As of 31 December 2024[update], Luxembourg City has a population of 136,208 inhabitants,[2] which is more than three times the population of the country's second most populous commune (Esch-sur-Alzette). The population consists of 160 nationalities. Foreigners represent 70.1% of the city's population, whilst Luxembourgers represent 29.9% of the population,[2] making it the commune with the highest proportion of foreign residents in Luxembourg.[3]
In 2024, Luxembourg was ranked by theIMF as having the highest GDP per capita in the world at $140,310 (PPP),[4] with the city having developed into a banking and administrative centre. In the 2019 Mercer worldwide survey of 231 cities, Luxembourg was placed first for personal safety, while it was ranked 18th for quality of living.[5]
Map of the City around 1600The Old City of Luxembourg at night
In theRoman era, a fortified tower guarded the crossing of twoRoman roads that met at the site of Luxembourg city. Through an exchange treaty with the abbey ofSaint Maximin inTrier in 963,Siegfried I of theArdennes, a close relative ofKing Louis II ofFrance andEmperor Otto the Great, acquired the feudal lands of Luxembourg. Siegfried built his castle, namedLucilinburhuc ("small castle"), on theBockFiels ("rock"), mentioned for the first time in the aforementioned exchange treaty.
In 987, ArchbishopEgbert ofTrier consecrated five altars in the Church of the Redemption (today St. Michael's Church). At a Roman road intersection near the church, a marketplace appeared around which the city developed.
The city, because of its location and natural geography, has through history been a place of strategic military significance. The first fortifications were built as early as the 10th century. By the end of the 12th century, as the city expanded westward around the new St. Nicholas Church (today theCathedral of Notre Dame), new walls were built that included an area of 5 hectares (12 acres). In about 1340, under the reign ofJohn the Blind, new fortifications were built that stood until 1867.
In 1443, theBurgundians underPhilip the Good conquered Luxembourg. Luxembourg became part of the Burgundian, and laterSpanish andAustrian empires (SeeSpanish Netherlands andSpanish Road) and under those Habsburg administrations Luxembourg Castle was repeatedly strengthened so that by the 16th century, Luxembourg itself was one of the strongest fortifications in Europe. Subsequently, the Burgundians, the Spanish, the French, the Spanish again, the Austrians, the French again, and thePrussians conquered Luxembourg.[citation needed]
In the 17th century, the firstcasemates were built; initially, Spain built 23 km (14 mi) of tunnels, starting in 1644.[7] These were then enlarged under French rule byMarshal Vauban, and augmented again under Austrian rule in the 1730s and 1740s.
During theFrench Revolutionary Wars, the city was occupied byFrance twice: once, briefly, in 1792–93, and, later, after a seven-monthsiege.[8] Luxembourg held out for so long under the French siege that French politician and military engineerLazare Carnot called Luxembourg "the bestfortress in the world, except Gibraltar", giving rise to the city's nickname: the 'Gibraltar of the North'.[8][9]
After theLuxembourg Crisis, the 1867Treaty of London required Luxembourg to dismantle the fortifications in Luxembourg City. Their demolition took sixteen years, cost 1.5 million goldfrancs, and required the destruction of over 24 km (15 mi) of underground defences and 4 hectares (9.9 acres) ofcasemates,batteries,barracks, etc.[10] Furthermore, the Prussiangarrison was to be withdrawn.[11]
ThePasserelle, also known as the viaduct or old bridge, overlooking thePétrusse river valley. It opened in 1861.
When, in 1890,Grand Duke William III died without any male heirs, the Grand Duchy passed out of Dutch hands, and into an independent line underGrand Duke Adolphe. Thus, Luxembourg, which had hitherto been independent in theory only, became a truly independent country, and Luxembourg City regained some of the importance that it had lost in 1867 by becoming the capital of a fully independent state.
