Luxembourg Heritage News

June 2010

Villeroy and Boch Closes Factory in Luxembourg City  

06/30/2010, by Jess Bauldry

Villeroy & Boch’s Luxembourg-based ceramics factory closed its doors for the last time today, marking the end of an era.

But while the site will no longer be producing ceramic ware, Villeroy and Boch will keep a presence in the Grand Duchy and plans to expand its outlet store later this year.

According to site manager Charles Antoine De Theux the existing factory outlet store will be expanded to incorporate a restaurant, hotel and visitor centre.

He said: "There are two phases to developing the site. The first, which will begin in October this year, will involve creating a hotel and restaurant and we will produce a few small items made in Luxembourg to be sold in the shop there. The second stage is to create something bigger with more entertainment and activities for visitors. We hope to have historical events and projections at the site."

The site in Rollingergrund, Luxembourg city, is one of two factories to be closed under a company restructure. The other factory is at Mettlach.

The Villeroy and Boch castle, which is near the factory, will be retained by the company for use as an events venue. Meanwhile the company is looking to sell part of the factory site to a developer for housing.

Previously the unions criticised the firm for using the financial crisis as an excuse to close operations. Mr De Theux defended the company saying the closure was necessary to respond to the changing market.

He said : "The financial crisis has accelerated a very difficult situation we’ve been facing for many years. 70 per cent of our custom used to be for wedding gifts but now it only accounts for 10 per cent. At the same time perceptions have changed about the cost of quality products. We have been forced to introduce cheaper products twhich in turn forces us to keep our production costs down."

Until today the site employed 320 people. Of that number 230 jobs in ceramic production have been axed.

According to Mr De Theux 90 people have already found work and of that number 11 were given work elsewhere in the company. He said the company had offered training to its former employers to help them develop new skills, write CVs and prepare for interviews.

He said : "My thoughts go to those who will have no job. I really hope they will find one soon. We will continue to support them until the end of the year. We have to look forward now. Villeroy and Boch will remain in Luxembourg and there are no plans for further layoffs."

Luxembourg's Biggest Employers 06/16/2010, by Jess Bauldry  

Steel producer Arcelor Mittal has kept its place at the top of Luxembourg’s list of biggest employers.

The company, which has its headquarters in Luxembourg City at Avenue de la Liberté, employs 6,170 people, according to a study by analysts Statec.

The figure is nearly twice the number of people employed by supermarket chain Cactus, which currently has 3,900 staff on its books.

Service and finance sectors remain the biggest employers in the Grand Duchy. 

Dexia group was in close third place with 3,830 employees meanwhile five other financial institutions feature among the top 20 biggest employers. These include BGL BNP Paribas, in eighth place with 2,520, PricewaterhouseCoopers, in eleventh place with 1,910 employees,

Spuerkeess in twelfth place with 1,810 employees, Compass Group Luxembourg in sixteenth place, BNP Paribas Luxembourg in seventeenth place and Groupe Kreditbank in nineteenth place.

Health services also appear to be among the biggest employers, with three hospitals featuring in the list. CHL employs 2,050 people, le Centre hospitalier Emile Mayrisch with 1.780 people and la Fondation François-Elisabeth with 1.220 people.

Luxembourg Celebrates 25 Years of Borderless Borders
06/14/2010, by Jess Bauldry

  Sunday marked a historic day in Luxembourg as officials from the European Union and greater region commemorated 25 years of open borders. The Schengen Treaty, signed by five member states on June 14, 1985 at Schengen, Luxembourg, marked a turning point in freedom of movement across European borders.

The agreement was signed on the river boat Princess Marie Astric, anchored at Schengen, on the Luxembourg/German/French border, after which it is named.

Signed by five of the ten member states of the European Community, including Belgium, France, Luxmeoburg, the Netherlands and West Germany, it led to the standardization of travel requirements for non-EU citizens, asylum matters and cooperation on police and judicial matters.

A convention implementing the agreement five years later also removed the systematic border controls between participating countries, meanwhile it was made European Law in 1997 by the Amsterdam Treaty.

25 years later, the treaty was celebrated on Sunday afternoon by a ceremony involving foreign and national dignitaries and the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg.

The day began with a meeting and the opening of the European Museum of Schengen. The museum will open its doors to the public this week.

Other personalities present at the ceremony were the original signatories of the treaty Robert Goebbels, former secretary of state for Luxembourg, and Catherine Lalumière, former secretary of state for France.

The anniversary celebrations are expected to continue at different locations around Luxembourg and bordering countries, with film screenings and meetings until June 19.

May 2010

Luxembourg American Cultural Center to Celebrate "Bea Krier Day"

When:  Sunday, June 6, 2010

Time:  1:30 - 4:30 p.m. Open House at the Luxembourg American Cultural Center; 2:00 p.m. program  

Details:  On Sunday, June 6, 2010, the Luxembourg American Cultural Center will celebrate "Bea Krier Day" honored Beatrice Wester Krier, 88, of Belgium, Wisconsin.  The Cultural Center will be honoring Mrs. Krier for her outstanding contributions to Luxembourg - American relations and for her recent donation of the "Beatrice Wester Krier Collection" of Luxembourgensia to the Cultural Center's "Dooley-Wagner Research Center".  Mrs. Krier has been President of the Luxembourg Society of Wisconsin since 1981.  She has worked tireless to preserve Luxembourg heritage in Wisconsin and has promoted Luxembourg heritage/culture on local, state, national and international levels.   

