Esch-sur-Alzette

Infobox Luxembourg commune
name = Esch-sur-Alzette
luxname = Esch-Uelzecht


arms = Coat of arms esch alzette luxbrg.png LAU2 = 10004
canton = Esch-sur-Alzette
district = Luxembourg

Esch-sur-Alzette ( _lb. Esch-Uelzecht, _de. Esch-an-der-Alzette or "Esch-an-der-Alzig", _fr. Esch-sur-Alzette) is a commune with city status, in south-western Luxembourg. It is the country's second city, and its second-most populous commune, with a population of 28,000 people. The town of Esch-sur-Alzette lies in the centre of the commune; with a population of 27,146 (as of 2001), it is Luxembourg's second-most populous town.

It lies in the south-west of the country, on the border with France. The town is usually referred to just as Esch, but there is also a village and commune further north named Esch-sur-Sûre from which to distinguish it. Esch lies in the valley of the Alzette, which flows through the town. The capital, Luxembourg City, is roughly 15 km (9 miles) to the north-east.

Places of interest

There is a museum, called the National Museum of the Resistance, which has material related to the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War. Other tourist attractions include the large park, and the Berwart Tower, built in 1621.

There are two cinemas, called the 'Ariston' and the 'Kinosch'. The main theatre is the Municipal Theatre. There is also the 'Kulturfabrik', a cultural centre in a reconverted abattoir which hosts performances of various kinds. The town is the site of one of the six regional headquarters of the Grand Ducal Police.

The city is the centre of the country's steel manufacture. One of the largest employers in the town is Arcelor, the world's largest steel producer, which formed from the merger of Aceralia, Arbed, and Usinor.

port

Esch is in the heart of the traditional footballing heartland of the south of the country, and the town was the first place in the country to embrace the game. The first two football clubs in the country, CS Fola Esch (founded in 1906) and Jeunesse Esch (1907), both come from the town. Jeunesse have been the most successful Luxembourgian club, winning an unrivalled twenty-seven National Division titles; combined with twelve Luxembourg Cup victories, Jeunesse have won eight Doubles. They play at Stade de la Frontière, in the south of the town. Fola were very important in the early history of the sport in Luxembourg, winning five titles up to 1930, but have since declined, currently playing in the second-tier Division of Honour. Fola's home stadium is Stade Émile Mayrisch, in the south-east of Esch, which it shares with its sister athletics club CA Fola Esch.

At the 2006 Tour de France, Esch-sur-Alzette hosted the end of Stage 2 and the start of Stage 3.

Transport

Esch-sur-Alzette is the southern terminus of the A4 motorway, which runs northwards to Luxembourg City. The east-west A13 meets the A4 just to the north of Esch, and terminates at Pétange in the west and meets the German Bundesautobahn 8 at its eastern end.

Esch is one of four Luxembourgian towns to have multiple railway stations. [The others are Luxembourg City (4 stations), Dudelange (4), and Mamer (2)] Esch's three railway stations, Esch-sur-Alzette, Belval-Rédange, and Belval-Usines, all lie on Line 60 of the Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois network.

Twin towns

* Bethnal Green, United Kingdom
* Coimbra, Portugal
* Cologne, Germany
* Liège, Belgium
* Lille, France
* Mödling, Austria
* Offenbach am Main, Germany
* Puteaux, France
* Rotterdam, Netherlands
* Saint-Gilles, Belgium
* Turin, Italy
* Velletri, Italy
* Zemun, Serbia

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.esch.lu/ The city's website]
* [http://www.eschalzette.com A large private collection of pictures of the city and its surroundings] — "articles in German, French and Luxembourgish"
* [http://HoloGuides.com/cities/Esch_Alzette_LU/ HoloGuides : Esch/Alzette - photos, events, etc.]
* [http://www.feats.org/archive/news/news1299.htm FEATS Newsletter, December 1999] - discusses quite a few matters relating to Esch