Most people know shared flats from their time at university. Very few would move into a shared flat again back home. For many, however, this is the only option. Or they make a conscious decision to do so. Visiting a six-person shared flat in Limpertsberg.
The house in a rather quiet part of the Limpertsberg neighbourhood – some would probably no longer call this area Limpertsberg – is not particularly conspicuous. It blends in easily with the other family houses on the street. Yet most would assume that a wealthy family must live here to be able to afford this house in this area. But this is not the case. Several people have been living here together since 2016. The constellation has changed again and again over the years, as Nora, one of the current residents, tells us. "Friends of Cathy's founded the shared flat", says the educator, her eyes wandering to her neighbour Cathy, who nods in agreement. "The funny thing is that when I answered to the ad, I didn't know it was my friends' shared flat", the latter replies, laughing. "I had been here a few times before, but I didn't recognise the house from the photos. When I stood in front of the door, I thought, 'Wait a minute, this looks familiar'", as the aspiring doctor recounts in retrospect.
Number 61
"When I wanted to move in", Sophie recounts, sitting across from Cathy at the large wooden table in the dining room, "Cathy was chosen. I had to wait until another person moved out so I could finally move in." She works at the National Museum of Natural History in the capital and, having moved in last May, is the most recent addition to the constellation. Either through Facebook or word of mouth, everyone has found their way to the house at number 61, including Sorcha and Mich. "We still keep in touch with some of the founders", Mich counters. "Max is the eternal constant. Almost everyone has been in contact with him at some point. Pepe I also know very well. He works at Café Renert, and I go there regularly."
Sorcha comes from Ireland and lived with her boyfriend in Vienna before coming to Luxembourg. She reports that she can see her workplace on Kirchberg from her dining room. "When I landed a job in Luxembourg, of course I needed accommodation", the legal linguist says. "However, when I saw the prices of flats and real estate agencies, I thought to myself, 'How expensive is this?' Honestly, the real estate agent fees are the worst. That was the decisive point for me to look for a shared flat rather." Before Sorcha, another Irish woman had lived here. "The Irish always find each other. She has since become a good work colleague of mine."
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