History

Origin of Mondorf-les-Bains ?

The origin of the name Mondorf-les-Bains goes back to the Carolingian dynasty, i.e. Frankish kings. Charlemagne had a niece called “Muomina”, who donated all her possessions to the abbey of Echternach. Among these possessions was the small village, which thus took the name of “Muomendorph”. Charlemagne married Hildegarde de Thionville. As a result, he was forced to travel frequently between Thionville and his small capital of Aachen, and had a residence (“Pfalz”) built in Mondorf, which served as a relay.

A border village between France and Luxembourg, the toponymy of Mondorf has varied over time : Muomundorf (960), Mamendorf (1030), Muomendorph (1060), Mumendorf (1161), Mundorf (1572), Mondorf (1681), Mendorf (17th century), Mondorf (1793), Mondorff (1801).

Where does the name come from?

The first inhabitants of Mondorf-les-Bains were Celts. The Roman presence began in 65 BC. The Chapel of Saint-Sauveur, known as the “Chapelle du Castel”, was built on Celtic fortifications to protect the Metz-Trier road. Its access path is marked by steles representing the seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary.

Situated at the crossroads between Germany and France, Mondorf has been plundered, burned and rebuilt many times. The church of Saint-Michel, built in 1065, was rebuilt four times, the last time in 1764.

Mondorf-les-Bains (Lux) and Mondorff (Fr)

August 28, 1878 : the thermal resort is authorized by grand ducal decree to take the name of : Mondorf-les-Bains

The Treaty of Versailles of 1769 fixed the current border, splitting the parish of Mondorff in two. The Luxembourg part kept the name of Mondorff until 1872, date of the creation of the first post office in the bathing village. Following the delivery of a postmark, which by mistake of interpretation, only presented one final “f” at the end of Mondorf, the Luxembourgish part of the twin locality adopted the new name in 1878, with the addition: -les-Bains (“les Bains” meaning “bath” (Mondorf-les Bains in Luxembourgish : Munneref)

Birth as a spa town

The Dutch domination in the 19th century and other constraints were to change the destiny of the village, which had been an agricultural and wine-producing village. Because of the Dutch monopoly and the exorbitant taxes on salt, people started to search for salt in Luxembourg. In Mondorf there was a small stream with slightly salty water.

1841 - Drilling begins

Start of drilling, by Karl Gotthelf Kind, who created the first thermal spring (for rock salt research) on the initiative of the notary Ledure.

1846 - Curative use

After 5 years of effort, the drilling rig broke at a depth of 730 meters (European record at the time) and the works. The borehole found no salt gem but, at 460 meters, a mineralized spring was discovered. The notary Ledure proposed to use the Kind source for curative purposes.

20 June 1847

Inauguration of the first thermal establishment.

1852

1st request for the establishment of a casino by the Blanc brothers and opening of The Hotel du Grand-Chef.

28 May 1855

William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 to 1890, stayed at the Hotel du Grand-Chef of Mondorf-les-Bains with his brother Henri, the Prince of Orange-Nassau and Vice-Admiral of the Dutch Fleet. William III was William’s II son from the Netherlands and Anna Pavlovna from Russia and therefore the nephew of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.

August 1855

Edmond de la Fontaine (alias Dicks), son of Governor Gaspard Théodore Ignace de la Fontaine and one of the greatest poets in Luxembourgish language, stayed in Mondorf-les-Bains at the Hotel du Grand-Chef where he wrote and composed “D’Mumm Sěs oder De Gêscht”.

1864

Mondorf already counted already 8 hotels : Hôtel de l’Etablissement in the Thermal Park, Hôtel de l’Europe, Hôtel du Grand-Chef, Hôtel du Commerce, Hôtel de France, Hôtel du Nord, Hôtel des Bains and Hôtel de Luxembourg.

November 15, 1864

The spring of Mondorf as well as the outbuildings were sold to a group of investors who created “la Société Anonyme des Bains de Mondorf”.

August 27, 1868

Birth of John Grün in Mondorf-les-Bains (later known as the strongest man in the world)

August 26, 1871

Victor Hugo having successively been expelled from France, Belgium and from the island of Jersey, finds refuge in Guernsey and in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. He began a spa treatment from August 26th, 1871 in Mondorf, on where he completed the collection “L’Année terrible”. He stayed at the Hôtel de Paris in Altwies until September 24th, 1871.

