16-18. Views of Luxembourg - 13 Sept 1900 | Glass Plates
The first three photos in the second box of glass plates display picturesque views of Luxembourg.
Glass plate 16 shows the Passerelle viaduct stretching across the Pétrusse valley. At its tallest point, the viaduct stands 45m above the valley floor, and is 290m in length. It was built between 1859 and 1861 to provide a connection between the newly built railway station and Luxembourg city centre. Since its construction, the viaduct has come to be known as “the Old Bridge” by the people of Luxembourg, with the “New Bridge” being the Adolphe Bridge – which just so happens to be the subject of glass plate 17.
Adolphe Bridge during late construction
(Source: Charles Bernhoeft (1859-1933), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Glass plate 17 captures a view of the construction of Adolphe Bridge; built between 1900 and 1903, this capturing an early stage of construction with just the scaffolding raised. The Adolphe Bridge was a spectacularly ambitious work of engineering as it was envisioned, at 85m across at its widest stretch, to be the largest stone arch built up to that point in history.
Other than the fact that glass plate 18 shows a distant view of Luxembourg on the horizon, I do not know precisely where it was taken, and welcome suggestions from those who know the land. As such, while I have not been able to locate where exactly it was taken, all I can say for certain is that it is a clearly rural landscape and far outside the city.
Just Passing Through
By the limited number of photographs taken in Luxembourg, and as they are taken near the railway route, I get the impression that these were photography on a brief stop-off in Luxembourg before moving on. These glimpses are all we see of Luxembourg in the photos
Starting the Second Box
As previously mentioned, these are the first three photos in the second box of glass plates. There are many more to come.
Thank you for joining me for this little stop-off in Luxembourg, now we journey onward...
References
‘Adolphe Bridge’, Luxembourg City <https://www.luxembourg-city.com/en/place/monument/adolphe-bridge>
‘Viaduct’, Luxembourg City <https://www.luxembourg-city.com/en/place/monument/viaduct>
1900 Glass Plates: This project explores a series of glass plates from the year 1900 with the eventual goal of travelling the same route as the photographer. It will be a varied journey that will stretch from simple blog posts examining each photo to videos and more. This project is in collaboration with photographer Aleksandar Nenad Zecevic, who’ll be restoring the photographs to bring out details dimmed by time. More to follow.
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