We spent the weekend in Luxembourg early this month as part of Luxcon’s Guest of Honour roster– our first. We were treated brilliantly, had some great panels, and were given a fantastic tour of the incredible city by Jean, one of the organisers. In fact, at one point on the ride into the city, Jean pointed out which window we should look out of to see the Fortress. I saw a valley wall, covered in buildings and roads and life, but no crumbling ruins. Then I felt my perspective shift and…
It’s all fortress. Luxembourg, the city, sits inside a valley which sits at the crossroads of Europe. For centuries it was designed as a series of fortresses, each built to cover the others if they were invaded. Luxembourg seems ALL fortress, built on the twinned foundations of linguistic compromise (four active languages in the country) and relentless refusal to die. It’s all fortress. Joyous, slightly ramshackle, sometimes overrun, always defended.
Fortress Art
Interstitials: Photos from our Luxembourg trip
Playout: Letterkenny‘s unsung hero Roald and Lady C cut a rug.