Luxembourg

placed in the category: Cities

The city of Luxembourg, or alternatively known as Luxembourg City, is the capital of Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is situated in the southern part of Luxembourg, particularly where the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers joins together. The picturesque city is located on top of cliffs that rise above the valleys, and are intersected by many bridges that add to the scenic beauty of the city. If you are in Luxembourg, France, Belgium, and Germany are all just a bus-ride or train-ride away.

At present (in 2009), it has the largest population among the twelve cities in Luxembourg, having around 90,000 people residing in it. This city is also the largest urban area in Luxembourg, covering a total land area of more than fifty-one square kilometers (51 sq. km). Since the city is not overly populated, merely less than 2,000 persons per square kilometer, vast areas in the city are used for farmlands, forestlands and parks

Luxembourg City takes pride in its myriad of rich cultural and historical sites. UNESCO has, in fact, classified the regions of Luxembourg as World Heritage Sites. Among these sites are the Luxembourg Castle, established way back in the Middle Ages, the Church of St. Ulric, the oldest parish church in the city, and the Castle Bride, built from red sandstone in 1735. Luxembourg City is also a home of various museums, such as National Museum of Military, General Patton Memorial Museum, and Luxembourg City Museum. Its national Library, which features a compilation of more than 700,000 volumes of books, is found in the rebuilt Jesuit College. These establishments simply reflect how the multi-faceted city's people value their traditional and cultural heritage and beginnings.

The city has developed into an administrative and banking center, and as such, it is now considered as among the wealthiest cities in the world. Several institutions of the European Union, including the European Investment Bank, European Court of Auditors, the secretariat of the European Parliament and European Court of Justice, are also found in Luxembourg, most of which are in the southeast part of the city.