The “Pfaffenthal” district was once one of the most important districts of the fortress town.
Today it is part of the UNESCO buffer zone.
Vauban included the lower town in the fortress from 1685 onwards.
The Siechen and Eicher Gates are reminders of this time.
They can be visited as part of the “Vauban” cultural trail in connection with the fortifications of the Grünewälder Front.
Deep ditches, drawbridges and firing shafts secured the entrances to the Pfaffenthal.
If the enemy approached, boiling oil and dried peas could be poured on them through openings.
Door openings in the area of the first floor reveal the access to the battlement.
In front of the Eicher Gate there is a covered fortification in the shape of an arrow, built in 1743.
The mighty chimney is reminiscent of the former water pump that supplied the upper town with drinking water. The wall between the Siechen and Eicher gates is called “Béinchen”.
Historical film clips are shown in the Siechen gate.
The “Béinchen” residential area was destroyed by a gas explosion on May 30, 1976.
3 people were killed and 21 injured.
The residential area was rebuilt between 1982 and 1986.
Opposite the “Béinchen” is the St. Matthew’s Church.
It was built in 1871/72 by state architect Charles Arendt in the Byzantine style.
The chancel contains a valuable painting by Gaspard de Crayers (1584-1669).
During World War II, 6 Luxembourg refractories hid in the attic of the side aisle of the church.
Today the church serves the Orthodox community of Luxembourg. A little further down the valley on the border of the UNESCO buffer zone is the "Pfaffenthal" train station, which is connected to the "Pafendall-Kiirchbierg" funicular railway (2017).
The train station connects Pfaffenthal to the national railway network and the PC 2 cycle path towards Echternach and the PC 4 cycle path towards the Moselle.
Just under 100 m from the train station is the historic "Val des Bons Malades" cemetery.
Some Paris Communards have found their final resting place here; here is the "Souvenir français" monument (1870), as well as the grave of the composer Laurent Menagers.
The "Théiwesbuer" fountain, to the left of the church, takes its name from Saint Matthew.
Drinking water was originally drawn here to be carried to the upper town in buckets and barrels before there were pumping systems.
Opposite the church, to the right below the bridge, is the former wash fountain. In 2017 it was converted into a Kneipp bath.
The spring water is 12 °C throughout.
The Alzette valley is spanned by the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge.
Engineer Egon Jux won the prize for the construction of the "Rout Bréck" (Red Bridge).
The foundation stone was laid in 1962 and the bridge was inaugurated in 1967.
It connects the upper town and the Limpertsberg district with the Kirchberg European quarter.
The structure is 355 m long and is supported by stilts that are 234 m apart.
The bridge rises 75 m above the valley. It is reminiscent of Luxembourg's steel construction art of the construction period.