In the neighbourhood: Strassen
Tucked between the forests of Bambësch, and the communes of Belair and Bertrange, Strassen or Stroossen is one of the smallest communes in Luxembourg.
Despite its size, there are more than 10,512 residents representing 112 nationalities giving it a distinctly international flavour. Its ideal location (close to two motorway junctions), with plenty of forests, parks, and restaurants, is reflected in the high property prices.
As it is on one of the main arteries into Luxembourg, traffic congestion is a big issue, but it's well served by public transport and it has a village feel despite its close proximity to the city.
A little background...
Strassen was formed in 1851 when it was detached from the commune of Bertrange, but the origins of the town date back to Roman times. The name Strassen comes from the Latin word 'strata' which means military road, the main road running from Trier to Arlon, the remains of which were found near Kiem Street. In the 18th century the population of Strassen was just 417, and in the 1850s the area saw emigration to the United States. For the one hundred years up to 1946 the population remained static at about 1,400 citizens, but in recent times it has grown exponentially.
You can find out more about Strassen's history and coat of arms here. Engineer Paul Barble hails from Strassen and built many constructions from bridges, to radio transmitters and factories in Luxembourg. You can find out more about him here.
Property prices
Due to its attractive location, property prices in this suburb can be as high as in Luxembourg City. According to Wort Immo the current price per square metre of real estate in the area is:
Apartment (old) €10,068
Apartment (new) €12,874*
House (new) €10,273
*prices based on housing observatory figures 2019.
Facilities
Shopping & Services
For grocery shopping you'll find a Delhaize and a Lidl on Route d'Arlon, but if you're after some tea and crumpets try the Home from Home store, which stocks expat delicacies from the UK, Ireland, South Africa, America and Australia. The Deli Traiteur provides prepared dishes and the Pall Centre has a grocery store outlet (which includes food from Cocottes), and you'll also find ready-made meals at frozen food store Picard.
For something a bit special, locals can try the Eventum urban delicatessen which in addition to soups, salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes, offers ready-made Asian food and seafood platters.
There's an Optical Centre and orthopaedic centre on Route d'Arlon or you can get your phone and computer repaired at GSM & PC Solutions. There's also a pharmacy at 76 rue des Romains.
For home development, there's a Batiself next to the Boomerang Centre, which contains the hairdresser Beim Figaro, a shoe shop, Pronti, beauty treatment centre Qipao, fashion store Adler, restaurant Le Chesnoy, larger clothes size shop Miss Curvy, all purpose store Action, and grocery shop Colruyt. Maxi-Vins sells fine wines and spirits.
If you’re doing a home makeover, Strassen is the place visit, with interior design shop RR Interior, Cuisines Perene, the Kitchen Store, Casa, Asua and Camber, plus Flexa Shop which sells children's furniture.
You won't have an excuse for a bad night's sleep in Strassen, there are five bed shops here – try Plum'Art, Maison du Lit, House of Comfort, Auping, and Espace du Matelas.
For flower arrangements, try Fleurs Warnier or if you need a magic carpet, there's Palais du Tapis. On Rue de Kiem you'll find Golf Planet, selling everything to do with the sport. Train model enthusiasts need look no further than MBS-L The Train Shop. If you truly can't find what you want in the commune, Strassen borders the Belle Etoile shopping complex.
The Confederation for the Portuguese Community in Luxembourg also organises cultural events and language courses is located at 30 rue de l'Industrie.
Hotels
Strassen also has four hotels, Bivius Eat & Sleep, Hotel-Restaurant Olivier, Mandarina Hotel and Hotel Skol.
Schools & crèches
There's a state run pre-school and primary in Strassen, in addition to the Maria Montessori School which teaches children from three-to-12 years, in German and French languages.
Strassen is also well-located for the European School Luxembourg 2 in Mamer (English, French, German, Danish, Italian, Greek, Hungarian and Czech sections), the Geesseknappchen area which is home to ISL, the Athenée de Luxembourg, International School Gaston Thorn, and Lycées Michel Rodange and Aline Mayrisch. The Over the Rainbow private school in Belair has French & English IB sections.
