world.wikisort.org - Luxembourg

Esch-sur-Alzette (French: [ɛʃ syʁ alzɛt]; Luxembourgish: Esch-Uelzecht [ˌæʒ ˈuəltsəɕt] (listen); German: Esch an der Alzette [ˈɛʃ ʔan deːɐ̯ ʔalˈzɛt] or Esch an der Alzig) is the second city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the country's second-most populous commune, with a population of 35,040 inhabitants, as of 2018^[update]. It lies in the south-west of the country, on the border with France and in the valley of the Alzette, which flows through the city. The city is usually referred to as just Esch; however, the full name distinguishes it from the village and commune of Esch-sur-Sûre which lies 45 kilometres (28 miles) further north. The country's capital, Luxembourg City, is roughly 15 km (9.3 mi) to the north-east. Esch was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2022, alongside Kaunas and Novi Sad.

Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-Uelzecht (Luxembourgish)
City and commune
The city seen from the Gaalgebierg park
Coat of arms
Map of Luxembourg with Esch-sur-Alzette highlighted in orange, and the canton in dark red
Coordinates: 49.4969°N 5.9806°E / 49.4969; 5.9806
Country	Luxembourg
Canton	Esch-sur-Alzette
Government
• Mayor	Mischo Georges (CSV)
Area
• Total	14.35 km2 (5.54 sq mi)
• Rank	81st of 102
Highest elevation	426 m (1,398 ft)
• Rank	32nd of 102
Lowest elevation	279 m (915 ft)
• Rank	84th of 102
Population  (2020)
• Total	36,218
• Rank	2nd of 102
• Density	2,500/km2 (6,500/sq mi)
• Rank	1st of 102
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
LAU 2	LU0000204
Website	esch.lu
Click on the map for a fullscreen view

History

For a long time Esch was a small farming village in the valley of the Uelzecht river. This changed when important amounts of iron ore were found in the area in the 1850s. With the development of the mines and the steel industry the town's population multiplied tenfold in a couple of decades. In 1911 the steel- and iron-producing company ARBED was founded.[1] The development of the steel industry, especially in the south of the country, provided Luxembourg with sustained economic growth during the second half of the 19th century.[2]

In the 1970s, as a result of the steel crisis, the mines and many of the blast furnaces were shut down, the last one, in Esch-Belval, definitively halting its operations in 1997.[2] The blast furnaces were replaced by an electric furnace that is fed with scrap metal rather than iron ore.[3]

Today the industrial wastelands on Belval left behind by the steel industry, are being redeveloped and converted into a new, modern town quarter. New cultural buildings such as the cinema Kinepolis Belval[4] and the Rockhal, Luxembourg's biggest concert hall.[5]

The area around the old blast furnaces will host different structures of the University of Luxembourg, many research centres and the national archives.[6]

Places of interest

The Lankelz miniature railway operates on Sunday afternoons and public holidays from May to mid-October.[7]

Esch is home to the Conservatoire de Musique.[8]

The city has the longest shopping street in Luxembourg.[9]

Population

[10]

Government and politics

Local

Esch is governed by its communal council, consisting of 19 councillors. Elections take place to this body every 6 years, under a system of proportional representation. Currently the mayor is Vera Spautz, of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP).[11] The governing majority on the council consists of the LSAP and The Greens.[12]

2011 election results[13]

Party		Popular vote		Seats	Change
G	Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP)	38.48%		9	0
	Christian Social People's Party (CSV)	19.22%		4	1
G	The Greens	12.51%		2	0
	The Left	10.89%		2	1
	Democratic Party (DP)	7.50%		1	0
	Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL)	5.25%		1	1
	Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR)	3.85%		-	1
	Citizens' List	2.30%		-
			Total:	19

'G' denotes parties that went on to form the governing majority.

2017 elections

The most recent elections were held on 8 October 2017; the results are listed below.[14]

After the elections, a coalition agreement was signed between 3 parties, the CSV, the Greens, and the DP, who will form the new governing majority on the council. The designated new mayor is Tom Schlesser of Dei Lénk.[15]

2017 election results

Party		Popular vote		Seats	Change
G	Christian Social People's Party (CSV)	30.87%		6	2
	Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP)	27.86%		6	3
G	The Greens	13.54%		3	1
G	Democratic Party (DP)	9.11%		2	1
	The Left	9.53%		2	0
	Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL)	4.14%		-	1
	Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR)	3.29%		-
	Pirate Party of Luxembourg	1.66%		-
	Total			19

Culture

Film production

In 2001, a Luxembourg film production company had depicted a 40,000 m² and 15 meter high backdrop built for the feature film Secret Passage with John Turturro on the Terre Rouge, a site of a former steelwork in Esch-sur Alzette. The filmset represents the contemporary Venice of the 16th century with a 600 meter long copy of the Grand Canal and 118 house facades. The "Venice-sur-Alzette" was built for around 5 million Euro and was one of the largest open-air film sets in European film history.[16]

Between 2001 and 2007 many film productions used the gigantic filmset. Among others the feature films The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino and The Girl with the Pearl Earring with Scarlett Johansson were shot in Esch. In the summer of 2007, the filmset was torn down because the weather was affecting the buildings.

European Capital of Culture for 2022

The city of Esch-sur-Alzette was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2022, alongside Kaunas and Novi Sad.[17]

Notable people

• Jean Ellis (1946–2006), emergency department physician and climber

Transport

Esch is connected by the bus lines 1,2,3,4,5,7,12,13,15 and 17 of the communal public transport company T.I.C.E [18](tramways intercommunales du canton Esch/Alzette, intercommunal tramway of the canton Esch/Alzette), which maintenance depot and headquarter is situated in Esch, and by lines 307, 312, 313 and 314 of the R.G.T.R.[19]

Twin towns — sister cities

Esch-sur-Alzette is twinned with:[20]

References

External links

• (in French) Official website of the town of Esch-sur-Alzette
• A large private collection of pictures of the town and its surroundings — articles in German, French and Luxembourgish
• HoloGuides : Esch/Alzette - photos, events, etc.
• FEATS Newsletter, December 1999 - discusses quite a few matters relating to Esch

На других языках

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[de] Esch an der Alzette

Esch an der Alzette (deutsch früher auch: Esch an der Elze[2]), international Esch-sur-Alzette (französisch) oder Esch/Alzette, luxemburgisch Esch-Uelzecht, ist eine Stadt und eine Gemeinde im Großherzogtum Luxemburg und gehört zum Kanton Esch. Sie ist nach der Hauptstadt Luxemburg die zweitgrößte Stadt des Landes.

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- [en] Esch-sur-Alzette

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[ru] Эш-сюр-Альзетт

Эш-сюр-Альзе́тт (люксемб. Esch-Uelzecht [ˌæʒ ˈuəltsəɕt] прослушать (инф.), фр. Esch-sur-Alzette, нем. Esch an der Alzette [ˌɛʃ ʔan deːɐ̯ ʔalˈzɛt]) — город на юго-западе Люксембурга, в округе Люксембург, на границе с Францией. Через город протекает река Альзетт. Административный центр одноимённого кантона Эш-сюр-Альзетт. Назначен культурной столицей Европы 2022 года.

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