The old slaughterhouse (Schluechthaus) industrial site in Hollerich is to be redeveloped with construction expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027 and to be carried out in several phases, Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer announced at the City breakfast.

Polfer did not specify when the construction work is likely to be completed but said that the site will continue to be used for events.

The process has taken a while to reach this point. A competition to select the design for the reconstruction was launched in 2021. The winning design was selected in September 2023 with architectural firm 2001, in collaboration with Civic from the Netherlands and Carlo Mersch from Luxembourg, winning the contest.

The focal point of the design is the complete covering of the area with a glass roof installed at a height of 15 metres. The architects and representatives of the City of Luxembourg’s various services travelled around Europe to view constructions using a similar material. Philippe Nathan from Büro 2001 told the Luxemburger Wort in September 2023 that the air would circulate well under the structure due to its height.

The entire site will have a glass roof. © Photo credit: 2001 architecture und CIVIC Architects (Grafik)

A bird’s eye view of the site. © Photo credit: 2001 architecture und CIVIC Architects (Grafik)

Work is now underway on a preliminary project, which is to be presented to the college of aldermen before this summer. This will then be presented to the relevant committees and work will then begin.

The construction site will be realised in various phases. “The whole area should continue to live and not be completely closed,” said Polfer.

Work on the indoor skate park is scheduled to start at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027. The skate park will remain, but can be transformed into an outdoor skate park thanks to the folding doors on the structure. The area for urban sports will be expanded fivefold.

The Schluechthaus site has a long history. © Photo credit: Marc Wilwert/LW-Archiv

In the meantime, another hall is being refurbished so that it can already be used. How long the work will take will only become clear once the preliminary project has been finalised.

Long history

The site can look back on a long industrial history. The City of Luxembourg had the Schluechthaus built between 1900 and 1902. After being remodelled in 1929, it was in operation until 1997.

The site is currently home to the Service des Sports building, which also has new infrastructure in Kockelscheuer. The indoor skate centre has also been located in Hollerich for many years. This is set to remain there.

The Geesseknäppchen campus and Merler Park are also located near the Schluechthaus.

(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Translation and editing by Kabir Agarwal.)