Dommeldange, from ironworks to cycle path

The city describes Dommeldange with a phrase that suits it, a district with a village feel at its centre. It lies in the north of the capital, between the Alzette valley and the plateau above, and that plateau holds the city’s highest point, 408 metres. It has 2,951 residents and an ironworking past you can barely see any more.

Forges, furnaces and electricity

About 80 people lived here in 1529, and in 1609 Jean de Ryaville was licensed to set up a forge, according to the tourist office. At its peak there were four blast furnaces, which is hard to picture now as you walk its quiet streets. The last was built in 1865 opposite the station, and in 1866 output topped 34,000 tonnes. Between 1909 and 1927 Dommeldange supplied the city with electricity, and until 1980 it housed the steel industry’s central workshop.

The name, according to Théodore de la Fontaine, quoted by the tourist office, comes from the bittern, a reed-bed bird called Rohrdommel in German. Six mills once stood along the stream, which fits a valley of water and reeds. The city record goes to Mühlenbach, whose stream powered eleven.

What is there to see in Dommeldange?

The pleasantest spot is the park of the Collart family château. The château itself is now the Chinese embassy and closed to visitors, but the back of the park is open, with a pond, swans and a small waterfall. In the village centre you’ll find the Drescherhaus, Saint-Hubert church and the Haupeschbur well.

Since 2014 there’s been a free-expression wall where graffiti is allowed. I like that a district this quiet has that touch, and it’s worth a look if street art is your thing.

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A district for getting out on two wheels

This, for me, is the reason to come. The narrow-gauge Charly railway ran from 1904 to 1954, and its route is now a cycle path heading towards Echternach. The Alzette cycle path to Ettelbruck also sets off from Dommeldange. If you’ve brought or hired a bike, cycling in Luxembourg covers the wider network.

A half-day plan

I’d start at the station, walk past Saint-Hubert church and the Haupeschbur well, slip into the open part of the Collart park and pick up the cycle path from there. Without a bike, the same route works for a stroll along the valley before catching the train back. It’s a simple plan with no tickets to buy, and it shows a very different capital from the one in the centre.

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Getting there

Dommeldange station is on the Luxembourg to Ettelbruck line, opened in 1862. Trains in Luxembourg are free in second class, and so are the buses. I’d combine the district with Beggen, just to the north, and Weimerskirch, a little further down.

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