(Re)discover our city - A la bourse

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 guide you through the city to uncover these hidden stories, making you look at some of our symbolic buildings in a new way.

A la Bourse, N°13–17, Ville Haute

The old "Grands magasins A la Bourse" department store opened in 1923 on the junction between Grand’Rue and Rue du Fossé, selling fabric, woollens, silks, draperies, knitwear and collections of coats and shirts. (N°13, Grand’Rue). The "A la Bourse" building was built as part of developing a connection between Luxembourg's central station and Côte d’Eich. The right side of Rue du Fossé was doubled in width between the Rue du Curé and the Place du Puits Rouge. This enlargement aimed to provide more light and better ventilation and to ease traffic to the city's older areas. In 1934, architect Léon Leclerc designed the "International Style" building for owners Levy and Lodner. This modern architectural disruption to the urban fabric was welcomed with great enthusiasm, as the old building was deemed unsuitable for modern use and considered unhygienic. Alongside the building opposite, the two corners of Rue du Fossé are examples of metal frame constructions produced in Luxembourg. This new architecture illustrated the country's steel industry and engineering expertise. Since 2012, the two buildings either side of Rue du Fossé are included in the supplementary inventory to Luxembourg's National Sites and Monuments Service (Service des Sites et Monuments Nationaux) list of buildings and objects classified as national monuments. Since April 2021, the area between Rue Notre-Dame and Place du Théâtre has been turned into a "zone de rencontre", a space shared by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists where the speed limit is reduced to 20km/h.

But its innovative architecture wasn't the only thing to make the "A la Bourse" clothing store stand out. It was also crowned with a giant neon sign. The shop specialised in fabrics, flannels, velvet, mouflon fleece, curtains and cotton cloth and had a lingerie department and a clothing department for men and women.

In 1940, "A la Bourse" was taken over and renamed "Kaufhaus zur Börse". The original owner took over the clothing store again in December 1945. To ensure that they always offered the best service, the "Grands magasins A la Bourse" worked together with the "Grand Magasins Rosenstiel" throughout the 1960s to develop special training courses for salespeople.

In 1970 Levy and Lodner joined Strasbourg's Société Kahn to benefit from a purchasing cooperative and thus expand their range of products and offer several international fashion and textile brands at competitive prices. This collaboration led to one of the brand's most important transformations and modernisations. The ground floor featured departments selling lingerie, stockings, jumpers, skirts, dressing gowns, bath towels, aprons, scarves and costume jewellery. At the time, a whole range of products including fabric, silk thread, sewing patterns, belts, buttons and embellishments were sold in the sewing department upstairs, for people making their own clothes. The women's clothing department took up the second floor. The gold-coloured carpet and salon-style set-up reflected the atmosphere of stylish boutiques. There was also a dedicated department for young ladies. On the third floor, you could find curtains, household linens, duvets and quilts. Jean Kahn & Cie, SCS, who employed 16 members of staff, ceased operations at the end of 2012. The building then underwent major renovation, transformation and extension by Rodolphe Mertens Architects in collaboration with Luxembourg's National Sites and Monuments Service. Until 2017, the Desigual clothing shop was housed there. Since 2018, the prestigious building has been occupied by women’s fashion shop Comma, with s.Oliver and s.Oliver Black Label product lines upstairs.

© Photothèque de la Ville de Luxembourg – A la bourse – Tony Krier

© A la bourse – Revue technique luxembourgeoise