Reckange-sur-Mess, farmland and chapels between the capital and the south

The commune of Reckange-sur-Mess describes itself as a green belt of six distinct villages that has kept its rural character despite two business parks, at Ehlange and Wickrange. It had 2,957 residents at the start of 2026, in the Mess valley, halfway between Luxembourg City and Esch-sur-Alzette.

A Frankish name and a ghost village

According to the commune, the name comes from the lands of a Frank called Ruko who settled in the valley. A document of 1137 mentions «Rochingen», which may be the first record. For centuries Reckange’s fortunes were tied to Russange, a neighbouring village with which it formed a double parish and which was eventually abandoned. By the 18th century its church was a ruin, and for years only a cross marked the spot.

From the Middle Ages until the French Revolution, the villages were fiefs of several noble houses, among them Aspelt, Geisen, Limpach, Ottange, Soleuvre and Tavigny, and of the abbeys of Munster and Marienthal. Wickrange, for instance, belonged to the nuns of Marienthal until in 1674 Pierre Beving bought its high justice from the King of Spain. Ehlange had a chapel in the early 16th century and built a church in 1721, with a graveyard for its own dead and Wickrange’s, and in 1844 Bishop Laurent made it a parish at the villagers’ request.

The present commune has existed with its six villages since 1784, and from 1823 to 1856 it also took in Leudelange.

What to see in the six villages

Country churches and chapels, each with a story. Reckange’s dates from 1933 and was designed by the architect Jean Dietz. Limpach, recorded in 1267, built its church in 1780 after a storm damaged the old one, and consecrated it on 18 August 1782. Roedgen, which appears in 1226 as Runneke, has a small chapel of 1872.

The story I like best is Pissange’s, a village tucked away from the main roads. It has its own legend, the «Piissénger mat de Kuebe», and in its woods, tradition says, St Willibrord blessed a spring, the Heilbronn, which drew pilgrims, with a small fair on pilgrimage day. The village chapel was built in 1773 by a married couple, Pierre Ensch and Cathérine Knepper, on their own land.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Luxemburgo for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

On foot and by train

You arrive at Dippach-Reckange station, on the Pétange railway. From there a CFL walk, number 33 in its series, passes close to Reckange, joins the national PC9 cycle path and crosses Roedgen before finishing at Leudelange station along woodland tracks. The starting station, incidentally, stands on Bettange-sur-Mess land in the commune of Dippach. It’s an easy-going walk, and with free public transport there’s no need to worry about getting back.

STATEC counted one hotel or similar establishment in the commune in 2025. For a bed, the capital is the obvious choice.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Luxemburgo for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Luxemburgo on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Luxembourg: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Before you fix your dates, compare tickets to Luxembourg: the same journey can cost very different amounts from one day to the next.