In the neighbourhood: Mamer
The commune of Mamer, incorporates the communities of Mamer, Capellen and Holzem. Despite its relative distance from the city, it's a popular and flourishing neighbourhood, in close proximity to one of the European Schools.
A little background...
Seven kilometres south-west of Luxembourg City, just beyond the busy Belle Etoile shopping centre, you'll find the commune of Mamer. Collectively it has about 10,471 inhabitants in its 27 square kilometres (about 50% of whom are foreign residents), but much of the land is still in agricultural use or forested.
The population of this corner of Luxembourg has increased dramatically in the past few years, in particular with the development of new housing in the area. Today it's a popular commuter district for the city and Kirchberg but it's been on the map for much longer.
A Celtic village from the first century was discovered in the 1970s between Mamer and Kehlen, and there are the remains of a Roman villa with thermal baths on the banks of the River Mamer.
Historian and poet laureate, Nicolaus Mameranus was born in Mamer in 1500. The 1920s Tour de France winner Nicolas Frantz hailed from Capellen, and Olympic athlete and president of Luxembourg's Athletic Federation, Josy Barthel was also born in the commune. Today the most famous homeowner in the commune is Jean Claude Juncker.
Property prices
According to Wort Immo the current price per m2 of real estate in the area is:
Mamer
Apartment (new) €13,035
House (old) €7,048
House (new) €9,635
Capellen
Apartment (new) €13,131
House (old) €8,843
House (new) €10,640
Facilities
Shopping & services
The West Side Village business park between Mamer and Capellen (Junction 2 of the A6) houses a number of enterprises, from banking to IT, and is home to an Aldi, Bauhaus (DIY home and garden) and Kichechef (kitchen, house). There's a new complex with a Delhaize supermarket, AVA store with home furnishing, decoration, party stuff, crafting and cleaning products, Trafic for clothing and household items, and Fressknapf for pet supplies. The complex is also home to a Luxfit gym.
For other supermarkets, Capellen also has Match and Mamer has a Cactus Shoppi (limited supermarket). The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) is also located in Capellen.
Climbing enthusiasts in need of shoes or a harness should check out Caspar's climbing shop. And anyone searching for ladies clothing sizes 40-54 can try Best Of in Capellen.
There's a bi-monthly Friday farmers market at 42 route d'Arlon, which takes place from 16.00.
Ligue HMC was created to help people with mental and cerebral disabilities including school classes and workshops. Based in Capellen it provides independent and supervised housing support, day reception and leisure activities. Fondation Autisme is also located in the same area, and this centre is for diagnostic evaluation.
Schools & crèches
The European School Luxembourg II is located at the border of Mamer/Bertrange, offering free education to employees of the European institutions as well as fee-based private places in many languages including English, French, German, Danish, Greek, Italian, and Hungarian and Czech (to primary level) and support for Slovene, Slovak, Croat, and Romanian languages.
There is also a Luxembourgish secondary school Lycée Josy Barthel, on rue Gaston Thorn next to the European School.
The Kinneksbond school campus is a modern Luxembourgish primary school with a sports hall, multi-sports field and playground. In 2015 a new campus also opened in Capellen to accommodate primary children in the area.
There's a Youth Centre in Mamer offering various activities and therapies, including pizza making.
In Capellen, local crèches include ecological crèche Gekko, Creche Kannerstuff, Crèche L’enfant Roi (Montessori), Crèche Petronille, and Crèche La Cigogne.
In Mamer, choose from Le Royaume de Winnie, crèche Am Schleekenhaus, Crèche Biobebe, Creche Smile Kids, and Rockids Mamer (Montessori).
In Holzem, Crèche Huesestuff offers childcare. New crèches are opening all the time due to demand.
Got a dog? Well there are plenty of dog services in Mamer. Wagging Tails provides doggy day care, in-home boarding services, and pet and dog care visits. Lux Pets offers pet of dog sitting, dog walking and pet taxis, whilst Doggy@Petz has dog care services.
Transport & parking
Mamer is well connected by bus and served by many school buses including a network that delivers children to the European School each day. Line 16 connects the European School to the airport via the city and Kirchberg.
The 801 links Mamer to Howald and Sélange and Messancy in Belgium. The 802 connects Steinfort the city and then Howald, via Mamer. The 811 connects Mamer to Kirchberg and Steinfort, and the 812 also to Kirchberg but then Hagen/Eischen in the other direction. The 821 connects it to the city and Garnich or Clemency, whilst the 822 and 823 connect to the city but also to Tuntange via Windhof and Koerich, and the 824 connects it to the city and to Kehlen and Mersch via Nospelt and Olm.
Ruffbus, run by the commune, provides a free personalised shuttle service via an eight-seater electric minibus available every day 9.00 to 18.00. It will travel to the neighbouring communes of Bertrange, Dippach, Garnich Kehlen, Koerich and Strassen, Steinfort, and to the following hospitals: Zithaklinik, Hôpital Kirchberg, Clinique Bohler, Rehazenter Kirchberg, CHL in Strassen and Eich.
There is a train station in Mamer, and a stop at Mamer-Lycée behind the European School. There is also a station at Capellen. The train route links the commune to Bertrange, Luxembourg City's central station and Arlon in Belgium.
Vel'Oh bike stations are located in four places in Mamer and two in Capellen, and there is a 6-in-one eco-friendly bike wash salon at 7b route de Dippach at the recycling centre in Mamer. It operates from Tuesday to Monday 9.00 to 18.00 and on Saturday 9.00 to 13.00. It's free, but you need to apply for a magnetic card. You can do so here.
