(Re)discover Our City – A la Panthère

Think you know our capital well? Think again! Some buildings you pass by regularly hide a special history. Dr. Robert L. Philippart is a true expert in this field and will guide you through the city to uncover these hidden stories, giving you a new perspective on certain iconic buildings.

Antoine-Auguste Clasen opened a fur store in 1845, offering slippers, boots, fur-lined dressing gowns, gloves, and hats. His shop was located on Rue Chimay and is considered the oldest furrier in Luxembourg. Over time, the city saw the emergence of several fur stores, with names such as Fourrures Jenny, Charles Sand, Sauveur-Schwarz, Hubert Foxius, Josy et Emile Scheitler, and Jean Zigrand remaining in memory.

This article focuses primarily on the store A la Panthère, located at 51 Grand’Rue, which closed in 1992. The origins of this establishment date back to 1894. Edouard Svarca left Moravia to refine his skills as a furrier. He settled in Luxembourg, where he married Anne Laurent and changed his name to Schwarz. He established his business on Grand’Rue in a building constructed in 1830 on the foundations of an older structure, with cellars extending beneath the pedestrian zone.

Since demand for fur was much higher in winter than in the warmer months, Schwarz opened a shoe store in 1902 within the same building. That same year, the Schwarz-Laurent couple became the owners of the property that housed both of their businesses. As fur fashion grew in popularity, the shoe section was discontinued in 1929. Their daughter, Juliette, later married Romain Lecorsais, and in 1933, the couple took over the business.

The ground floor was transformed into an immersive experience, creating a dreamlike wild setting featuring monkeys, a lynx, a panther, a leopard, and a fox. These representations were created by the renowned wildlife artist Auguste Trémont, who also designed the lions in front of the City Hall, the bas-reliefs of the cathedral, and the two monumental lions at the crypt. Today, these works of art are preserved in the collections of the Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart.

In 1953, the business was passed on to René and Julien Lecorsais. The building was extended in 1954 to accommodate workshops for the furriers. The store had advanced technical installations to keep the pelts fresh and revitalize them, along with heavy-duty sewing machines for stitching fur. Lecorsais sold coats and jackets made from astrakhan, muskrat, ocelot, jaguar, leopard, mink, and marmot fur. The store also rented out capes, provided storage services to protect customers’ coats from moths, and specialized in suede cleaning.

However, animal protection regulations, anti-fur campaigns, synthetic fur alternatives, and competition from department stores heavily impacted the fur market, forcing it to adapt and transform.

Research and Text :

Robert L. Philippart

Photo Credits :

Fourrures schwarz A la panthère

A la panthère Tremont © MNAHA Kraus

A la panthère Tremont © MNAHA Kraus 2

Magasin Lecorsais, 51 Grand-Rue © Photothèque de la Ville de Luxembourg

Emplacement de l’ancien magasin Lecorsais Grand’Rue © Rolph