1554 Luxembourg explosion
On 11 June 1554, lightning struck a Franciscan church in the city of Luxembourg, triggering the explosion of the gunpowder barrels stored in the church attic at the time. The flaming pieces of the church's roof were scattered, spreading fires around the city and destroying a large part of it, including the city hall and Franciscan convent. While the number of victims is unknown, apart from two monks that were in the church at the time of the explosion, a bubonic plague outbreak that summer caused further casualties. In the aftermath of the explosion, Dutch military engineer Sebastiaan van Noyen was tasked with establishing a reconstruction plan. While most of his suggestions failed to be implemented in the following decades due to the reluctance of citizens, his proposal of a central square known as the forum novum was eventually adapted into a smaller version, the Place d'Armes, inaugurated in 1671. The city hall was rebuilt in 1572, later becoming the modern-day Grand Ducal Palace.
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Place Guillaume II, Luxembourg Ville-Haute
Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places Show on map
Geographical coordinates (GPS)
| Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|
| N 49.610277777778 ° | E 6.1316666666667 ° |
Address
Bazaar
Place Guillaume II 46
1648 Luxembourg, Ville-Haute
Luxembourg
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