Art Above the Alzette: The Story of Konscht am Gronn

For more than two decades, one of Luxembourg City’s most picturesque neighbourhoods has regularly transformed into an open-air gallery, bringing artists and the public together above the banks of the Alzette.

There are plenty of places in Luxembourg where you can go looking for art. But every spring and summer, in the heart of the capital, there is one place where the art comes looking for you.

As the warmer months arrive, the historic streets of the Grund take on a different character. Exhibition tents appear along Rue Münster and across the bridge, paintings and photographs line the route, sculptures sit beside the river and artists stand alongside their creations.

This is Konscht am Gronn — Art in the Grund, one of Luxembourg City’s most distinctive cultural traditions.

A gallery without walls

First launched in 2006, Konscht am Gronn has grown into a familiar fixture on Luxembourg’s cultural calendar.

Yet its concept remains refreshingly simple.

Take art out of the traditional gallery environment and put it somewhere everyone can encounter it.

There are no intimidating gallery doors to walk through and no admission fee. Visitors can simply wander through the Grund, discover something unexpected and, importantly, meet the person who created it.

The result feels somewhere between an exhibition, an art market and a neighbourhood festival.

Depending on the edition, around 20 to 30 artists can participate, with works ranging from painting and drawing to photography, ceramics, sculpture, glass, digital art and creations using materials including wood, stone and metal.

And while the setting is unmistakably Luxembourg, the artists are not necessarily all Luxembourgish.

Over the years, Konscht am Gronn has attracted creatives from Luxembourg and across the Greater Region, including neighbouring France, Germany and Belgium, giving the event an international character that feels particularly appropriate in the capital.

When the location becomes part of the exhibition

Of course, putting the same collection of artists inside a conventional exhibition hall would create an entirely different experience.

Because part of the magic of Konscht am Gronn is simply where it happens.

The Grund is already one of Luxembourg City’s most recognisable neighbourhoods, sitting beneath the upper city alongside the Alzette, surrounded by historic buildings, bridges and steep cliffs.

During the warmer months, that landscape effectively becomes part of the exhibition.

Visitors browse contemporary artwork while the Corniche rises above them. The Alzette flows beneath the bridge. Historic stone buildings provide the backdrop to modern paintings and sculptures.

Few art galleries can compete with that view.

It also means that people who had no intention of visiting an art exhibition can suddenly find themselves in the middle of one.

A Sunday walk through the Grund can become a conversation with a photographer. A coffee can be followed by the discovery of a local painter. And a visitor exploring Luxembourg for the first time might leave carrying an original artwork they had never planned to buy.

That spontaneity is an important part of what makes Konscht am Gronn work.

More than an art market

Over the years, the event has also developed into something closer to a cultural Sunday in the Grund.

Live music traditionally accompanies the exhibition during the afternoon, while nearby businesses and food stands give visitors plenty of reason to stay longer.

The neighbouring National Museum of Natural History — Naturmusée also participates in the occasion, offering free admission on Konscht am Gronn days.

It creates an appealing combination: art, music, food, history, nature and one of Luxembourg’s most beautiful neighbourhoods — all within walking distance.

And people have clearly responded to the idea.

Back in 2017, the City of Luxembourg reported that Konscht am Gronn was already attracting around 1,200 to 1,500 visitors per edition, with approximately 30 artists representing ten different nationalities.

Since then, the tradition has continued to attract artists and visitors during the spring and summer months, reinforcing its place in Luxembourg’s cultural calendar.

The people behind the paintings

It is easy to focus on the artwork and forget what is happening on the other side of the easel.

For participating artists, events such as Konscht am Gronn offer something increasingly valuable: direct contact with the public.

Instead of somebody encountering their work anonymously on a gallery wall or through a social media feed, artists can explain their techniques, inspirations and stories face-to-face.

Visitors can ask questions. Artists can receive immediate reactions. And potential buyers know exactly who created the work they are considering taking home.

That human interaction is difficult to reproduce online.

The event itself has also relied heavily on volunteers over its long history, with Konscht am Gronn asbl, supported by the City of Luxembourg, helping to keep the tradition alive.

What began in 2006 has therefore become much more than a collection of stalls appearing beside the Alzette.

It has become part of the cultural rhythm of the neighbourhood.

A Luxembourg tradition that returns every year

One of the reasons Konscht am Gronn has become so recognisable is its sense of continuity.

Every spring and summer, as Luxembourg’s outdoor cultural season gets underway, the Grund once again becomes a meeting place for artists, residents, collectors, families, tourists and curious passers-by.

The exact artists and works change from one edition to the next. The atmosphere changes with the weather and the seasons. New artists arrive, returning artists bring new creations and visitors discover something different each time.

But the basic idea remains the same.

Bring art into the open air.

Bring artists closer to the public.

And let one of Luxembourg’s most historic neighbourhoods become a gallery.

There is something particularly fitting about that concept in the Grund. The neighbourhood itself is a meeting point between Luxembourg’s past and present — medieval architecture and contemporary culture, the natural landscape of the Alzette and the creativity of today’s artists.

For one Sunday at a time, all of those elements come together.

Perhaps that temporary nature is part of the attraction.

For more than 20 years, Luxembourg has taken one of its historic neighbourhoods and given it to its artists.

No walls. No dress code. No ticket required.

Just art, artists and the public meeting above the Alzette.