Parc Amelie; Amalia Rose;
Credit: Ville de Luxembourg
On Friday 26 May 2023, the College of Mayors and Aldermen of the City of Luxembourg, in the presence of the Parks Service, representatives of LUGA, Patrimoine Roses pour le Luxembourg and Lëtzebuerger Rousefrënn, inaugurated the newly-landscaped rose garden, Parc Amélie.
Following the official opening, the delegation then baptised the new rose named "Amalia Rose", introduced by the association Heritage Roses for Luxembourg.
A rose garden dedicated to deserving women
The newly landscaped rose garden in Parc Amélie is dedicated to deserving women. Adorned with 24 varieties of cultivated roses, the rose garden covers a total area of 700 m2. Its concept is the result of a collaboration between the Parks Service of the City of Luxembourg and the non-profit organisations LUGA and Patrimoine Roses pour le Luxembourg and Lëtzebuerger Rousefrënn. This project is also part of a series of events organised under the theme of "sow in 2023, harvest in 2025", in view of the LUGA - Luxembourg Urban Garden exhibition which takes place from May to October 2025 (see www.luga.lu).
Baptism of Amalia Rose
Created by the French rose grower Jean-Lin Lebrun, the new rose Amalia Rose is a shrub rose. This creation pays homage to a woman who in her short life was able to assert qualities of profound humanity: Princess Amélie Marie da Gloria of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach, wife of Prince Henri of the Netherlands, Lieutenant-Representative for the Luxembourg from 1850 to 1879. Princess Amélie was mainly involved in charitable works and is often venerated as the mother of the nation, a role later taken over by Grand Duchess Charlotte. Baptized in the presence of Mrs Lydie Polfer, mayor of the City of Luxembourg, and Mrs Sonja Fandel, head of the Parks Service of the City of Luxembourg, the Amalia rose is preparing to be grown in gardens of the Grand Duchy.
In her welcome speech, Mayor Polfer recalled the historical link between the cultivation of roses and the City of Luxembourg. Cultivated in the fields of the capital and the surrounding area around 1900, up to 8 million plants left the rose gardens each year to bloom in princely, royal and presidential parks. The Luxembourg rose as a famous element of the natural and cultural heritage, contributes to the influence of Luxembourg and remains a factor of pride and identification of the population.
