Kirchberg, business, residential and more

The district of Kirchberg (Kierchbierg) is a vast plateau, located in the north-east of Luxembourg-City . It is one of the 24 districts of the Luxembourg capital.

The Kirchberg district is adjacent to the districts of Weimerskirch, Neudorf/Weimershof and Clausen.

Cut in two by the avenue John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Kirchberg represents the historical business district of the Luxembourg capital. Its development dates from the fifties and sixties in parallel with the development of the European Union.

But beyond its image as a business district, the Kirchberg is also a mixed residential, cultural and leisure district. It has many advantages.

Population in the district of Kirchberg

A multi-faceted neighborhood

The history of Kirchberg

Agricultural territory until the middle of the 20th century, the Kirchberg district enjoys today a great economic activity. It is one of the major districts of the Luxembourg capital.

The Kirchberg plateau was transformed with the arrival of the European institutions in the 1950s and 1960s. Its fields and agricultural areas have disappeared in favor of large buildings.

Then, the district experienced its full development in the 1980s, with the development of financial activities in Luxembourg.

The 2000s favored the rebalancing of the neighborhood with the construction of many residential buildings.

Avenue J.F.Kennedy: Europe and business

Business atmosphere during the day, the northern and southern parts of Avenue Kennedy are dedicated to European institutions and business. The tramway serves the entire Avenue from the city center to Luxexpo, while waiting for the connection to the airport.

Large modern buildings, a true architectural showcase, stand along John Fitzgerald Kennedy Avenue.

Coming from the center of Luxembourg, you will find here the Towers of Europe with the European institutions. Luxembourg is a founding member of Europe and plays an active role in the European institutions:

• Council of the European Union or Council of Ministers: it usually sits in Brussels, but the April, June and October sessions are held in Luxembourg
• Court of Justice of the European Union: Luxembourg is the judicial capital of Europe since 1952
• European Court of Auditors
• European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund
• Secretariat General of the European Parliament
• Eurostat and Publications Office (Jean Monnet building)

Further along Avenue Kennedy towards Rond Point Serra, you will find major banks and financial companies, auditing and law firms, etc., all prestigious names in the Luxembourg economy. and other international companies. The Kirchberg is the “City of London”.

Architecture lovers will be delighted by the facades of the institutional buildings with their rich and varied architecture: Deutsche Bank, KPMG, Court of Justice, …

Kirchberg, a cultural district

But Kennedy Avenue is also home to many leisure and cultural activities.

The Kirchberg is home to the Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte Concert Hall or Philharmonie, a superb architectural building designed by Christian de Portzamparc. Next door, the Mudam – Museum of Modern Art Grand Duke Jean – designed by the architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1917-2019), presents the most beautiful collections of contemporary art. The Museum of the Fortress on the one hand, with the Drai Eechelen Museum and the Fort Thungen on the other hand, complete the cultural offer on this side of the avenue. On the other hand, the LuxExpo exhibition center regularly presents events.

You will also find many works of art and sculptures in Kirchberg: the birdcage of the Luxembourg artist Su-Mei Tse, the monumental sculpture “Exchange” by the American sculptor Richard Serra, the “Big walking flower” by Giovanni Teconi, or the “Lange Bänker” which represents an austere banker…

Residential area

In addition to business and culture, the Kirchberg district now offers a wide range of housing. Apart from the old Kirchberg district, which has kept its more “village” atmosphere, the district is changing.

Adenauer Avenue and its surroundings are the scene of major construction work for a residential area that will rebalance the neighborhood. The Kirchberg is today a truly mixed neighborhood, offering many advantages to its inhabitants.

Amenities in Kirchberg

Schools and childcare : Residents benefit from the presence of several basic schools, a school residence and several daycare centers.
The Kirchberg also houses theEuropean School. Saint Sophie private school is also nearby in the Weimershof district. One of the campuses of the University of Luxembourg is also located in this area.
See the education/training section for more information on schools and school systems in Luxembourg.

Transport: Kirchberg is particularly well served. Several bus lines serve the district via Avenue Adenauer, while the T1 tramway runs on Avenue Kennedy . Today, the streetcar is connected to the Pfaffentah funicular, which serves the Pfaffenthal district below and connects to the central station. The tramway should eventually connect the Cloche d’Or district on one side and the Findel airport on the other.

The Limpertsberg and the city center can be reached via the Red Bridge Grand Duchess Charlotte and the streetcar.

The motorways are very quickly accessible via Avenue JF Kennedy. The Serra traffic circle is a gateway to the Kirchberg and the city of Luxembourg, with a real mobility hub. It now includes the Gernsbach P+R parking lot, a bus station, a streetcar stop and a Vél’Oh station, as well as an MBox.

In total, more than a dozen Veloh! stations are available for soft mobility enthusiasts. Also noteworthy is the pleasant bicycle path that connects this district to Senningerberg (Niederanven).

Shops: to the north of Kirchberg, the Auchan shopping center offers a 12,500 m2 hypermarket on 2 floors with free covered parking for 2 hours, a shopping mall with 50 stores and 19 restaurants. On the other side, the Infinity real estate project brings a new shopping center since late 2019.

Leisure: in addition to the Mudam or the Philharmonic, the Kirchberg is also known for its leisure facilities such as the large sports complex La Coque with its swimming pool and climbing wall, or the Multiplex cinema Kinepolis. A large green space behind the Hull allows you to enjoy the coolness in summer.

The Luxexpo exhibition center welcomes thousands of visitors every year for its exhibitions and fairs. It is also the starting and finishing point of theING Night Marathon.

The Kirchberg Hospital and the Bohler Clinic are also important assets of the district.

Living in Kirchberg

Separated from the city center by the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, the Kirchberg has many attractions. Nevertheless, we expect more pedestrian spaces with a real neighborhood life. Local services are now essentially grouped on JF Kennedy Avenue, to the detriment of the more residential neighborhoods.

The desire today is to rebalance the ratio between the housing and office parts. The goal is to give this neighborhood a little more humanity. More than 25,000 residents are expected eventually, up from less than 5,700 residents in 2017. The workforce is expected to increase from 40,600 today to 64,000.

A number of new neighborhoods are being developed: Kiem (820 units), Reimerwee (480 units), Grünwald, Kennedy South.
The Op der Schleed project to the north of Adenauer Boulevard will see the construction of almost 4,800 housing units, for more than 10,000 additional inhabitants within 30 years.

In addition, the Kirchberg fund in charge of managing the district has entrusted an architectural firm with the mission of rethinking public spaces. The objective is to give a more human side to this area, considered too cold and impersonal.

Shops should be added on the first floor of buildings, street furniture should be installed to make people want to stop. Traffic arteries should incorporate pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

See the comparison of rents and sale prices advertised for housing by district of Luxembourg-City and our comparison of districts where to live in Luxembourg.

Focus on the districts of the City of Luxembourg