© RTL-Grafik
In the second part of our new series, we take a closer look at Limpertsberg.
Most of us know the Glacis as a giant car park and, of course, the place to be during late summer when the Schueberfouer is back again. One hundred and twenty years ago, the situation was quite different, as the Glacis was almost converted into the religious centre of Luxembourg.
In 1903, one particular question was on the mind of many Luxembourgers, and particularly the residents of Limpertsberg: should a new cathedral be built at Glacis? The bishop at the time supported the idea, in fact, the new cathedral was meant to replace the old one in the city centre.
Read also: Holy Luxembourg - Churches in the Grand Duchy
At that time, between 3,000 to 4,000 people lived in Limpertsberg. The inhabitants complained that the quarter did not have its own church yet, meaning that they had to travel considerable distances to attend Sunday Mass. The residents even started a petition in support of the project.
However, the municipality was against the idea and following a lengthy dispute that lasted until 1912, the project to build a cathedral at the Päerdsmaart was completely abandoned when the Limpertsberg residents finally received their own local church.
Plans for the police and fire brigade at Glacis. / © Archives VDL
New plans emerged a few years later, and this time, the idea was to build both a police station and a fire station at Glacis. The fire station was supposed to include a crèche on the first floor and a space in the back reserved for public toilets. In the end, only the public lavatories were built.
The municipality hired the German urbanist Josef Stübben for the development of the neighbourhood. He designed plans for the Limpertsberg quarter between 1901 and 1921.
The bridge connecting Limpertsberg with Route d'Arlon.
The "Stübben Plan" included two bridges. One was supposed to connect Limpertsberg with Route d'Arlon not far from the former stadium, while the other was supposed to lead to the former Lycée de jeunes filles à Luxembourg, now known as Lycée Robert Schuman. A pedestal was built for the second bridge, but the project was never finished.
The finished bridge pedestal behind Lycée Robert Schuman.
One of the main features of the Stübben Plan was a panoramic boulevard that was supposed to go around the entire quarter of Limpertsberg. The idea of the boulevard was to allow people to take a stroll with views over Mühlenbach, Rollingergrund, and Bambësch. According to Anicet Schmit from the association 'Limpertsberg History Friends', this boulevard would have been a "green lung" for the neighbourhood.
According to the Limpertsberg History Friends, neither the state nor the municipality owned a lot of land parcels in this area, with most of them being privately owned.
The plans, which were mere recommendations, could have been carried out if the private owners would have been willing to sell some of their land. However, because neither the state nor the municipality were able to come to any agreements with these private landowners, many ideas of the Stübben Plan were never carried out.
You can find the other articles of the series here
Planned, yet never built (1): A national museum at Rousegäertchen?
