Leudelange, from isolated forest village to the capital's neighbour

Leudelange’s own history page opens with an image I like, a village forgotten for centuries in the middle of the forest. Its Luxembourgish name, Lëdeleng, is linked to that isolation («Lët eleng»), though it most likely comes from a Frankish clan, the Liutilon. Today it’s 2,765 people in a single locality, just south of Luxembourg City.

Very old, very small

The Romans had already laid roads here and left stones and an oratory, which turned up beneath the church. By 786 Leudelange had a church, and the monks of Echternach, Prüm and Trier held land and relics in the village. The Galgenbësch, the gallows wood, recalls the time when the village dispensed its own justice.

Life was hard. In 1808 Leudelange had 282 residents and came bottom of the national rankings. From 1823 to 1856 it was part of the commune of Reckange-sur-Mess, and in 1856, thanks to its woodland, it won its independence. The railway brought jobs beyond farming. The two world wars spared its buildings, but forced conscription of young men in the second hit the village hard. Then came the motorway and the business parks that have turned it into an economic hub on the capital’s doorstep.

Things to do in Leudelange

Walk. The Beetebuerger Bësch nature reserve stretches between Leudelange and Bettembourg. visitluxembourg describes it as an ordinary-looking forest that, if you take your time, hides rare species. It’s mostly beech woodland, with streams and pools leading to the Léiffraeweier pond. With luck you’ll spot grey-headed, black and middle spotted woodpeckers, and at dusk Natterer’s or Bechstein’s bats. A nature trail of its own and a circular walk from Abweiler both run through the reserve.

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Two waymarked walks

For something shorter than the woods, the Leudelange circular walk makes an easy loop around and through the village. visitluxembourg pitches it as a gentle Sunday stroll on comfortable paths, waymarked in both directions with a blue diamond on a white background. It starts from the Wäschbuer car park on rue du Lavoir, which is also where the Leudelange, Wäschbur bus stop is.

The other begins and ends on a railway platform. CFL’s route 33 in its station-to-station series sets off from Dippach-Reckange, passes close to Reckange-sur-Mess, follows the national PC9 cycle path, crosses Roedgen and ends at Leudelange station along woodland tracks beside the Pétange railway. Without a car, this is how I’d see the commune, and it’s the kind of walk that suits a spare morning between sightseeing days in the capital.

Getting there and staying

Trains between the capital and Pétange call at Leudelange, as well as at Hollerich, Dippach-Reckange and Schouweiler. Second class is free. For a bed, the capital makes more sense, with Leudelange as a morning trip.

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