Bonnevoie, the capital's most populous and most mixed district

If the Ville Haute is postcard Luxembourg, Bonnevoie is everyday Luxembourg. It’s the capital’s most populous district, tucked against the station on its eastern side, with cafés serving food from half the world, a big park and an arts venue inside two locomotive sheds. The city divides it into two official districts; I’ve kept them together, because to a visitor they’re one place.

A convent, the railway and an explosion

Its name and origins go back to a convent of Cistercian nuns founded in the 12th century and dissolved at the end of the 18th, according to the city. The big change came with the railway after 1859, which turned fields into streets. The first parish church, of 1888, was destroyed by Second World War bombing, and the present Marie Reine de la Paix went up after the war, opposite a school of 1902-1905.

The northern part, Verlorenkost, has a more military past. Fort Verlorenkost stood here in the 19th century, and in 1807 a gunpowder explosion rocked the area and much of the city. In the early 20th century it filled with housing for a fast-growing population.

The Rotondes, the one I wouldn’t skip

The Rotondes are two old steam-era locomotive sheds, built from 1877 for engine maintenance and now a listed national monument. They stage theatre, music, exhibitions, community projects and workshops, and the café-terrace runs even when nothing’s on. Out front, Place des Rotondes, about 3,500 m², hosts open-air concerts and events. Its programme and that of other halls is in theatres and concert venues in Luxembourg.

I like them as the best example of how the capital has recycled its industrial past, much like the old brewery at Clausen. They’re a stone’s throw from the station too, so they work even on a tight schedule.

Inside, the tourist office breaks it down building by building. These are two circular halls, each 52 metres across. After the war one served as a store and the other as a CFL bus workshop, and in 2007 they were the headquarters of Luxembourg’s year as European Capital of Culture, with shows such as Sophie Calle’s Douleur exquise. Since reopening in 2015, Rotonde 1 has held the Grande Salle for performances, the Galerie and a multi-purpose hall, the Plateforme, while Rotonde 2 houses a free-standing structure with the café, the Buvette, and the Klub concert venue. The programme is on rotondes.lu.

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What else is there?

Kaltreis Park is the area’s green lung, over 33,000 m² with ponds, community gardens, a playground, outdoor gym and dog run, open day and night. Its playground has a space theme, starting with the slide, and adds water play, a zip line and buggy-friendly paths, according to the tourist office, with easy parking alongside. With small children on a hot day, I’d pick it over anything in the centre. Place du Parc, 1,600 m², has a bandstand, a boules pitch and the Cape Verde monument. Bonnevoie cemetery, one of the oldest in the capital, is a quiet corner with mature trees.

From the end of Rue Anatole France, the allotments mark the start of the paths down into the Alzette valley, a walk almost no tourist takes. Football fans will find the Achille Hammerel stadium, home of Racing FC Union Luxembourg, with room for 5,000.

A place to eat and linger

The tourist office stresses the cultural mix of Bonnevoie-Sud, obvious in its restaurants, cafés and small shops, and the Théâtre des Casemates has a regular programme. It isn’t pretty on every corner, but it’s where you eat varied, neighbourhood food without the old-town backdrop. More ideas in where to eat in Luxembourg.

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Getting there

It’s a few minutes’ walk from the central station. The Luxembourg tram has had its Lycée Bouneweg stop here since 11 September 2022, running south to the Cloche d’Or and north to the station, Hamilius and Kirchberg. Like all public transport in the country, it’s free.

How I’d do it

I’d set aside an afternoon. Wander over from the Gare district, look in at the Rotondes, cross to Kaltreis Park and finish with dinner in Bonnevoie-Sud. No guidebook monuments, but you’ll see the city where most of its people actually live.

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