Strassen, a name that goes back to a Roman highway

Strassen roughly translates as streets or roads, and the name has a very specific origin. The municipality explains that it comes from the Latin strata, a military road, because the Roman road linking Arlon and Trier ran through here. Today it’s a residential municipality of 10,831 people on the western edge of the capital, with a single locality and about 10.7 km².

The Roman road that’s still there

In 1960, while Rue du Kiem was being widened, remains of that road came to light. The municipality notes that in Luxembourgish the street is still called the Roman road. I love it when a place name gives away its history before you’ve read a word, and in Strassen the clue is in the street plan.

If you fancy following the road west, Arlon lies at its far end, and my Luxembourg to Arlon guide shows how.

Plague, independence and a coat of arms

Strassen has had hard times. Seventeenth-century plague killed a third of its people, according to the municipality, and in 1766 the village had 417 souls. For centuries it belonged to Bertrange, until it became a municipality in its own right on 1 January 1850. The current coat of arms dates from 1976.

Two pieces of its past aren’t in Strassen at all but in the capital. The 1411 seal of Johann de Strassen and a pietà from around 1500 are held by the National Museum of History and Art. A copy of the pietà stands beside the village church.

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Is Strassen worth visiting?

As a sightseeing destination, not really. Strassen is mainly residential, and STATEC counted four hotels or similar establishments here in 2025. It makes sense if work brings you here, or if you’re passing through towards Bertrange and want to see the pietà copy and Rue du Kiem.

There’s another way to look at it that I prefer. From the Kohlenberg hill, in the capital’s Cessange district, you look over the houses of Strassen and Bertrange with the water tower in the foreground. That’s the photo on this page.

An hour in Strassen

I’d start on Rue du Kiem, where the Roman road left its mark, and walk on to the church to see the copy of the pietà. That covers what the municipality itself highlights about its past. With time to spare, I’d cross into Bertrange, the neighbour Strassen split from in 1850, and compare the two. And with half a day, I’d climb the Kohlenberg from Cessange to see them side by side from above.

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Getting there

Bertrange-Strassen station is on the Luxembourg to Arlon railway, a short hop from the capital, and second class costs nothing. For more on getting about by rail, see trains in Luxembourg.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Luxembourg and pick one that fits your day.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Luxembourg before you arrive rather than at the desk.

If you still need a way in, check the best ticket deals to Luxembourg from where you are.