There are Chargy stations for electric cars across the commune in Mamer, Capellen and Holzem. You can find a full list of locations here. The CFL "Flex" car-sharing system also operates in Mamer, with seven vehicles available at four locations - two at Mamer station, one at Capellen station, and two vehicles and a van at Kinneksbond parking and another at Capellen Business Park.
If you're learning to driven, then driving school Yann is based in Capellen and can give lessons in English.
Recreation
Sports & parks
The park Am Brill provides a place for recreation and relaxation behind the main municipal building in Mamer. It has a playground, a zipline, a basketball court, a football pitch, a skate park and a pavilion serving drinks, ice cream and snacks.
The area also incorporates a pond for wildlife spotting. In winter, there is a skating rink (free skates and entry) installed next to the commune administration buildings. In summer there are often free concerts and small theatre performances.
Boulder Klub Mamer (BKM) is run by passionate climbers with a long history of climbing experience. The club was established to help the Luxembourgish climbing scene grow and improve, and they manage outdoor climbing walls and bouldering structures in Mamer Parc Brill and Capellen Park. Bouldering courses are offered to kids every Tuesday and Thurday.
Drëps is a communal forest area near Thillsmillen which has a chalet, pavilion and benches, in addition to a stone barbeque. A staged trail with information boards runs to Kopstal and Merch (22km in total).
There are two auto pedestrian circuits in Mamer. The first climbs the Juckelsbësch plateau then follows the Riedelbaach as you walk along the Mamer Valley to Thillsmillen and Neimillen. The second 6.4km circuit lies between Holzem and Mamer starting at Baumbusch Street. It starts with a bike path then enters the Deckebësch forest.
A cycle path runs from Eisch to Mamer and, in honour of Nicolas Frantz, another 12km bike path from Strassen runs via Mamer, Holzem and Garnich to Steinfort. There is also a 19km horse-riding trail.
The commune has put together a list of 13 hiking, walking and biking routes of varying lengths. You can download PDFs of the routes here.
A Luxembourgish Scout (FNEL) club is held at Mamer Wiselen on 107 Route d'Arlon.
In Capellen you'll find the Paul Gluck tennis centre which has a number of clay courts and a brasserie, a play park and the "Jardin de Circulation" designed for children to learn road safety when cycling or scooting. It includes crossings, give way signs and traffic lights (which operate Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 16.00 to 19.00, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 14.00 to 19.00).
You can find out about other sports facilities here.
Culture and theatre
The remains of Roman baths were discovered during archaeological excavations in 1972. You can find out more together with a location map here.
The cultural centre Kinneksbond on the Route d'Arlon is housed in a modern building (although there are currently building works in front of it). It runs a detailed programme of dance performances, concerts, plays, exhibitions, book sales and workshops and is home to the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra. A full programme of events is available here.
The non-profit Mamerhaff centre at 14 rue Henri Kirpach, hosts music and drama classes for children, offers family counselling and child therapy services. The venue also hosts ad hoc workshops and events for children and parents. Children aged 8-13 years can attend drama classes in French at the centre on Tuesday afternoons.
Restaurants & food shops
Pizzeria Pulcinella is a popular family restaurant, while Brasserie Toussaints has a lovely outdoor terrace ideal for brunch or a glass of Crémant. Cafe Kleng Gemeng is a cosy spot but has a terrace in summer, is family friendly and a good alternative pitstop near the park if the Cafe am Brill is busy. They recently jazzed up their menu with daily specials and staples like salmon, steak, burgers and sausages.
For some Thai food or sushi try Papaya in Holzem, and Asian food fans can check out Yangzhou or the pet-friendly Chen, while curry lovers should sample Anapurna 3 or Darjeeling.
Locals give a "big thumbs" up to L'Ultimo, or for local cuisine such as raclette, try Auberge Thillsmillen.
Other restaurants in the commune include Il Tartufo and the family friendly pizzeria La Croccante (the latter comes recommended for its authentic Italian food). You'll find a huge selection of salads, carpaccio, pasta, pizza and meat dishes at Dolce Amaro in Capellen, near the tennis club and with a wood and wicker interior.
More pizza in Capellen at Cafe du Commerce, and Pizza Pronto.
The Mamer Plage restaurant has BBQ and chalet and convereted gondola cabin rentals, plus a menu which includes traditional dishes such as choucroute and rabbit, kniddelen, and moules frites, plus a children's menu. You can enjoy raclette or fondue in a cosy private chalet or cabin.
For delicious cakes and quality coffee, a branch of Paul is located 32 Route d'Arlon in Mamer, next to the Cactus Shoppi. MaMer Kitchen, sees a professional chef offer home delivery of a Mediterranean menu that changes on a weekly basis.
The fromagerie le Cour de Meule stocks 40 cheeses, wines, jams and cream. It serves cheese plates, coffee and desserts. You'll find organic produce including fresh fruit and veg, bread and more at Biobuttek Wilhelm at 93 rue de Kiem in Capellen, which also has healthy ready-made meals. For Romanian specialities try Epicerie Fine Transilvania.
Paul Eischen is a small restaurant without a set menu but a daily blackboard offering three-course meals and is located in the Capellen business park. They can cater for and have rooms to hire for weddings, communions and other events.
Local butcher Boucherie Kirsch comes highly recommended, as does the butcher Paul Faber-Lopez in Capellen on Route d'Arlon. For bread, Backerei Molitor is on rue de Commerce, plus baker and patisserie Jos and Jean-Marie in Capellen on route d'Arlon.
Find out more...
You can find out more about Mamer on the Visit Guttland website here and on the commune site here. People living in the commune and surrounding villages are also invited to join the My Mamer Facebook page to share experiences, ask for advice, or join a meet up in the local area.
Mamer commune produces a welcome brochure for new residents which you can find here.
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