Send Gift Baskets to Echternach, Luxembourg

The town of Echternach has a long history and was originally founded by the monks who lived at the Abbey of Echternach. The abbey was founded in 698 and is the oldest in Luxembourg. It rests on what is now known as the “Graveyard of Princes.” As the Abbot at Echternach monastery, he was the last bishop of Echternach until he died in 739. Every year, people gather on Whit Tuesday to celebrate him with a dancing procession.

The river Sauer that flows through the town now forms the border between Luxembourg and Germany; in the earlier Roman Empire and under the Merovingians by contrast, that same river did not form a border or march in this area. Echternach’s Roman villa was the largest north of the Alps, with traces that were rediscovered in 1975. Echternach was at one point part of the Electorate of Trier, a region that today belongs to Germany. The territory was appropriated by Willibrord from Irmina (Irmine), daughter of Dagobert II, king of the Franks after being granted permission by Rome.

The town of Echternach remained under the patronage of Charlemagne’s family for centuries. Even though the monks were displaced by the canons of Trier’s bishop between 859 and 971, Willibrord’s buildings burned down in 1017 and his remains are in a crypt. As the abbey grew, the town nearby thrived and became a city in 1236. The library and room of writing were famous across Europe and since then, have been rebuilt in a handsome baroque style in 1737. The church was attacked in 1794 and used as a porcelain factory after. The monks have driven away after the French Revolution in 1797 and the abbey was sold off. Many of our older manuscript pieces are now scattered in different libraries, such as the Echternach Gospels which are now located at cultural heritage initiatives. In the 19th century, a porcelain factory was established in the abbey which caused an influx of new people and a decline in the population. The town’s revival was only brought about when the railroad came through and this led to an increase in income and the arrival of more visitors.

World War II ended in Europe on December 16, 1944, when the German forces attempted to retake Antwerp. This was only possible with a back-door maneuver in Luxembourg and Belgium that started on the day before; one of its last military operations was the Battle of Echternach. The town was damaged quite a lot during the Second World War, however, it’s been faithfully reconstructed.