Grevenmacher: wine, culture and history

Perched on the bank of the Moselle river, near the Luxembourg-Germany border, Grevenmacher offers the best of both town and country living.

Surrounded by vineyards and blessed with a light that has attracted many a painter over the years, this commune embodies the open-hearted, welcoming spirit of the Moselle region. Grevenmacher is a town that prides itself on its quality of life, while embracing the future.

Although famous for its annual Grape and Wine Festival, which culminates with the crowning of a new ‘Wine Queen’ every September, Grevenmacher also has plenty to offer history-lovers and culture buffs. Its medieval architecture is best explored by wandering through the old-town quarter on foot, following the town’s mapped-out ‘cultural walk’ to take in the sights and soak up its ancient heritage. For a more exotic experience, head to the tropical indoor Butterfly Garden, which is home to hundreds of butterflies, birds and insects.

While the streets are literally lined with lavender in a nod to Burgomaster Léon Gloden’s years spent studying in the French region of Provence, Grevenmacher is decidedly international. Over 40 per cent of the town’s 4,942 inhabitants come from outside Luxembourg, and as a result, the culinary scene is varied, offering everything from traditional local fare to Nepalese cooking. As Gloden says, “When you live in Grevenmacher, you never need to leave!”

Grevenmacher has proven adept at championing and preserving its rich cultural heritage, but it remains committed to moving with the times. Construction will begin this year on a lavish new cultural centre set to open in 2023, and the town is taking a workable approach to sustainability that ranges from environmentally-friendly housing solutions to the facilitation of plastic-free public events. It’s an equilibrium that epitomises the ‘Mosseler way of life’.

www.grevenmacher.lu