Battle of the Bulge 75th

Previous Day Prev P

Monday, 16 December 2019 - Traveled to Luxembourg City for a walking tour of the historic center, photographed the Monument of Remembrance (Gëlle Fra), the Notre-Dame Cathedral with its stained glass, old city fortifications above the Petrusse River, and the Grand Ducal Palace, saw statues and architectural details throughout the city, and enjoyed the Christmas market before heading back to Frankfurt for the farewell dinner.

On our last day, we traveled to Luxembourg city where we did a walking tour of the historic city.

belgium2019 — The arms for Luxembourg.

belgium2019 — Building where General Bradley had his headquarters in World War II.

belgium2019 — Building where General Patton had his headquarters during World War II.

belgium2019 — Park Petrusse with the old town fortifications on the left and the Petrusse River on the right.

belgium2019 — The Monument of Remembrance, known by the nickname of the Gelle Fra (Luxembourgish for 'Golden Lady'). It is dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered for service in the armed forces of the Allied Powers during both World Wars and the Korean War.

The centerpiece of the monument is a 70-foot granite obelisk. On top of the obelisk stands a gilded bronze statue representing Nike, goddess of victory, or "Queen of Freedom" holding out a laurel wreath as if placing it upon the head of the nation.

belgium2019 — Notre-Dame Cathedral in the background with a Christmas Tree on top of the old city fortifications.

The Cathedral has three towers, the west tower, which was the tower of the previous Jesuit church and which contains the bells, the east tower, and the central tower, which stands over the transept.

belgium2019 — Notre-Dame Cathedral is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Luxembourg City. It was originally a Jesuit church, and its cornerstone was laid in 1613. It is the only cathedral in Luxembourg.

belgium2019 — Statue of St. Nicholas stands over the Cathedral entrance in Rue Notre-Dame.

belgium2019 — The altar in the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

belgium2019 — The sanctuary - a beautiful building.

belgium2019 — The ceiling where the arches meet.

belgium2019 — A close look at the altar and stained-glass in the cathedral.

belgium2019 — No rose window in the back of the church but still beautiful stained-glass over the organ.

belgium2019 — Steeples everywhere.

belgium2019 — The "Maison de Bourgogne", or "House of Burgundy", is located in the heart of the government quarter. The building was first recorded in 1447.

Typical of this transitional period between gothic and renaissance are the pillars and pointed arch of the entrance to the brick-built and completely preserved tower. It is one of the oldest buildings in Luxembourg.

Since 1975 the "Maison de Bourgogne" has been the home of the Ministry of State, serving as the seat of Luxembourg's Prime Minister.

belgium2019 — Statue in a corner niche of a building.

belgium2019 — Candle holder?

belgium2019 — Charlotte Wilhelmine reigned as Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 until her abdication in 1964.

She acceded to the throne on 14 January 1919 following the abdication of her sister due to political pressure over her role during the German occupation of Luxembourg during World War I.

During the German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II, Charlotte, exiled in Britain, became an important symbol of national unity. In 1943, Grand Duchess Charlotte and the Luxembourg government established themselves in London: her broadcasts became a more regular feature of the BBC schedules, establishing her as a focus for the resistance movements in Luxembourg.

belgium2019 — Grand Ducal Palace was first the city hall of Luxembourg from 1572 to 1795, the seat of the prefecture of the Departement des Forets in 1795, and then the headquarters of the Luxembourg Government in 1817.

From 1817, the palace became the residence of the Governor, the representative of the Dutch Grand Dukes.

During the German occupation in the Second World War, the Grand Ducal Palace was used by the Nazis as a concert hall and tavern. Much of the palace's furniture, art collections and jewels were ruined. Large swastika flags were hung down the front. With the return of Grand Duchess Charlotte from exile in 1945, the palace once again became the seat of the Grand Ducal Court.

belgium2019 — From 1945 to 1966 the Grand Ducal Guard mounted ceremonial guard duties at the palace. From 1966 soldiers of the military of Luxembourg perform guard duties.

belgium2019 — The roofline of the Grand Ducal Palace.

belgium2019 — Another niche statue on a building.

belgium2019 — Saint Michael's Church

Pediment with the coat of arms of Louis XIV commemorating the stay of the Sun King in Luxembourg City in 1687.

belgium2019 — A modern stained-glass window in Saint Michael's Church.

belgium2019 — Saint Michael fighting the dragon

belgium2019 — Statue on Saint Michael's Church.

belgium2019 — The river Alzette flows through the older part of the city below the city walls.

belgium2019 — The ruins are called Hollow Tooth - old but not part of the original fortifications. All the fortifications were dismantled after an 1867 treaty with England.

belgium2019 — Stierchen Bridge over the Alzette River.

belgium2019 — "We want to stay what we are" is the national motto of Luxembourg.

It refers to the ambition of the Luxembourgish people to remain separate from, and independent of, those neighbouring countries around it that have traditionally tried to dominate it politically, economically as well as militarily and, as a final goal, to annex it: Belgium, France and Germany

belgium2019 — In 987, Archbishop Egbert of Trier 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.

belgium2019 — Contemporary Luxembourg coat of arms.

belgium2019 — The equestrian statue of Grand Duke William II in Place Guillaume II square. William II was the King of the Netherlands and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

belgium2019 — Located on Jan Pallach Square, this historic monument was erected to pay homage to the two national poets Dicks (1823-1891) and Michel Lentz (1820-1893), who wrote the words of the national anthem.

belgium2019 — And there is a Christmas Market - here are the ubiquitous nutcrackers.

belgium2019 — Lion outside City Hall.

belgium2019 — Sheep - part of a fountain statue.

belgium2019 — Odd unicorn on a building.

belgium2019 — Park Petrusse with a walking path and the Petrusse River.

Then we piled back on the bus to head back to Frankfurt for our farewell dinner.

Previous Day Prev P

Top

Top

Cal and VA | Adventures | Belgium

© Cal and Virginia Ann Holman
All Rights Reserved 2000-2025 Do not use without permission.
Privacy Policy - Terms

Modified last on 2025-12-26