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Wonderful Photos of Luxembourg City in the Winter of 1972

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In January 1972, while attempting to return to a duty station in Iceland, American Air Force veteran John Beach found himself ‘stranded’ in the City of Luxembourg due to severe weather conditions in Denmark and Iceland. He roamed the streets of Luxembourg and documented the stunning beauty that faded with time.

I had less than $20US, but had several rolls of film and my Nikon F. For the next three days I walked the streets of the city recording the scenes. As it was winter, there were very few people out and about, just an occasional child or two. It proved to be an enjoyable experience, nonetheless.

#1 The Old Quarters of Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

The Old Quarters of Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

The lower district called Grund.

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#2 Fish market, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972.

Fish market, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972.

A section of the old city with the national motto: "Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn" (We want to remain what we are).

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#4 A Spanish Turret Overlooks Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

A Spanish Turret Overlooks Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

The long-stretched building goes back to Vauban (1686) and was used for military purposes.

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#5 In the Business District of Old Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

In the Business District of Old Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#8 The Winding Road. Old Quarters of Luxembourg City, 1972

The Winding Road. Old Quarters of Luxembourg City, 1972

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#9 The old quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 25, 1972.

The old quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 25, 1972.

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#10 Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn (We want to remain what we are), Fëschmaart (“Fish market”), Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn (We want to remain what we are), Fëschmaart (“Fish market”), Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#11 The Citadel (at top of road) was once part of Fortress Luxembourg dating back to 936 A.D. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

The Citadel (at top of road) was once part of Fortress Luxembourg dating back to 936 A.D. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#12 National Monument to Luxembourg Solidarity, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

National Monument to Luxembourg Solidarity, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#13 Fort Thüngen (Three Acorns). Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Fort Thüngen (Three Acorns). Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Fort Thüngen is a historic fortification in Luxembourg City. During the 1990s, the site was reconstructed in its entirety, in parallel with the development of the site for the construction of the Mudam, Luxembourg's museum of modern art.

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#14 Fort Thüngen (Three Acorns). Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Fort Thüngen (Three Acorns). Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#15 Parc des Trois Glands Clausen. Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

Parc des Trois Glands Clausen. Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

Built-in 1733 under the Austrian domination, the building was used as a depot for provisions (flour, mainly) for the army. Today it is used as a depot by the National Museum of History and Art (Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art - MNHA).

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#16 The Rail Viaduct Above the old City of Luxembourg, Jan 1972

The Rail Viaduct Above the old City of Luxembourg, Jan 1972

A section of the Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, 1972

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#18 The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

The lower district of Pfaffenthal.

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#19 Looking Across the Rue du Pont Bridge, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Looking Across the Rue du Pont Bridge, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Saint Matthew church situated in the lower district of Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal.

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#20 View from the Rue du Pont bridge, The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

View from the Rue du Pont bridge, The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

Grand-Duchess Charlotte Bridge (1966) overlooking the Alzette Valley in Pfaffenthal and flanked by the Vauban Tower towards Siechenhof.

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#21 On the Alzett River Front, The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

On the Alzett River Front, The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#22 The Bridge over the Alzette in Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal pointing to the Saint Matthew Church, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

The Bridge over the Alzette in Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal pointing to the Saint Matthew Church, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

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#23 The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

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#24 Poppa with granddaughter, The Old Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, 1972

Poppa with granddaughter, The Old Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, 1972

This street is Laurent Menager.

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#25 Strolling down Rue du Pont in the Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Strolling down Rue du Pont in the Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#26 Young boy walking on Rue Mohrfels about to cross Rue du Pont.

Young boy walking on Rue Mohrfels about to cross Rue du Pont.

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#29 Dead End (Luxembourg City, Jan 1972)

Dead End (Luxembourg City, Jan 1972)

This building no longer exists. It used to be a riding arena and was part of the military barracks compound on "Plateau du Saint-Esprit" 1968. It has been torn down in 2002 when the plateau was redeveloped for the new court of justice.

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#31 Cobblestone Streets of the Old Quarters of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Cobblestone Streets of the Old Quarters of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#32 The small back streets in the Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, 1972.

The small back streets in the Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, 1972.

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#33 In the Laurent Menager Street in Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal. Jan 1972

In the Laurent Menager Street in Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal. Jan 1972

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#34 Cobblestone Streets of the Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

Cobblestone Streets of the Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#35 The girl in the window. Old Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

The girl in the window. Old Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#37 A global view of the lower district of Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal featuring the GD Charlotte Bridge, The Vauban Towers, The Vauban barracks and the Civil Hospita. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

A global view of the lower district of Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal featuring the GD Charlotte Bridge, The Vauban Towers, The Vauban barracks and the Civil Hospita. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#38 The Old Quarters and the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972.

The Old Quarters and the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972.

Coming down from the Upper City to the lower district of Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal.

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#39 The “Hiel”-valley in the lower district of Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal showing the Hiel-gate, the railway bridge and the primary school. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972.

The "Hiel"-valley in the lower district of Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal showing the Hiel-gate, the railway bridge and the primary school. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972.

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#41 These Towers formed the Porte du Pfaffenthal, the fortified gate into the city dating back to 1685. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

These Towers formed the Porte du Pfaffenthal, the fortified gate into the city dating back to 1685. Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

The Three Towers forming part of the 2nd fortification wall around the City of Luxembourg, the Civil Hospital in the valley in front of the Youth Hostel of the City.

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#44 In the Business District of Old Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

In the Business District of Old Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

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#45 National Monument to Luxembourg Solidarity, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

National Monument to Luxembourg Solidarity, Luxembourg City, Jan 1972

This Monument commemorates the dead of the Second World War and recalls the resistance and the solidarity of the Luxembourg nation in the face of the Nazi occupation. The paved inner courtyard symbolizes prisons, concentration camps, and barracks. An ordinary, chiseled stone represents the war victims. An eternal flame burns in front of the monument.

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#48 The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

The Old Quarter of Pfaffenthal, Luxembourg City, Jan. 1972

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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7 Comments

  5. It looked so much better when Luxembourg was still ‘gritty’ and had more old buildings. It was not this sterile artificial polished city.

    The preservation of our architecture here is horrendous. You can demolish almost any building here, but anywhere else in Europe, it would be unthinkable.

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