Complicated Language Affairs
by RhineRoll
Coming to Luxembourg, you might be puzzled by what you read on the signs and what you are hearing when the people are speaking -- Luxembourg has actually three official languages. The everyday language of the people in the streets is called Lëtzebuergesch and is in fact a German dialect -- the Luxembourgers will maintain of course that it is a language of its own --- well you know -- same problem as Scots and English -- in the end, this is a political question as there is no clear point in linguistics that determines whether it is still a dialect or already another language . French is the language of the courts and the administration -- even though the kids in school learn High German through their school books before they learn French...
In practice, you will come across all three languages especially near the German border where people might do business mostly with German speakers. Roadsigns are in French and Letzebuergesch. There are also a lot of Portugese and Italian immigrants living and working in Luxembourg, so you might come across these tounges as well... and English... and Dutch... and whatever else!!!
Hydro-electric power station
by himalia11
A bit outside of Vianden, upstream the Our river, you'll find a hydro-electric power station, managed by SEO (Societe Electrique de l'Our). There's an artifical lake of the Our river with a dam in Vianden and from there, water gets pumped to two upper reservoirs (509 m high) on the top of Mount St Nicholas. During peak hours then, the water in the upper reservoirs falls down to the turbine hall and energy is being generated.
There's a special visitor's tunnel with lots of information (in French and German) about generating electricity in general and of course how it's down with this hydro-electric power station. You'll also find there a good model which is showing the area with the power station, the Our River and the reservoirs. At the end of the tunnel there are stairs down and you can look at the turbine hall, very interesting! A little model of the turbine and generator is showing how everything is working. This all can be visited for free (!) from 10:00 to 16:00 (20:00 in summer).
Directions: From Vianden, when coming from the castle, turn left before the bridge and follow the sign to SEO. It's about 5 km. There's a little parking on the right side in front of the visitor's tunnel. The entry is on the left side.
Le Chateau!!
by NateWill22
The castle is a no-brainer must see in Vianden, as it rises a few hundred feet virtually from the middle of the town! Of the few castles I have seen, I must say this one is my favorite. It has been beautifully restored, considering just a hundred years ago it was a ruin!
The castle
by NateWill22
Here is a picture of the castle just one hundred years ago; a complete ruin. Afterall, it was built between the 12th and 14th centuries, so one could see how it could be getting a little old. But today it looks just like it did back in Middle Ages! (see my travelogue for more historical information about the castle.)
St Nicolas church
by tompt
In the lower part of Vianden you can find the St Nicolas church. Built around the end of the 13th century as a subsidial church to the Roth Basilica. Up to the year 1801 this part of the town formed part of the parish of Roth.
The St. Nicolas Church burnt down in 1723 and was rebuilt the next year.
The church is not large, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth getting inside.
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Vianden Castle
Vianden
Dinner at Du Pont, 14-05-2010
View at the castle, 23-05-2009
