(Re)discover our city - Modes Janin-Delcourt Grand-Rue

Inconnu - 1952

(Re)discover our city - Modes Janin-Delcourt Grand-Rue

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.

Modes Janin-Delcourt – Grand-Rue

The Swarovski boutique nowadays occupies one of the most iconic sites on Grand-Rue. The history of this building on the corner of Grand-Rue and Rue des Capucins provides a glimpse of how the city has evolved over a period of almost 220 years!

The building was erected in 1802. On the façade, anchor plates depict the year and the letters "P", "R" and "M" – reminders of the names of the couple behind the build: Pierre Remy, a blacksmith and iron merchant, and Elisabeth Masius, who were married in 1784. Remy died in 1835. The building still exists without having undergone many significant changes, even if the stone anchor plates are only partially visible now. Up until 1870, the building was occupied by J.N. Harff, a coachbuilder, who sold carriages for children, saddles, whips, bridles and trunks. In 1877, Abraham Rouff, who was born in 1811 in Saarlouis, opened his shop where he sold fabrics by the yard, which he had run since 1862, at this address on the corner of Grand-Rue and Rue des Capucins. Rouff started his career in 1850 as a fabric merchant in Mersch. He became a naturalised Luxembourger in 1873. In 1877, he was among those petitioning the government to demand that they set up a single postal tariff to avoid businesses being put at a disadvantage by tariffs specific to different trades. He himself sold his products at a fixed price, which was something new at the time. From 1881, the "Maison de Nouveautés A. Rouff" started trading under the name "A. Rouff Leib-Rouff Successeurs". It was expanded to include a couture studio and a cutter was appointed, who came from "one of the leading houses of Paris". The company expanded its range of products to include menswear, womenswear and childrenswear, woollens, draperies and curtains. The company ceased trading in 1902. The fashion house Decker Sœurs, established in 1856, would come to move to this address. Fashions really had changed, which manager Rosalie Decker recognised by offering her customers items in addition to the traditional range of ties and ostrich feather toque hats, i.e. "the most striking and most hard-wearing goods" at rock bottom prices. The new way of working was to give a 5% discount to customers who paid in cash. In 1918, Rosalie Decker was one of the first who contributed money to have a Monument of Remembrance erected, which eventually became the Gëlle Fra, which is Luxembourgish for Golden Lady. The space was taken over in 1929 by Modes L. Janin-Delcourt, a company which was established in 1917 on Rue de la Boucherie. This company specialised first and foremost in the sale of shoes, socks and hats. When Louis Janin died in a car accident, his widow, Marie Delcourt, went on to take over the brand, which was one of the finest companies. In 1946, Maison Janin showed its toques and other hats at a fashion show held at Hôtel Alfa and organised by four major fashion houses of Paris and Liège. In 1966, Roger Joseph Janin took over the brand. From 1996 to 2013, Les Must de Cartier, supplier of jewellery, the finest jewellery, watchmaking and perfumery products, leatherwork and accessories, would come to open its boutique on the site of the former Janin store, where it would remain until it moved to Rue Philippe II in 2013. The Swarovski brand, one of the world's biggest suppliers of crystal used in the jewellery making industry has since taken over from Cartier as the occupants of the building on the corner of Grand-Rue and Rue des Capucins.

Photo © Photothèque de la Ville de Luxembourg – Unknown 1952

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