Bourgmeisterin

Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round for a tale of grandeur, transformation, and even a little bit of neglect, because we're about to embark on a whimsical journey through the ages with Vianden Castle, or as the locals affectionately call it, "Veiner Schlooss". Picture this: Vianden Castle, a fortress so mighty it's like the Disneyland of fortresses, located in the charming to...

Well, gather 'round, my friends, because we're about to dive into the riveting tale of Yolande de Vianden, the original teenage rebel with a holy cause! (Cue the drumroll!) So, we're whisked back to a time when flip phones weren't a thing, and Henry I, Count of Vianden, and Maguerite, the Marquise of Namur, were the power couple of the 13th century. In their corner, they had a feis...

Whether you fancy calling it Neumünster or Neimënster Abbey, this Benedictine bundle of bricks and history has had more ups and downs than a rollercoaster at a funfair run by caffeinated squirrels. To kick things off, before this Abbey even came about, there was already a district with an abbey that had quite the history. It turns out that the settlement on this property, which also included the B...

Once upon a time, in the quaint setting of Luxembourg City, there emerged a fellow by the name of François Scheffer. He graced the world with his presence on the first day of July in the year 1766, taking up residence at 16, rue des Capucins. Little did he know that he was destined for greatness – not as a royal pastry chef or a daring haberdasher, but as one of the city's most celebrated mayo...

Welcome to the "Zerkel" – the town's fancy way of saying the "Cercle municipal" on the Place d'Armes in Luxembourg City. It's not just any old office building – it's where the magic happens... administrative magic, that is. We're talking banquet halls, folks! Because who doesn't dream of having a board meeting and a wedding reception in the same place? N...

Ah, the tale of Théodore-Charles-Joseph, baron de Gargan, one of the owners of the Villa Vauban back in the day, a gentleman of exquisite vintage hailing from the quaint town of Inglange, Moselle, where life was a potpourri of fine wine and cheese. Born on August 9, 1791, his earthly journey concluded with a final flourish on November 6, 1853. Why is his persona important for Luxembourg? Well, apa...

Once upon a time in Luxembourg City, there stood a majestic fortress of knowledge known as the Lycée de Garçons de Luxembourg, which translates to the Luxembourg Boys' High School for those who prefer their education served with a side of English😁 Nestled in the charming Limpertsberg quarter, this academic haven has been shaping young minds since who knows when (well, me, I actually know sinc...

Once upon a time in the magical land of Luxembourg, there was a linguistic wizard named Radio Luxembourg, who spoke in tongues that echoed far beyond the realm of English. NOT to be mistaken for RTL, that came in the picture much later👆 Picture this: back in 1933, when wireless telegraphs were cutting-edge and pet rocks were still a thing, Radio Luxembourg decided to grace the UK and Ireland with...

On continu avec l'histoire de Radio Luxembourg quoi! After World War II, when the Allied forces left Radio Luxembourg, the English-language service tried to kickstart transmissions as a full-time commercial radio station targeting the UK. They aimed to use the European long-wave band, with Stephen Williams back in the driver's seat. Find out more at  www.bourgmeisterin.com !

Thanks to this newfound competition with pirate radios, Radio Luxembourg had to do a quick wardrobe change. Out with the pre-recorded sponsored programs, in with a more flexible vibe. Picture Radio Luxembourg in a mid-life crisis, swapping its scripted lines for the thrill of the live, featuring spot advertising within record programs presented by disc jockeys who probably had a sea breeze in thei...

The curtain lifted, and on September 12, 2005, Radio Luxembourg made a soft comeback in English at the crack of dawn. The airwaves were alive with the promise of a new era. At one point, Radio Luxembourg grooved at 7295 kHz in the DRM realm, but alas, RTL pulled the plug on that frequency, leaving the fate of the DRM station hanging in the radio air. The plot thickened as local DRM broadcasts cont...

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Luxembourgerica, there lived a wizard named Édouard (Edward) Jean Steichen. But hold on, he wasn't your typical robe-clad, wand-waving wizard – oh no, he was a photographer, painter, and curator extraordinaire! This guy, Steichen, was basically the OG of turning pictures into highbrow masterpieces. He practically sprinkled fairy dust on snapshots and tu...