Despite Luxembourg's best efforts to remainneutral in the First World War, it wasoccupied by Germany on 2 August 1914. On 30 August,Helmuth von Moltke moved his headquarters to Luxembourg City, closer to his armies in France in preparation for a swift victory. However, the victory never came, and Luxembourg would play host to the German high command for another four years. At the end of the occupation, Luxembourg City was the scene of an attemptedcommunist revolution; on 9 November 1918, communists declared asocialist republic, but it lasted only a few hours.[12]
In 1920 and 1921, thecity limits were greatly expanded, with the communes ofEich,Hamm,Hollerich, andRollingergrund all merging with Luxembourg City. Until then, the city proper had only had an area of 3.55 km2 (1.37 sq mi); the merger gave Luxembourg City a new area of 51.52 km2 (19.89 sq mi),[13] making the city the largest commune in the country (a position that it would hold until 1978).
In 1940,Germany occupied Luxembourg again. TheNazis were not prepared to allow Luxembourgers self-government, and gradually integrated Luxembourg into the Third Reich by informally attaching the country administratively to a neighbouring German province. Under the occupation, the capital city's streets all received new, German names, which was announced on 4 October 1940.[14] The Avenue de la Liberté for example, a major road leading to the railway station, was renamed "Adolf-Hitlerstraße".[14] Luxembourg City was liberated on 10 September 1944.[15] The city was under long-range bombardment by the GermanV-3 cannon in December 1944 and January 1945.
After the war, Luxembourg ended its neutrality, and became a founding member of several inter-governmental and supra-governmental institutions. In 1952, the city became the headquarters of the High Authority of theEuropean Coal and Steel Community. In 1967, the High Authority was merged with the commissions of the other European institutions; although Luxembourg City was no longer the seat of the ECSC, it hosted some part-sessions of theEuropean Parliament until 1981.[16] Luxembourg remains the seat of the European Parliament's secretariat, as well as theCourt of Justice of the European Union, theEuropean Court of Auditors, and theEuropean Investment Bank. Several departments of theEuropean Commission are also based in Luxembourg.[6] TheCouncil of the EU meets in the city for the months of April, June and October annually.[6]
Luxembourg City lies on the southern part of theLuxembourg plateau, a largeEarly Jurassicsandstone formation that forms the heart of theGutland, a low-lying and flat area that covers the southern two-thirds of the country.
The city centre occupies a picturesque site on a salient, perched high on precipitous cliffs that drop into the narrow valleys of theAlzette andPétrusse rivers, whose confluence is in Luxembourg City. The 70 m (230 ft) deep gorges cut by the rivers are spanned by many bridges andviaducts, including theAdolphe Bridge, theGrand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, and thePasserelle. Although Luxembourg City is not particularly large, its layout is complex, as the city is set on several levels, straddling hills and dropping into the two gorges.
The commune of Luxembourg City covers an area of over 51 km2 (20 sq mi), or 2% of the Grand Duchy's total area. This makes the city thefourth-largest commune in Luxembourg, and by far the largesturban area. Luxembourg City is not particularly densely populated, at about 2,600 people per km2; large areas of Luxembourg City are maintained as parks, forested areas, or sites of important heritage (particularly theUNESCO sites), while there are also large tracts of farmland within the city limits.
Luxembourg City is subdivided into twenty-fourdistricts (French:quartiers), which cover the commune in its entirety. The districts generally correspond to the major neighbourhoods and suburbs of Luxembourg City, although a few of the historic districts, such asBonnevoie, are divided between two districts.[citation needed]
Luxembourg City has anoceanic climate (Cfb), with moderate precipitation, cold to cool winters and warm summers. It is cloudy about two-thirds of the year.[citation needed]
Climate data for Luxembourg City (1991–2020, extremes 1947–present)
Under theLuxembourgish constitution, local government is centred on the city'scommunal council. Consisting of twenty-seven members (fixed since 1964), each elected every six years on the second Sunday of October and taking office on 1 January of the next year,[21] the council is the largest of all communal councils in Luxembourg. The city is considered a stronghold of theDemocratic Party (DP),[22] which has provided its mayor without interruption since 1969 and is the second-largest party nationally. The Democratic Party is the largest party on the council, with ten councillors.[23]
The city's administration is headed by themayor, who is the leader of the largest party on the communal council. AfterXavier Bettel became Luxembourg's new prime minister on 4 December 2013,Lydie Polfer (DP), who had already been in office from 1982 to 1999, was sworn in as new mayor of Luxembourg on 17 December of the same year. Since the last elections the mayor leads the cabinet, theCollege of Aldermen, in which the DP forms a coalition with theCSV. Unlike other cities in Luxembourg, which are limited to fouraldermen at most, Luxembourg is given special dispensation to have six aldermen on its College.[24]
Luxembourg was the first city to be namedEuropean Capital of Culture twice. The first time was in 1995. In 2007, along with theRomanian city ofSibiu, the European Capital of Culture[28] was to be a cross-border area (Greater Region of SaarLorLux orGrande Région) consisting of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland in Germany, the Walloon Region and the German-speaking part of Belgium, and theLorraine area inFrance. The event was an attempt to promote mobility and the exchange of ideas, crossing borders in all areas, physical, psychological, artistic and emotional.[citation needed][29]
Luxembourg City is also famed for its wide selection of restaurants and cuisines, including four Michelin starred establishments.[30]
The city of Luxembourg is on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List asCity of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications, on account of the historical importance of its fortifications.[31] The site is located mainly in Ville Haute (Uewerstad).