Mrs. Krier recently donated her extensive collection of Luxembourgensia including genealogical materials, books, photos, memorabilia, etc. to the Cultural Center.  The Beatrice Wester Krier Collection represents one of the largest collections of Luxembourgensia in the United States.  Mrs. Krier developed this collection over the past 30+ years.  It includes extensive genealogical material for Luxembourg and non-Luxembourg families from throughout Ozaukee County as well as Luxembourg families from throughout the United States.  

Bea Krier Day will include an open house at the Cultural Center from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. with a program honoring Mrs. Krier at 2:00 p.m.  The public is invited to attend.  Attendees are asked to RSVP to the Cultural Center by June 1, 2010.  

For additional details contact the Luxembourg American Cultural Center at 262-476-5096 or admin@luxamculturalsociety.org 

Luxembourg's Prime Minster Juncker announces Grand Duchy's Financial Reforms

May 6, 2010 --- Yesterday was the day many people had been waiting for - The day Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker, annouced the reforms as part of financial tightening of the state's purse strings.

Photo: Steve Eastwood

Tram and road work delays and a shake-up of the schools system are among the latest changes to Luxembourg life thanks to a package of austerity measures.

Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker explained at a press conference yesterday (Wednesday) that work on a Luxembourg tram line would be postponed until 2014 while lane expansion work, previously planned for the A3 and A6, is to be dropped altogether because of the cost.

The government will, however, continue to invest in rail services. However, major projects, including a new line between Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette and the railway line to Kirchberg and the airport, will be put on hold.

The biggest surprise in his speech was the plan to alter the school infrastructure in the Grand Duchy.

The cuts form part of a programme to save 370 million euros in 2011 and 407 million in 2012 by reducing state operating costs.

The Luxembourg government says that it must account shortfall in revenues. If the state does curb its spending and continues at its current rate, the debt burden would increase from the current 7.2 billion euros to 17.8 billion in 2014.

This would represent 37.4 percent of GDP, which currently stands at 18 percent. The government says that it will do everything possible not to let the debt grow beyond 12.9 billion euros.

During his speech Mr Juncker blamed "rampant capitalism" for the economic downfall which had forced the government to take these drastic measures.

He said: "This rampant financial capitalism should be subject to strict rules. The times in which we live are certainly not easy. We are in the deepest financial and economic crisis."

Thus far, it is estimated that the economic crisis has cost the country 4.3 billion euros.

April 2010

Luxembourg's Golden Lady on the World Stage 04/30/2010, by Jess Bauldry

Luxembourg's national treasure the "Gella Fra" (Golden Lady) statue is expected to be seen by thousands of people today (Friday) as the curtain goes up on the World Exposition in Shanghai, China.

The Golden Lady has been placed at the top of a 3-metre-tall steel column at the entrance of the Luxembourg Pavilion.

Created by renowned Luxembourg artist Claus Cito in 1923, the statue is a war memorial dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered for service in the armed forces during World War I.

The "Gëlle Fra" is normally located in Constitution Square, in the Ville Haute quarter of central Luxembourg City.

Wang Xiubao, consultant of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, said at today’s unveiling ceremony that the statue will serve as a bridge connecting people.

Expo theme

In keeping with the exhibition's theme "Better City, Better Life,", the Luxembourg pavilion, which covers 3000 square metres, looks like a medieval fortress surrounded by a shimmering emerald forest.

The theme was chosen to represent the common desire for a cleaner environment and sustainable development.

Other contributions

Among the 200 contributions being made, the show's centre-piece is expected to be the Little Mermaid statue, which was loaned to the exhibition by Denmark.
Other contributions include a six-storey high Seed Cathedral by British artist Thomas Heatherwick containing seeds from the UK's Millenium Seed Bank while France is sending seven of its most renowned works of art by artist includying Van Gogh, Cezanne and Gauguin.

The exhibition runs from May 1 to October 31 and is expected to attract 70 million visitors.

Luxembourg City: Europe's Tenth Most Gridlocked City

April 23 - According to a recent study by the most well-known satnav company, Tomtom, Luxembourg City is Europe's 10th most conjested city in Europe.

Every morning and evening commuters and workers across Europe suffer stressful and difficult travel conditions. Nobody seems to be able to escape Luxembourg City's traffic jams. According to a study by the most well-know satnav company, Tomtom, Luxembourg City is the 10th most congested city in Europe.

Arriving a little bit late at work on a daily basis is something that hundreds, or even thousands of workers experience in the Grand Duchy.

And the reason is usually the same: the traffic jams that often paralyze our motorways. Moreover, according to the Tomtom study conducted in 59 European cities, Luxembourg City is the 10th most gridlocked.