August 28, 1874

Auguste Liesch, magistrate and politician (member of the Government and Council of State) was born in Mondorf-les-Bains. Above all his literary creation, “Maus Kätti” made him famous and still makes him one of the most famous writer in the Luxembourgisch language.

August 28, 1878

The thermal resort is authorized by grand ducal decree to take the name of : Mondorf-les-Bains.

1882

Inauguration of the railway line, connecting Luxembourg to Remich and passing through the city of Mondorf-les-Bains (“Jangeli”)

3 November 1882

Birth in Mondorf-les-Bains of Frantz Clément, famous author, journalist and publisher. He was editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Tageblatt and great critic of the Nazi regime. Arrested by the Gestapo in July 1941, he was deported to the concentration camps of Hinzert and Dachau. Having been declared unfit for work, he was transferred to the Killing Center in Hartheim / Linz in Austria on May 6th, 1942. There he was murdered with gas and cremated the same day.

1886

Creation of the thermal park by Edouard André.

April 21, 1886

Takeover of the spa establishment by the state.

1896

Grand Duke Adolphe and his brother Nicolas stayed in Mondorf-les-Bains with, among others, the Prime Minister Paul Eyschen.

1900

Creation of a thermal water bottling station of Mondorf water by the industrialist Charles Bettendorf.

1901

The same Charles Bettendorf started in the construction of 5 houses of character “Art Nouveau” style in Avenue des Bains.

1903

Inauguration of the railway line rail “Jängelchen” link between Mondorf and Thionville.

1907

Construction of the synagogue. Consecrated September 26th, 1908 in the presence of Rabbi Fuchs, it is the symbol of the first generation of Jews settled in Mondorf.

05-12 June 1910

Aviation Week with the competition of the Aero-club of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Mondorf-les-Bains. Newspapers estimated that more than 100.000 people (which was almost half of the country’s population) came to Mondorf during this famous week.

November 03, 1912

Death of John Grün.

1913

Drilling of a second fountain : the fountain Marie-Adélaïde at a depth of 464 meters.

1920

Inauguration of the first John Grün monument.

February 14, 1923

Grand Duchess Charlotte visited the thermal park.

1926

Inauguration of the Palace Hotel as well as the new hydrotherapy, today known as “Al Thermen”.

1937

Pianist Arthur Rubinstein and composer Maurice Ravel have been staying in Mondorf-les-Bains at the Hotel du Grand-Chef. Ravel stayed there for almolst a whole year.

Between 1939 and 1945

Occupation of Mondorf-les-Bains by the Germans.

May-November 1945

The Palace Hotel has been transformed in pre-trial prison for the Nazi leaders before their transport to Nuremberg.

1948

Purchase by the State of the Palace Hotel, put under sequestration after the war, to install the administration of Mondorf-Etat, as well as the medical, dance and reading rooms.

1952-53

Jean Monnet, then president of the European Community of Coal and Steel (ECSC), stayed for 8 months in Mondorf-les-Bains. First at the Hotel du Grand-Chef and then at 36, avenue des Bains, during the months when the hotel was closed. He received there the Heads of State of France and Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Luxembourg and therefore laid the foundations for the functioning of the newly created ECSC at Mondorf-les-Bains.

1963

Inauguration of the new pavilion overlooking the Kind fountain.

1970

Visit of Yugoslav President Tito, who stayed at the Hotel du Grand-Chef.

1979

Drilling of the Michel Lucius spring at a depth of 750 meters.

16 April 1983

The CASINO 2OOO opens its doors.

1 May 1988

Official inauguration of the new thermal and health center.

2002

Shimon Peres stayed at the Hotel du Grand Chef.

April 24, 2015

Visit of cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to go out into space on March 18, 1965, at the Fligermuseum.

22 June 2015

Visit in the pouring rain of the Grand-Ducal couple the day before the national day in Mondorf-les-Bains. Inauguration of the Maison Relais.

May 13, 2016

Inauguration of the Clara Reinert Garden at the entrance of Mondorf-les-Bains (from Altwies). Clara Reinert (1888-1968) was a midwife who maintained a “small maternity” in her house, rue du Moulin.

April 13, 2019

Visit of Russian cosmonaut Gennadi Padalka at the aviation museum (cosmonaut having spent 878 days in space – during 5 missions)