Historic Centre Diekirch

Diekirch, situated on the River Sauer at the foot of the Ardennes, cannot be understood from a single square, but rather through the sequence of streets, alleys, waterways and landscape that have shaped the town over the centuries. Traffic, a fragmented layout and technical additions have pushed this cohesion into the background and weakened the relationship between the town, the river and the landscape. The design for the city centre therefore does not begin with new landmarks, but with making what is already there visible once more: the historic structure of city walls, gates and variations in elevation is reinterpreted and translated into a contemporary, climate-adaptive city centre. Not by reconstructing the past, but by allowing the underlying spatial logic to once again guide the city of tomorrow.
 

The city centre’s main axis grid forms the backbone of the plan. Within this, the redevelopment of the Place de la Libération serves as the pivotal point between the historic core, the surrounding neighbourhoods and the river. Along these axes, the vanished Millebaach returns as a visible water feature: the former course of the stream becomes tangible once more, whilst simultaneously providing cooling, infiltration and a pleasant environment for people to linger. 

At the historic city gates, the entrances to the city centre are being greened: narrow, now largely functional passageways are being transformed into places to linger, with shade and planting, where living, shopping and socialising come together in a pleasant shopping and leisure environment. In this way, the historic route through the city once again becomes a continuous, experiential walk from gate to gate.

A lighting concept, developed with Studio DL, makes the city centre an attractive destination even in the evening: lighting accentuates the historic structure without disrupting the tranquillity of the material palette. In collaboration with TR Engineering, the climate-adaptive requirements – water storage, infiltration and biodiversity – have been integrated into the street profile, ensuring that engineering never feels like an afterthought but rather a natural part of the experience. By relocating car traffic to the outskirts of the city centre, space is created for greenery, pedestrians and public spaces in areas previously dominated by through traffic. The result is a city centre in which history, climate and everyday use once again form a single, coherent whole – not by reinventing itself, but by rediscovering and reinforcing its own qualities.