, between Luxexpo and the new tram depot, a major new transport hub with 10 bus platforms, a tram stop and a five-storey car park was completed in May 2022. The National Mobility Plan 2035 details a possible further tram extension in Kirchberg that would split from the existing line at Luxexpo, serving the Kiem and upcoming Laangfur urban development, as well as the CJEU, before rejoining the existing line via Boulevard Konrad Adenauer.


Microclimate

Like Luxembourg City, Kirchberg has a general
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: Cfb), marked by high
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
, particularly in late spring. However, the slope and height of the area accounts for occasional lower temperatures (up to 1° below Luxembourg City), more frequent fog and enhanced precipitation of both rain and snow.


See also

*
European Parliament in Luxembourg The European Parliament's presence in Kirchberg, Luxembourg currently consists of the Secretariat of the European Parliament, Parliament's secretariat, although the Parliament had held plenary sessions in the city for a brief period. History The ...
*
Institutional seats of the European Union The seven institutions of the European Union, institutions of the European Union (EU) are seated in four different cities, which are Brussels (Belgium), Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (Luxembourg) and Stras ...
*
Quarters of Luxembourg City The Quarters of Luxembourg City (; ) are the smallest administrative division for local government in Luxembourg City, the capital and largest city in the Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. There are currently twenty-four quarters, covering th ...


Gallery

Image:Fort Thüngen and Quartier européen Kirchberg, Luxembourgn2019-08.jpg, Kirchberg's European district with Fort Thüngen and the Mudam in the foreground Image:Kirchberg, passerelle (5).JPG, South-facing view from the (since demolished) footbridge over Avenue John F. Kennedy circa 2015 Image:Kirchberg Luxembourg.jpg, The European Convention Centre Luxembourg (ECCL) to the right, and the Philharmonie Luxembourg to the left. Image:University of Luxembourg - Kirchberg Campus.jpg, Aerial view of southern Kirchberg circa 2011 Image:Kirche Luxemburg-Kirchberg 04.jpg, Kirchberg's Chapel of Nôtre Dame, Salut des Infirmes, on rue des Maraîchers Image:Luxembourg, Bibliothèque nationale Kirchberg (101).jpg,
National Library of Luxembourg National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
Image:Stadtteilzentrum Kirchberg, Avenue John F Kennedy - 2013.jpg,
Kirchberg District Centre The Kirchberg District Centre ( French: ''Centre de Quartier Kirchberg''; ) is a mixed-use building complex in northeastern Kirchberg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg containing both an office complex and shopping mall, with their principal tenan ...
Image:Sign in front of the CJEU complex March 2023.png, The
Palais de la Cour de Justice The Palais de la Cour de Justice is a Building#Complex, building complex acting as the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), located in the European district of the Luxembourg City quarter of Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchber ...
: the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union.


Notes


References


External links


Kirchberg Urbanisation Fund's Official Website
{{Authority control 1220s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1222 establishments in Europe Quarters of Luxembourg City Ricardo Bofill buildings