There are a number of crèches in Strassen including The Garden of Pimpanicaille at 10 Rue Bellvue, the state-run Am Pescher and Wibbeldewapp crèches, and L’enfant Roi crèches, Crèche Babouille, Children’s World Strassen, P’tits Malins, and Crèche La Ronde des Petits. There's also a service to provide support for working parents with sick children at home.
Transport & parking
Public bus lines 8, 10, 11, 16 22, and 31 run through Strassen, as well as private lines 801, 802, 811, 812, 821, 822 and 94 . You can find their destinations here. The Stroossen Bus can take you from your home to the hospital, Belle Etoile shopping centre or to the station, Monday to Saturday, you just need to call 45 minutes in advance. There is a late night bus on Fridays and Saturdays. You can find all the bus information here. The Strassen/Bertrange train station runs into town and out to Arlon, you can find the station details here.
In addition to national state aid for the purchase of electric or hybrid cars and electric bicycles, the commune of Strassen applies an additional subsidy of 25% for its residents registered for more than 6 months. You can find out more here.
Recreation
Sports & Parks
Cycle track PC1 covers Strassen, whilst bike path Nicolas Franz (PC13) runs from Strassen to Kleinbettingen.
There's a circular walk that follows the edge of the forest, passing through Thillsmillen, Neimaxmillen and Schankemillen before returning to Strassen. You can find more walks on the commune site here. It is possible to walk the 20km from Strassen to Mersch without leaving the forest.
The aquatic centre Les Thermes has a wave pool, two slides, diving boards, and an outside pool, surrounded by a green space with loungers. There’s a multisport hall, a volleyball court, football pitches a skate park and a number of playgrounds. You can find a list of them here.
FC Una is the local club but you can find a list of associations including choral, biking, rambling and much more here. Every year, Luxembourg National Day is also celebrated in Park Riedgen with animations for kids.
Culture & Theatre
The Cultural Centre Paul Barble runs language courses and children’s art workshops. In September, the biennial Stroossefestival takes place with fantastic entertainment performances, street theatre and dance, music, food stalls and attractions for the kids. The next one is planned for 9 September 2023.
The cultural centre also houses an art gallery "A Spiren" with two exhibition halls that host national and international artists.
Every second and fourth Friday there is a bio and alternative produce market held from 16.00 to 19.00 outside the cultural centre. In addition to fruit and vegetables you can buy honey, local meats, traditional bread, olives and anti-pasti, and pasta and pizza.
Restaurants, cafes, bars and bakeries
There's no shortage of restaurants in Strassen from some fine dining to a spot of sushi or lunch from a food truck.
Baker and patisserie Jos & Jean-Marie sells bread and baguettes, tarts and cakes at Rue des Romains, whilst there is a Fischer in the Pall Centre.
Restaurant Kimchi offers sushi, sashimi and a Korean BBQ. You'll find more sushi at GinkoSushi, while you can sample some Lebanese or French food at Hotel Olivier. For traditional Chinese fare try Raiskar.
French kitchen grill, Meat Me, is the place to head for steak and charcuterie boards, whilst if you want to catch a football match, eat pizza and try a shisha, you can do so at Infinity Lounge.
The Porte du Bengale offers tasty tandoor dishes whilst Swagat specialises in Indian classics. Le Lion d'Or offers fish and chips plus a whole host of seasonal specialities including moules frites. It has a lovely summer terrace.
For Italian, sample La Comedia Dell'Arte or Bivius Eat. The Pizza Lux food truck dishes up authentic wood-fire cooked pizza opposite the town hall on Wednesday and Friday nights, and Verace food truck has pizza on Tuesday evenings. The Green Mango food truck offering Thai specialities is in Strassen on Thursday and Friday lunchtime. Brasserie Benelux holds karaoke nights and looks like a lively place if you fancy a drink.
Find out more....
You can find out more about commune events here and local residents can join the My Strassen Facebook group.
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