(Re)discover our city - Birthplace of Dicks

Batty Fischer - 1936

(Re)discover our city - Birthplace of Dicks

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 symbolic buildings.

Robert L. Philippart

Living the noble life…

On the corner between Place Guillaume IIand Rue du Fossé, on the former "Marché aux grains" (grain market), the building that has been home to "MONOPRIX" since January 2021 is in fact the house in which national poet Edmond de la Fontaine (1823–1891) was born.

The anchor plates on the façade that can be read from the Rue du Fosséside of the building cite 1793 as the date of construction. However, the origins of the building go back much further. In 1794, the building belonged to Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine (1743–1809), lawyer for the Provincial Council. His son, Gaspard Théodore de la Fontaine (1787–1871) was Governor of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (1841–1848) and Prime Minister of the Luxembourg Government in 1848. His son, poet Edmond de la Fontaine (Dicks), was born in the building in 1823. A lawyer, industrialist, mayor of Stadtbredimus, justice of the peace in Vianden and author of plays and operettas in the Luxembourgish language, he died in Vianden in 1891. In 1923, a plaque commemorating the centenary of his birth was installed on the Rue du Fosséside of the building. This then disappeared under the Nazi regime, and a new inscription was put up on the initiative of Action Lëtzebuergesch(action Luxembourgish) in 1978.

When it was constructed, the building looked out onto the former Franciscan convent, which then made way for the construction of Place Guillaume II. Although the square had been inaugurated in 1834 as a marketplace, Dicks' birthplace retained a blind gable on this public space until 1905. He recalled that the former convent's neighbours were not allowed to have windows looking out over the convent.

A shop from 1879 onwards

In 1879, J.P. Champagne used the La Fontaine house to open his "Grand Bazar", selling "1000 & 1 Artikel" (1000 and 1 items). His selection of goods ranged from revolvers and pistols to buckets, spades and milk bowls, and from framed photos and kitchen knives to wire and sewing boxes.

From the end of 1893, the building was home to the "Beffort-Bandermann" textiles department store, which remained there until the opening of its new premises on the corner of Rue du Marché-Aux-Herbesand Rue du Curé. In 1903, Ludwig Abraham, newly arrived from Germany that same year, set up his shop "Spezial Damen-Confections-Haus Louis Brahms" in the former La Fontaine house for a short period of time. It became one of the biggest shops in the city and would remain so up until the beginning of the Second World War.

In 1905, the building was transformed to make way for the large "Monopol" shop. Belonging to brothers L. and M. Muller, the shop boasted many departments and offered an extensive selection of household items, shoes, leather goods, costume jewellery, clothing for men, women and children and even industrial products imported by rail. The new shop also benefited from the addition of several windows on the Place Guillaume IIside. In 1912, the building was extended with the construction of an annex featuring large display windows, which ran along the length of Place Guillaume II. This guaranteed a permanent display of products for passers-by to see, emphasising the shop's central role in the marketplace. In 1919, in the aftermath of the First World War and following Luxembourg's exit from the Zollverein with Germany, the establishment was taken over by the "Société française des magasins modernes" (French society of modern shops), under the name "Galeries de France". As soon as it opened, the shop announced that it would be opening regularly on Sundays. After the closure of "Galeries de France" in 1932, brothers Willy Capus and Félix Capus-Ackermann took over the shop under the name "Grand Bazar Metropole". Once again, the building was transformed. The windows, which were lit up in the evening, were decorated to reflect marketing promotions, the seasons and public holidays. In 1949, "Metropole", with its 2000 m2 of retail space, claimed to be the biggest and best value shop in the country. The "Capus-Ackermann" rugs and soft furnishings shop came after "Metropol". Then, in 1978, architect Laurent Schmit transformed and extended the building on the Place Guillaumeside, giving it its current appearance. From then until the end of 2020, it was used as a fashion store by the brand C&A. Since January 2021, the former La Fontaine house has been home to French brand Monoprix, offering a range of food products across three floors. With 2500 m2 of floor space, it is now considered to be the third biggest shop in terms of retail space in Ville Haute.

© Photothèque de la Ville de Luxembourg – Batty Fischer 1936

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