Located to the north of Luxembourg City, the Beggen district has managed to shake off the image it has long had of a ‘dormitory’ district, a place where people pass through without stopping. The young, cosmopolitan population, most of whom are foreigners, has breathed new life into the area.
Leila Pivetta, owner of Café Villa, and her husband Fabiàn Rojas are just some of the young people who have moved to the area and are helping to make it more dynamic. Although it was never her intention to return to Luxembourg, where she spent her childhood, five years ago she took over the establishment that her mother had run since 1967. It’s a choice that Leila has no regrets about--quite the opposite in fact. After Berlin, Paris and Copenhagen, it’s here in Beggen that she has found her little haven of peace. “We took over the café five years ago and we’ve developed it a bit by creating a dog bar,” she explains. And today, she has no regrets.
“Compared to when I used to come back when my mother still ran the café, I think the neighbourhood has really rejuvenated. There are a lot of foreigners too. All languages are spoken here, and that’s something we really appreciate,” she confides.
Indeed, in terms of the mix of cultures, it’s hard to find a more cosmopolitan place than Beggen, where 3,800 residents of no fewer than 109 nationalities live side by side, a far cry from the origins of Beggen, described at the time as a very poor little village with just ten houses in 1635. The population of the district is fairly young, with the majority of residents in the 30-39 age bracket.
“This is a really quiet, family-friendly neighbourhood. Everyone knows everyone else, it’s charming, the neighbourhood really has the feel of a big village. The scouts are active and it’s funny to see them grow up. At the time of covid, they were mobilised to help the elderly. That’s the kind of spirit we really have at Beggen,” adds Leila.
A “big village” just trying to make a name for itself
The image of the neighbourhood as a crossroads through which people pass without stopping is no longer entirely realistic, even if some residents concede that a few shops are needed to attract more people, whether residents or passing visitors. “It’s true that if you have nothing in particular to do here, you don’t necessarily stop. That’s a shame. Maybe if there were more shops and leisure facilities, it would attract people,” suggests Leila. In her opinion, one of the district’s assets is its proximity to nature, with the Alzette, Eecherfeld and Mont Dommeldange.
Beggen “is also a sports neighbourhood, and we often see the players,” says Leila. The neighbourhood has an aikido club, a football club, a tennis club and a chess club.
The shopping centre has lost some of its shops, but several remain. There’s a beauty salon, a café, Action, a clothes shop and a gym, so that residents can “find everything they need,” say Sylvie and Anita. Both retired, they have lived in the district for around ten years. Like Leila, they appreciate the proximity to nature, although they feel that the green spaces “could be better laid out for walking, and not just for bikes.” Just a few minutes from the district, Bereldange is the starting point (or finishing point, depending on the direction) of the Alzette cycle path (PC 15), which leads all the way to Ettelbruck.
The other black spot in the neighbourhood, according to the two pensioners, is the noise from the cars and the daily traffic. “But since the new access to the motorway was created a few years ago, it’s true that things have calmed down a bit,” they concede.
A few curiosities
Last June, a new play area called Wichtelcher was inaugurated in the neighbourhood, on rue Henri-Dunant. It features an obstacle course and sports facilities inspired by the folklore of the region’s gnomes.
Members of the Gaart an Heem Beggen association, founded in 1927. Photo: Nader Ghavami
Located in Dommeldange, on the edge of Beggen, Beggen Castle, also known as Metz Castle, boasts an imposing façade. Before the castle was built, there was a paper mill here in the 1700s. In 1880, Émile Metz had a villa built here, which was destroyed by fire a few years later. Construction of the current château began in 1895. In 1918, the château was bequeathed to Émile Mayrisch, managing director of Arbed, and his nephew Gaston Brabanson. The latter’s family lived in the château until 1940. Today, the building houses the Russian embassy.
Finally, in terms of services, the district is rather well endowed, with a crèche and a day centre, several schools, a pharmacy... “In reality, you can do everything in Beggen,” concludes Leila.
Beggen is in the north of the capital. Map: Shutterstock/Maison Moderne
This article was first published in French on Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.
