The Quartier

Little Italy sprung up at the end of the 19^th century, with the beginnings of iron and steel industry in Dudelange. This part of the town, formerly wedged up between the steelworks and the mine, witnesses contemporary migration in and around the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The architecture of Little Italy which is built on a slope, is dominated by terraces on different levels connected by flying stairways and subways reminiscent of the famous traboules of Lyons.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the place was inhabited mostly - but not essentially - by Italian immigrants, hence its name. As the years went by, its initial inhabitants have progressively abandoned Little Italy. This was mainly due to the fact that its substructure, which had been chiefly designed to lodge unmarried men (who for a long time made up the most important part of Italian immigrants) were not suited to receive the families that gradually formed themselves.

Furthermore, since its structure did not fit the standards of modern living, the living conditions in Little Italy have gradually deteriorated. Moreover, this drawback is the reason why the area turned into a kind of Ellis Island, accommodating successive waves of immigrants. Whereas the Italian immigrants chose the area because it was close to their place of work (i.e. the steelworks and the mines), the new immigrants did so because of the low rents. The houses of Little Italy have become a kind of emergency dwellings, which are abandoned after a few years for more comfortable habitations in other parts of the town. Therefore, living in Little Italy in the 1980's was considered a shameful stop gap solution. Since the rents were low, the housing conditions were sometimes precarious.

The disappearing of the major part of iron and steel industry as well as the closing of the iron ore mines have opened new perspectives for Little Italy. Thus the area will be transformed by green spaces, such as parks for instance. However, although it would make the site more appealing, a transformation could also bring the destruction of this unique historic monument. Whereas the single houses of the district are generally owned by their - mostly Portuguese - occupants, the blocks of flats are in serious danger of being destroyed. The Casa d'Italia for instance which located a drug store for Italian workers could only be saved form destruction by a public rehabilitation trust.

The preservation of the area - with due respect to the legitimate right of its present inhabitants - is important to us, because Little Italy is an unique historic location which allows people to understand the place of migration in the history of Luxembourg.