TheINGEurope Marathon has been contested annually in the capital since June 2006. It attracted 11,000 runners and over 100,000 spectators during the 2014 edition.
TheLuxembourg Open is a tennis tournament held since 1991 in the capital. The tournament runs from 13 to 21 October.BGL BNP Paribas, one of the more famous sponsors in the world of tennis, was the contracted title sponsor of the tournament until 2014.
The Second World WarLuxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial is located within the city limits of Luxembourg atHamm. This cemetery is the final resting place of 5,076 American military dead, including GeneralGeorge S. Patton. There is also a memorial to 371 Americans whose remains were never recovered or identified.
Luxembourg is situated in the heart of Europe in the Gold Triangle betweenFrankfurt,Paris, andAmsterdam. It is therefore connected to several motorways and international routes.[34]
Luxembourg City is served by five rail stations operated by the state rail company, theSociété Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), including the principal station and terminus of all rail lines in the Grand Duchy,Luxembourg station. Stations in Luxembourg City are served by domestic rail services operated by CFL, as well as international rail services, operated by CFL, andGerman,Belgian, andFrench service providers. Additionally, Luxembourg station is connected to the FrenchLGV Est network, providing high-speed services on to Paris andStrasbourg. Services toBasel andZürich in Switzerland are available via two daily scheduled international trains.[36]
Luxembourg City has a network of 40[37] bus routes, operated by the municipal transport authority,Autobus de la Ville de Luxembourg (AVL), partly subcontracted to private bus companies. There is also a free bus service linking the Glacis toLuxembourg station, the "Joker Line" for seniors, and a "City night network". A "Park & Ride" scheme is operated by the city with five carparks connected to the bus network. In addition to AVL buses,CFL and RGTR operate regional buses to other locales in Luxembourg and nearby cities in Germany and France.[citation needed]
Between 1875 and 1964, the city was covered by an extensive tram network. In December 2017,trams were reintroduced to the capital, with the phased opening of a new line, line T1, completed in March 2025, which runs betweenLuxembourg Airport and theStade de Luxembourg, via the city centre.[38][39][40] The network is expected to have 4 lines by 2035, with future lines currently in the planning stages.[41]
Luxembourg City is served by the only international airport in the country:Luxembourg Airport (codes:IATA: LUX,ICAO: ELLX). Accessibility to the airport, situated in the commune ofSandweiler, 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from the city centre, is provided via lines 6, 16 and 29 of the municipal bus network, and line T1 of the city tramway, which terminates there since 2025.[42][43] The airport is the principal hub for Luxembourg'sflag carrier,Luxair, and one of the world's largest cargo airlines,Cargolux.[44]
^"Principles - Legislative elections".elections.public.lu. Retrieved4 October 2025.The country is broken down into four electoral districts (...) 2. the Centre, comprising the cantons of Luxembourg and Mersch
Thewes, Guy; Wagener, Danièle (1995)."La Ville de Luxembourg en 1795"(PDF).Ons Stad (in French) (49):4–7.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved11 September 2017.
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