A police escort accompanied the special convoy as it ascended to Ville-Haute. A critical moment occurred at Rue Willy Goergen, demanding a delicate manoeuvre where the drivers navigated a 350-meter drive in reverse across Rue du Fossé to reach Place Guillaume II.
The crane operator also faced a precision task, extending the crane to nearly 40 metres to lift the 10 to 12-metre-long trees from the lorry and delicately position them into the designated pots.
Originally, the plan was to transplant the old plane trees, but according to Charel Faust from the Park Service’s Arboriculture department, using them would have proven challenging.
The new plane trees, being more compact, were better suited dimensionally. The older plane trees are currently housed in the tree nursery in Rollingergrund, with plans for their relocation to a new permanent location in Luxembourg City.
Mayor Lydie Polfer confirmed that the budget of €28.8 million covered not only tree installation but also the paving from Bavaria, a fountain, a playground, and new furniture. Crucially, extensive work was conducted on underground infrastructure.
Over the course of 21 months, more than 11 kilometres of pipes and channels were installed, facilitating connections to gas, electricity, and water for future events. This effort addressed previous issues of water infiltrations in the underground parking facilities.
The statue of Guillaume II is now surrounded by 16 plane trees, selected for their resilience in warm summers, hailing from the Mediterranean region where they are commonly seen in village squares.
On a side note, the Winterlights Festival in Luxembourg City is scheduled to start on 24 November.
