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The Old Quarters and Fortifications of the City of Luxembourg is today recognised as a World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Site comprises a core zone covering 30 hectares within Luxembourg City, surrounded by a buffer zone of 109 hectares.
The Old Quarters of the City of Luxembourg was highly fortified, especially between the 16th century until 1867. Successive rulers strengthened the fortifications of the city, resulting is visible city walls that were built over many centuries.
Remnants of the Luxembourg City fortifications, partially reconstructed in 1963
Author: Caranorn (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
The earliest part of Luxembourg City dates to AD 963, when Siegfried I acquired the area in a land exchange with the Abbey of Saint Maximin. There he built his castle. It was near the cross road of two major Roman roads, a site which became a market place. The City of Luxembourg grew around that market place.
A second defensive wall was erected in the 12th century, and yet another in the 15th century. Due to its strategic location, the rulers of Europe all vied to possess the City of Luxembourg. Eventually however the European powers agreed to the perpetual neutrality of Luxembourg in the Treaty of London of 1867. With that in place, demolition began on the city walls, a massive effort that last sixteen years and cost 1.5 million gold francs. Today only remnants of the fortifications survive, including twelve of the original twenty-eight gates of the city.
Remains of Luxembourg fortifications
Author: Werneuchen (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 18th session of the World Heritage Committee in Phuket, Thailand, 12 - 17 December, 1994.
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: N49 36 36 E6 7 59.988Inscription Year: 1994
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: IV
Return to Luxembourg's World Heritage Sites
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