© RTL-Grafik
In the final part of this series we are going to take a look at the history of Luxembourg and it's European institutions.
In the early years, the European institutions were spread all over Luxembourg City, with officials working in 30 different buildings. This system was evidently inconvenient and so solutions were sought to regroup the institutions.
Among the first ideas was the construction of a European skyscraper in the Verlorenkost quarter, where a large number of translators already worked in the gendarmerie barracks.
In the end, however, it was decided to relocate the European institutions to the Kirchberg Plateau.
Following several expropriations in the early 1960s and the construction of the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, the neighbourhood was ready for the European institutions. There were a number of plans for how the Kirchberg Plateau could have been developed.
Among the most ambitious projects was probably the Centre 300, popularly known as 'the Big Raven' (De grousse Kueb). However, because Luxembourg did not get confirmation that the European Parliament would permanently move to the Grand Duchy, the proposal was shelved.
The planned Centre 300, also known as 'the Big Raven'.
The Grand Duchy has always done everything in its power to maintain existing institutions and attract new ones, with the clear goal of becoming the European capital.
In the early 1980s, the government devised a memorandum to turn Kirchberg into a European quarter comparable to Washington, D.C. in the United States. If this plan had been implemented, Kirchberg would have been placed under European administration, and part of the plateau would have been reserved exclusively for institutions, effectively turning the quarter into a European enclave in Luxembourg.
Another project that was never realised and is also related to the European institutions is the tunnels beneath the Glacis. Because of the heavy traffic, officials demanded in 1976 that the Schuman roundabout (next to the theatre) be connected underground to Route d'Arlon.
Since this project was highly complex, assessments took a long time and lasted well into the 80s.
When the city bypass was opened in the 1990s and the A1 was connected to the other motorways, the idea of tunnels was eventually abandoned.
You can find the other articles of the series here
Planned, yet never built(1): A National Museum at Rousegäertchen?
Planned, yet never built (2): A cathedral at Glacis?
Planned, yet never built (3): Arcades and a market hall at Knuedler?
Planned, yet never built (4): A museum and library at Piquet?
Planned, yet never built (5): A mausoleum on the Altmünster plateau?
Planned, yet never built (6): The Nazis' plans for Luxembourg
