Walferdange Rose Garden, a rose garden in memory of Walferdange's rose-growing past

Free access
Address: opposite the railway station, Rue de la Gare L-7228 Walferdange
Planting: 1966 - Redesign: 2014
Inauguration: 19 June 2015

Opposite Walferdange railway station, a charming rose garden welcomes travellers and residents seeking peace and quiet. To commemorate its former rose growers, the municipality planted its first rose garden in 1966. On 19 June 2015, in the presence of numerous guests, Her Royal Highness Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie inaugurated the redesigned rose garden.

The classic rose garden, home to more than seventy varieties of roses, is structured around a long pergola with rusted steel arches, where climbing roses and ramblers grow: it is spectacular in spring. The central flowerbed is home to the “Walferdange” rose, surrounded by roses dedicated to members of the Grand Ducal family. The “Prince Henri” rose, a scarlet red tea hybrid, blooms in the foreground of the flowerbed. It is considered to be the last rose variety to have been bred in Luxembourg and was created in 1962 by Justin Kohl, a citizen of Walferdange. Three other flowerbeds house an interesting collection of old Luxembourg rose varieties, as well as modern varieties. Benches in the shade of a majestic cedar tree invite visitors to relax. Thanks to the fertile soil and mild climate along the Alzette River, several family-run rose nurseries had established themselves in the Walferdange region during at the peak of rose cultivation in Luxembourg in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The “Walferdange” rose, the “Rue des Roses”, the “Rond-Point des Roses”, the “Fêtes des Roses”, as well as the twinning with Schmitshausen (Germany), Longuyon (France) and Limana (Italy), municipalities also passionate about roses, testify to the close relationship between the municipality of Walferdange and the queen of flowers.

Not far from the rose garden, opposite the railway station, a monument entitled “Les Traces ineffaçables de l’être humain” (The Indelible Traces of Humanity) commemorates the fate of the Jews of Walferdange during the Second World War. The contemporary work in black granite was created by Luxembourg sculptor Tom Flick. Four flowerbeds are planted with white Luxembourg roses. A sign of peace, the white rose also symbolises farewell and mourning. The monument, inaugurated in 2017, commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, but also raises awareness of the fate of innocent victims of other crimes against humanity.