How did EP end up in Luxembourg?

Like all great stories, this one is a blend of influential figures and unexpected circumstances. For Luxembourg, the key player was Joseph Bech, the country’s Prime Minister at the time. He proposed Luxembourg as the temporary host for the newly established European Coal and Steel Community. Luxembourg wasn’t an obvious choice—unlike other cities, it lacked prominence and strong transportation connections. Belgium, embroiled in internal politics, opposed offering Brussels and instead suggested Liège. The Netherlands hesitated, while France and Germany were ruled out to maintain a perceived balance among member states. Seizing the moment, Bech took the opportunity and pushed Luxembourg forward. At the time, Kirchberg was nothing more than farmland, but the opening of the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge in 1966 transformed the area, connecting the city to the plateau. This marked the beginning of European institutions’ presence on Kirchberg. The Parliamentary Assembly, as the European Parliament was then called, welcomed its first officials in Luxembourg shortly thereafter. So, the question isn’t just how Luxembourg became home to the European Parliament but rather why the Parliament never fully established its roots here. The answer to that lies ahead, in the second part of the tour as we make our way to the Court of Justice building.