On Friday 6 November 2015, the Luxembourg Secretary of State for the Economy, Francine Closener, announced that Luxembourg will be the guest of honour at the Christmas market of the city of Strasbourg, taking place from 27 November to 31 December 2015.
"Nation Branding, our national promotion strategy, requires a multisectoral horizontal involvement," explained Francine Closener. "In this context, the project of a Luxembourg village at the Christmas market in Strasbourg is exemplary, because it relies on an interdepartmental initiative as well as close collaboration between public and private stakeholders".
The Luxembourg village will be comprised of thirteen chalets installed in place Gutenberg, within walking distance of the cathedral. Visitors will be able to explore the charms and attractions of the Grand Duchy, whose City is one of the three European capitals, alongside Strasbourg and Brussels.
The twenty exhibitors in the Luxembourg Village will showcase their expertise through a variety of products, including decorative items, jewellery, clothing and accessories, as well as creations from the various workshops of the social and solidarity economy. Visitors will also be able to sample culinary specialities and delicacies of the country.
"The Christmas market welcomes more than two million visitors in its five weeks," the Secretary of State for the Economy continued. "This is why a tourist chalet will be installed in order to promote Luxembourg as a tourist destination, a few months before the commissioning of the future TGV line which, from April 2016, will link the two European capitals".
The Luxembourg Village will be inaugurated on Saturday 28 November 2015, in the presence of authorities from both Strasbourg and the Grand Duchy. An opening concert will be held in conjunction with the inauguration at the cathedral, uniting the brass ensemble and organist of the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, the chamber choir and Pueri Cantores of Luxembourg as well as the madrigal of Strasbourg cathedral.
The concert will be preceded by a food reception for which the teachers and students of the Lycée technique de Bonnevoie will prepare quintessentially Luxembourgish dishes for the Strasbourg and Alsace guests. Other cultural events, such as an exhibition, a literary evening, a conference, concerts and children's readings are also planned.
Luxembourg will also hold a presence in Strasbourg department stores over the Christmas period, with products from the country supplied at sales areas installed in Galeries Lafayette and at the the Rivetoile shopping centre.
Francine Closener thanked all the exhibitors, the Ville de Luxembourg, institutional players particularly the Chambre de Commerce, the Chambre des Métiers, ONT, LCTI, the four ORT and all state services for their commitment to the production of this event. To this end, a special visit to the Christmas market has been organised by the Union luxembourgeoise de l'économie sociale et solidaire (ULESS) for 6 December to thank these actors for their contribution to the Luxembourg Village.
Photo by PickYourTrail