Steichen wasn't just focused on the American scene; he had an international lens on his artistic microscope. He organised shows and made crucial acquisitions from Europe and Latin America, sometimes even hopping on a plane to do so. Under his reign, the Department published three books, including the famous "The Family of Man." Despite his solid career, Steichen did the ultimate flex...

In the ancient era before Instagram influencers descended upon us like a well-dressed plague, fashion photography had humble beginnings. Picture this: engravings copied from photos of actresses trying to out-fashion each other, because who needs filters when you've got corsets? Find out more at  www.bourgmeisterin.com !

Steichen wasn't just focused on the American scene; he had an international lens on his artistic microscope. He organised shows and made crucial acquisitions from Europe and Latin America, sometimes even hopping on a plane to do so. Under his reign, the Department published three books, including the famous "The Family of Man". Find out more at  www.bourgmeisterin.com !

Back in the thrilling days of yore, when men in wigs roamed freely, François Boch, the OG metal maestro, decided he was tired of just smelting stuff. So, in 1748, he thought, "Why not spice things up a bit?" and birthed a pottery workshop in Audun-le-Tiche, a town in Lorraine. In an era when European porcelain was mostly a luxury import from the Far East, with prices that only the well-h...

Around 1824, the Mettlach factory hit the jackpot by creating an impression under the glaze, adding a shield of armor to protect those snazzy decorations. And wait for it – they cracked the colorful code, solving the puzzle of printing in multiple hues. Take that, English trendsetters! Now, while Jean-François was sharpening his printing prowess with an English inspiration injection from his 1823...

What also happened at the end of the 19th century was the invention of phanolith, the porcelain prodigy that's like the love child of jasperware (that British Wedgwood ceramics that I'm so obsessed with, y'all!🤩) and pâte-sur-pâte. Picture this: a semi-transparent marvel that embodies the best of both worlds. Jasperware stands as a distinctive type of pottery with its roots tracing ba...

Once upon a time in the quirky world of yesteryear, there lived a man named Hugo Gernsback, or as we like to call him, the grand poobah of sci-fi sass. Born with the slightly less sci-fi-sounding name Hugo Gernsbacher, this Luxembourgish-American dynamo strutted into the scene on August 16, 1884, and the universe of science fiction has never been the same since. Picture this: a dapper chap with dr...

In the tumultuous year of 1929, our protagonist faced a twist of fate that even a cosmic oracle wouldn't have seen coming. Picture this: ownership of his first beloved magazines slipping through his fingers like stardust in a solar wind. Now, the cosmic gossip mill is alive with speculation. Was it a genuine misadventure, a dance with bankruptcy's cold embrace? Or perhaps a cunning manipul...

His journey into the world of patents began with a bang – his first patent, a revolutionary method for manufacturing dry cell batteries. Filed on June 28, 1906, and granted on February 5, 1907, it was the spark that lit the fuse of Gernsback's inventive prowess. But Gernsback wasn't satisfied with just redefining batteries. His inventive spirit led him to craft a variety of gadgets that sp...

Ah, the man, the myth, the Luxembourg-born French dynamo – Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman, or as we're going to affectionatly call him, "Robbie." Born on June 29, 1886, he decided to spice up the international political scene with his charming presence until his final bow on September 4, 1963. Robbie wasn't your average statesman; he was the Beyoncé of political thinkers an...

Schuman, once a rising star, found himself facing the aftermath of his 1940 vote for Pétain – a decision that stirred up more trouble than a stirred martini. Initially, things weren't all sunshine and rainbows. His 1940 Pétain connection and ministerial duties made him a bit of a political pariah. In September 1944, General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny decided, "Hey, let's get Schuman o...

Picture this: the mid-1950s, a time of exploration and discovery, when a brewing family from Niederkerschen embarked on a quest to expand their empire beyond the realms of hops and barley. And who better to lead the charge than the intrepid geologist Michel Lucius? Find out more at  www.bourgmeisterin.com !

Back in the glory days of 1871, when handlebar mustaches were all the rage, Brasserie par actions de Diekirch was born with a cool one million francs in its pocket. The Dikrecher brewery had more name changes than a pop star and shuffled owners like a deck of cards over the next century. Fast forward a bit over a decade to 1886, and voilà – this is when the Brasserie went to TOWN! It was now the R...