One of world's richest cities perched high on cliffs - City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications 699; Musical art of horn players, an instrumental technique linked to singing, breath control, vibrato, resonance of place and conviviality 01581
What and Why
The city of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg) is located at the confluence of the Alzette (Uelzecht) and Pétrusse (Péitruss) rivers and is perched on a very steep rock which is somewhat of a natural fortification of its own. Due to its strategic position in the smack of all actions in Europe, the city was constantly under siege and hence Luxembourg built one of the largest fortresses of modern Europe, whilst the regime underwent the change of hands between the various European powers. The fortress, however, has historically remained impregnable, which led it to be nicknamed the 'Gibraltar of the North'.
Originally, the city comprised only a small fort built after the mid-10th century CE on an almost inaccessible rock. The fort was then extended and developed in the next few centuries through the various regimes, from Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) to the royal families of Bourbon, Habsburg, Hohenzollern and the French until the late 17th century CE. After the Napoleonic Wars, Luxembourg continued to be swapped between Prussia (German: Preußen) and the Netherlands, until the country of Luxembourg finally gained its genuine independence in the mid-19th century CE.
Toponymy
The name derives from the little castle that begins it all. The name of the castle was Lucilinburhuc, which comes from lucilem in Celtic meaning little, and the stem -burhuc
in mediaeval German meaning castle.
See
Bock (Bockfiels)
The beginning of the country, the Bock (Bockfiels) is where Lucilinburhuc was built in the mid-10th century CE by Count Siegfried (né Siegfried Ardennes-Luxembourg). As mentioned, the original castle was tiny and it was enlarged and developed over the years. In addition to the castle, the Bock also included a system of casemates and underground passages, for use as a barrack and cannon storage. A good place to start exploring Luxembourg's history.
Le Chemin de la Corniche
From the Bock, one can walk to the main town through Le Chemin de la Corniche, meaning the cliff road in French. This pedestrian promenade along the rim of the Alzette gorge is described as Europe's most beautiful balcony and every step of the way is a photospot.
This begins from the Bock and there is a compass to show every landmark of the city.
Neumünster Abbey (Neimënster)
From the Bock, the main landmark down the gorge is the Neumünster Abbey (Neimënster) which is now a convention centre or public gathering area in the city. It was a Benedictine (Latin: Regula Sancti Benedicti) abbey built in the 16th century CE. The abbey hosted the signing ceremony of Bulgaria and Romania joining the European Union in 2005 CE.
Grand Ducal Palace (Groussherzogleche Palais)
The Grand Ducal Palace (Groussherzogleche Palais) is the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Groussherzog vu Lëtzebuerg), the head of state of the nation. Nearby is the European Union Palace of Justice.
City Hall (Stadhaus) and Place Guillaume (Knuedler)
Place Guillaume (Knuedler) is the main town square in Luxembourg. It is colloquially known as Knuedler, from Luxembourgish meaning knot, referring to the knot worn by Franciscan friars. The square is dominated by Luxembourg City Hall (Stadhaus) and the equestrian statue to the former Grand Duke William II (Dutch: Willem Lodewijk) after whom the square is named. The square was originally the site of a Franciscan monastery.
During the day of visit we came across a parade of hunting horns just outside the city hall area. This musical instrument originates from France but is now dispersed around the Alps, to become a living tradition around the region. Playing the horn is a performing art during festive occasions and usually draws a great camaraderie and sense of cultural belonging, which is one of the important hallmarks of the the horn practice.
In Luxembourg, these horn players are called Haupeschbléiser, named after Saint Hubert, their patron saint of hunting and thus the horn is referred to as the hunting horn. Their Luxembourgish version of the instrument, is said to be 'natural' as it is just a big round coil and has no pistons, buttons or holes. The horn is sounded using physical breathing only, which requires some special and substantial techniques. This is now recently inscribed as an ICH.
Adolphe Bridge (Adolphe-Bréck)
The double-decked Adolphe Bridge (Adolphe-Bréck), looks fairly bland by European standard. However it is the unofficial national symbol, representing Luxembourg's independence.
The other bridge of importance is the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge (Groussherzogin-Charlotte-Bréck) that crosses the Alzette. The view from this bridge is breathtaking.
Buy and Do
Luxembourg promotes shopping in the city very seriously to the point that the authorities opened an information point in the very centre of the city to provide guidance and suggestions regarding all your possible shopping needs and interests. Located at Place Guillaume.
Eat and Drink
Luxembourgish cuisine (Lëtzebuergesch Kichen)
Luxembourgish cuisine (Lëtzebuergesch Kichen) is simply a potpourri of European cuisines. It is influenced by French, German, Belgian, Swiss and Italian cuisines and frankly does not reflect anything distinctive. Luxembourgeois seems to like beans a lot and their national dish is the bean soup bouneschlupp and the plum tart quetschentaart.
Luxembourg boasts a large number of Michelin-starred restaurants thanks to its upscale lifestyle. We had a posh dinner at Brassserie du Cercle and had, amongst other things, the Judd mat Gaardebounen, which is another local specialty of pork collar served in a soup of broad beans.
Stay
We stayed in Novotel Luxembourg Kirchberg, business-like, very good.
Getting There and Around
While the city is quite undulating as it is built around rocks, the best way to explore the tiny city is by foot. It does need some stamina to deal with hiking around Luxembourg. I recommend spending two or three days in Luxembourg.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Because of its strategic position, Luxembourg was, from the 16th century until 1867, when its walls were dismantled, one of Europe's greatest fortified sites. It was repeatedly reinforced as it passed from one great European power to another: the Holy Roman Emperors, the House of Burgundy, the Habsburgs, the French and Spanish kings, and finally the Prussians. Until their partial demolition, the fortifications were a fine example of military architecture spanning several centuries.
The musical art of horn players, an instrumental technique linked to singing, breath control, vibrato, resonance of place and conviviality, brings together the techniques and skills used to play the horn. The pitch, accuracy and quality of the notes produced are influenced by the musician’s breath and the instrumental technique is based on the players’ body control. The timbre of the instrument is clear and piercing, especially in high notes, and the instrument’s sound range is based on natural resonance with rich harmonics. With twelve notes, its range enables compositions with a singing melody, accompanied by a second voice and harmonized with a bass score; as an integral part of the art of playing horns, singing enables players to develop cohesion and convivial solidarity. Playing the horn is a performative art open to musical creativity and practised on festive occasions. Drawn together by their shared fascination for this instrumental music, players come from all backgrounds. This great social mix is one of the hallmarks of current horn practice. Education in the practice is traditionally oral and imitative. Players rarely learn alone, however musical practice is often acquired in horn schools. Horn music maintains a vast, lively musical repertoire constantly enriched since the seventeenth century. A great sense of belonging and continuity stems from interpreting this common repertoire, encouraging intercultural and international dialogue.
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