Panneau 4 Workers‘ housing estate

Panneau 4

Workers‘ housing estate

The international conference on workers‘ gardens held in Paris in 1903 demanded legal regulations for both home gardens and the construction of workers‘ housing. The movement gained further momentum with the Düsseldorf Horticultural Exhibition, which aimed to draw the attention of municipal administrations and charitable organizations to the resources needed to promote workers‘ gardens.

The first workers‘ housing estate in Luxembourg date back to 1890 and can be found in both Hollerich and Esch-Alzette. Each dwelling, intended for a single family, had a separate entrance, an extension for small livestock, and toilet facilities. Vegetable gardens and small livestock farming were important contributions to the nutrition of working-class families with tight budgets. In 1906 and 1908, architectural competitions showcased what the Luxembourg workers‘ house with a garden could look like. In 1919, the Société Nationale des Habitations à bon marché was established, which developed workers‘ settlements consisting of single-family homes with gardens in several municipalities of the Grand Duchy.

Especially during World War I, the movement for workers‘ gardens gained significance for economic reasons. The food supply and its rising costs after the war led to the utilization of every available piece of land for vegetable cultivation. People were also taught how to preserve vegetables in cans to stockpile food reserves, as well as to attend cooking classes. From December 1918, the eight-hour workday came into effect, providing the necessary leisure time for gardening. In the 1930s, when unemployment was high, the movement saw gardening as an important form of self-employment.