On Monday, the municipal council decided to ask for an emergency meeting with Minister of Culture Sam Tanson.
The latter informed the municipal authorities in a letter sent to them last week that she is considering putting the site where the remains of St Willibrord's monastery garden were found under a national preservation order.
Mayor Yves Wengler from the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) stressed that he would like to stick with the municipality's initial project for the site.
The original plan was to demolish the historic building behind the former hotel "la petite marquise" and replace it with an underground car park underneath a commercial space that would include a restaurant and a number of flats.
However, following the historic discovery during the early stages of the construction work, the situation has become more complicated.
Last week, Tanson requested the opinion of Echternach's municipal council, but Wengler stated that this will prove difficult as many are wondering what would happen after a classification. The Echternach Mayor stated that he already met with the minister on 1 April.
However, the recent letter allegedly did not mention any of the topics Tanson and Wengler discussed during that meeting. The CSV politician stressed that any uncertainties must be resolved before the municipal council can confidently pass a vote on the matter.
Tanson has given the municipal council three months to take a decision.
Carole Zeimetz, member of the municipal council for the Green Party (Déi Gréng), stressed the importance of taking such a decision seriously. She pointed out that a substantial amount of money is at stake – the municipality has already invested €5 million into the project.
However, Zeimetz also stated that she is aware of the municipality's responsibility regarding this historic heritage. In her eyes, the site could also become a museum.
Municipal Council Member Carole Hartmann from the Democratic Party (DP) stated that she can understand the mayor's position and also brought up the financial aspect. However, Hartmann also thinks that the municipality should be proud of the discovery.
She pointed out that Echternach is the oldest town in Luxembourg and its already vast cultural heritage has now been expanded even further. This is why Hartmann thinks it is "not appropriate" to fight against a classification. Instead, all of the parties involved should come together to work on the project.
Hartmann also added that besides the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism should also be involved in the decision as the historic site could also benefit the tourism industry.
