Our tram journey starts at the Luxexpo stop, in the upper part of the Kirchberg plateau, in the direction of the central station. It’s the ideal starting point to begin our journey full of art and architecture, as we’re facing a monumental sculpture (20m high, 37.5t of steel), erected in the middle of the Serra roundabout, named after the sculptor. This is "Exchange" by Richard Serra.

The doors open, we choose a seat near the window, on the right side in the direction of our route.

"Elément d'architecture contorsionniste IV” by Jean Dubuffet

A few seconds after the tram's departure, a first sound and musical announcement (all the jingles were composed by the Luxembourg pianist Michel Reis,) tells us the name of the next station: Alphonse Weicker.

At the same time, on the left, at the esplanade at the foot of the BGL PNB Paribas headquarters, a first work appears. It’s a sculpture entitled "Elément d'architecture contorsionniste IV", designed by the Frenchman Jean Dubuffet. Made of epoxy and polyurethane, it is 7m high and part of a cycle titled "L'Hourloupe", a major turning point in the artist's career during which he abandoned painting in favour of largescale works.

"La Grande Fleur qui marche", by Giovanni Teconi, after Fernand Léger

Shortly after the Alphonse Weicker station, near the Auchan Kirchberg shopping centre, a colourful flower stands on the opposite side of the street.

At the foot of The Square office buildings, travellers and locals alike can contemplate "La Grande Fleur qui marche" (The Great Walking Flower) by Giovanni Teconi--a large-scale ceramic sculpture piece by Fernand Léger, created in 1952.

The KPMG office building

We arrive at the intersection of avenue J. F. Kennedy and boulevard K. Audenauer. Although not a work of art in the true sense of the word, the KPMG building, which also houses a Spuerkeess agency, has an architecturally-striking facade of bronze-coloured Corten steel 'mesh’--a shape and colour that has earned it the familiar nickname, “Apple Strudel”.

This architectural creation is by Hermann & Valentiny, with the construction carried out by Félix Giorgetti. At the time of the inauguration, and its sister publication, Paperjam, revealed the secrets of this new site, completed in 2014.

"Bird Cage” by Su-Mei Tse

Halfway between the Nationalbibliothéik and Coque stops, you can see an extra large birdcage . Aptly titled "Bird Cage", by Luxembourg artist Su-Mei Tse, it has found a home in the gardens of the K2 complex amidst the offices and restaurants that make it up. Set on a concrete base, the work is 5.5m high, 3.2m in diameter and  illuminated at nightfall by neon lights. Through this work, the artist pays tribute to her Asian roots and to songbirds.

The most attentive travellers will be able to distinguish a detail that will raise questions in the minds of young and old alike: the door of the cage has been deliberately left open, in order to convey "a flight to somewhere else", according to the Fonds Kirchberg.

"Dendrite", by Michel de Broin

Between the Universitéit and Coque stops, we walk along the labyrinth of Kirchberg’s central park on the Kirchberg plateau. A high, yellow structure catches the eye in the middle of the greenery: this is "Dendrite", a sculpture by artist Michel de Broin installed here since 2016.

This playful and colourful work is comprised of ramified staircases that lead to four high points, offering a panoramic view of the greenery and surroundings. Like the labyrinth in which the structure is located, each branch is the result of a decision. As for its name, "the work is inspired by the branches of neurons, the dendrites. [The name comes from the Greek 'dendron', which means 'tree' or 'tree-like form'," a Canadian article states.

The ever-changing Kirchberg is what you might call an open-air museum. As the headquarters of companies and European institutions, as a leisure and entertainment area and as a sports complex, this plateau is much more than a business district and boasts a number of solid assets, including a cultural dimension, already well- established with the presence of Mudam, the Philharmonie, etc.--but further enhanced by public art.

We leave the Coque station to join the European Parliament station.

Stay tuned for part two of this series… 

This article was originally published on and has been translated and edited for Delano.