Gold for Brussels

The gold medal for the most blocked city is awarded Brussels. Drivers in the Belgian capital experience delays on 37.7% of the road network. Next in the list come two Polish cities: Warsaw and Wroclaw.

And then comes London in fourth place with the infamous M25 motorway that encircles the capital, mostly caused by the toll tunnel/bridge section.

For France all seems well until you hit eighth place held by Marseille, closely followed by Paris in ninth place.

Spanish paradise

But where then is it easy to drive? Well, Germany is not bad with the first of their cities, Munich appearing in 28th place, the Nordic countries do quite well, but the best overall country seems to be Spain. Zaragoza is right at the bottom of the list with only 1.5% of roads blocked. Paradise!

Luxair unfazed by air space closures 4/22/2010, by Jess Bauldry

Luxair announced today that the closure of European airspace resulted in losses of 4 to 6 million euros, but it remains confident it could weather another crisis.

The Luxembourg airline pulled out all the stops to ensure that the majority of its 4,000 displaced passengers were repatriated after the volcanic ash cloud caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled.

Airline turns to four wheels

It mobilized more than 90 buses to shuttle passengers home to the Grand Duchy from bases in Bari, in Italy, and Alicante, in Spain. A further 800 travellers, who stayed on several days longer than planned in Turkey, were flown to Bari where they joined other passengers on the shuttle buses.

Strong balance sheet

As air travel returns to normality, Luxair said that its finances were not severely affected. Director General of LuxairGroup Adrien Ney said: “In this unique situation, our ultimate priority has been for the passengers. As soon as the crisis became apparent last Thursday, we formed a crisis committee to find the best possible solution for getting our customers home comfortably.”

Mr Ney said the despite the extraordinary measures, the company could survive a second or third grounding, stating: “Our advantage is our strong balance sheet.”

Ticket prices frozen

The total losses experienced by Luxair as a result of the volcanic ash cloud will not be known until the end of May.

But, Mr Ney remained confident that even if losses proved worse than expected, the firm would not  increase the cost of ticket prices.

Schleck Brothers Show Solid Performance in Amstel Gold Race 14/19/2010, by Adam Walder

The 27-year-old Belgian Philippe Gilbert won the 45th Amstel Gold Race won meaning that his team, Lotto-Omega, are also victorious for the start of the season.

The Schleck brothers left their mark on the  Ardennes  proving to be quite aggressive. Andy and Fränck Schleck, 17 kilometers from the finish section, were still part of the ten-strong leading group.??

The Luxembourg cyclists both made numerous attacks. Fränk Schleck, eight kilometres from the finish line was out in front with 4 other racers.  Andy Schleck also showed his skills and five kilometres from the finish managed to catch up to his brother's group.

The final climb was the crunch as, 27-year-old Belgian Philippe Gilbert managed to pull away in the 257 kilometre race to cross the finish line in Valkenburg in first place??.

Fränk Schleck finished the bike race in 7th place with a delay of seven seconds on the day's winner. Andy Schleck managed 18th  place with 25 seconds behind.

Grand Duke Henri & Prince Sébastien Celebrate Birthdays

April 16, 2010 --- Both Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri and his youngest son, Prince Sébastien, celebrate their birthdays today.

There's a double reason for celebration in the ducal household as Grand Duke Henri celebrates his 55th birthday on Friday as well as his son Sébastien who today celebrates his 18th Birthday.

Grand Duke Henri, together with his wife Maria Teresa are currently celebrating the 90th birthday of Queen Margrethe of Denmark.  A lot of birthdays going on. The grand-ducal couple, despite the obstacle of the Iceland volcano ash cloud hampering their travel plans, still managed to travel to Denmark on Thursday afternoon.

On Sunday morning, a trip to Krakow is planned. Grand Duke Henri will pay his last respects at the funeral of  Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his wife, an other politicians killed in the plane crash over Russia.

Prince Sébastien is the youngest child of the ducal family and is celebrating his birthday in Luxembourg. He is currently attending the International School of Luxembourg.  

New MS Princess Marie-Astrid Ship Launched Luxembourg's Moselle River

The fifth and newest passenger ship MS "Princesse Marie-Astrid” was officially handed over to Moselle Tourism, during Easter in Wasserbillig. The ship’s modern chic new look has a lot more window viewing area than the previous ship.

On April 3, the ship appeared in Wasserbillig and was already being admired by many visitors. 

On April 10, the MS "Princesse Marie-Astrid” was officially launched in the Moselle village Grevenmacher as a bottle of champagned was smashed against her hull.

The fifth MS "Princesse Marie-Astrid" is a total of 60 metres in length, the same length as its predecessor, which is now known as "Rhine Princess" and is now enroute via the Rhine to Bonn in Germany.  With a width of 11.40 metres, the "Princesse Marie-Astrid" is 20 cm wider than its predecessor.

 500 passengers can be transported by the new ship. The cost is around six million euros and is paid for partly by the sale of the "Rhine Princess" (2.4 million), from funds of the ship’s owners, Entente Touristique de la Moselle, and the Ministry of Tourism, with 1.7 million euros financed by communes.

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