Let's (RE)discover our city – Café de la Paix on Boulevard Royal

Think you know our capital well? Well, let's see about that! Some of the buildings that you walk past on a regular basis have a special story behind them. Dr Robert L. Philippart is a true expert on the subject and will take you through the city to uncover these hidden stories, giving you a new way of looking at some of our emblematic buildings.

Café de la Paix on Boulevard Royal

The previous Café de la Paix at the corner of Boulevard Royal and Grand-Rue disappeared along with the Grand Hôtel Brasseur in 1970.

Avenue Emile Reuter was the first to be opened up in 1869, after the dismantling of the fortifications. Three hoteliers rushed onto the land freed from the military structures. Hôtel du Commerce (later Hôtel Continental), Grand Hôtel Brasseur and Auberge Ferrant were opened there in 1870/71. The Ferrant house, fronting onto the future Boulevard Royal, would go on to be used as the reference point for the alignment of this key artery of the city.

This location was a bit bizarre, because Route d'Arlon was not a major access route. It was not until 1903 that Boulevard Royal was connected to the central train station by Pont Adolphe. At Rue Aldringen, the former artillery barracks had been converted into a glove shop. From 1904 to 1954, the steam trains of the Luxembourg-Echternach (Charly) line generated a great deal of pollution in the area. From the 1950s onwards, with increasingly dense car traffic, the crossroads was crowded with cars and a frequent site of accidents. In the early 1960s, the terrace of the establishment, which was only built in the 1920s, was converted into a veranda with a façade made up of prefabricated elements in various colours. Between 1970 and 1975, the premises on the four corners of the Avenue Emile Reuter and Boulevard Royal crossroads were replaced with office space.

Eight different operators have successively managed the site during the century it has been in existence. Each of them left their mark: Klapdohr introduced lunch specials, Becker-Treinen introduced set menus with Luxembourgish specialities, Lucien Amberg drew in notaries for public sales, Josy Hames won over young people with concert evenings and Vic Sterges made it into a café for local workers. The hotel brought in lodgers, farmers visiting town on business, and business representatives, from the moment it opened. Some of the 30 rooms were rented out to private individuals. It was more popular than the nearby Grand Hôtel Brasseur, which welcomed diplomats and guests of the State. Until 1914, the establishment bore the name of its operator. The establishment also saw some prestigious names in the hotel industry come and go, such as Marron-Molitor, founder of the Hôtel des Nations at the train station, or the Mangen-Ludig family, who ran the Maison Rouge at Rue Notre-Dame. There was then an interlude in 1910, when the engineer Albert Louis Wurth installed his gas cooker shop there. It was baptised the "Café de la Paix" in 1914, a few months after the outbreak of the First World War. François Scharff-Vannière, former manager of the Café du Commerce at Place d'Armes, chose the name for the establishment. During the Second World War, the name of the house changed to "Café zum Frieden", before reverting to "Café de la Paix". The inter-war period marked the glory days of this establishment, which also functioned as a hotel until the 1950s.

On the Grand Hôtel Brasseur side, there was a large carriage entrance leading to the old stables. From 1899, the Treinen-Schmit greengrocery, owner of the "Maggy" spice brand, was based there. The greengrocery occupied half of the ground floor of the building. It was managed by the Treinen-Schmit family from 1899 to 1956, then by J. Calmes and finally, from 1958 to 1960, by Jempi Graul-Bram, who took over the Café de la Faïencerie in Limpertsberg. The Tapis Hertz shop would be based next to the Grand Hôtel Brasseur until the end of the lease in 1970. A hair salon was established to the rear of the building.

Café de la Paix 1920, Lëtzebuerg am Zäitvergläich, vol. 4, Esch-sur-Alzette, 1957, p. 75.