Welcome to Kréiwénkel!

Like a medieval castle, the new building of the Lycée Technique Agricole (LTA) is enthroned on the hill of Gilsdorf, with a view of the neighbouring Diekirch. The address of the “Ackerbauschoul” is no longer 72 Avenue Lucien Salentiny, as it used to be in Ettelbruck since 1932, but now 1 Kréiwénkel. With the change of location, everyday life at the school campus has also changed, with larger premises, new training facilities and more space for practice forming the cornerstone for even better learning.

The location above the rooftops of the Nordstadt community may be reminiscent of feudal times, but the building itself is refreshingly modern when compared to its long-time predecessor in Ettelbruck. Large windows, bright wooden structures and technology that opens new doors provide reawakened motivation in the LTA, because that's what makes school fun. “There is more of that school feeling again, you can really see the teachers' desire to teach, and in general there are simply much more possibilities in the courses thanks to the technologies”, says pupil Nina Rommes. The 18-year-old currently attends a final secondary-school class for natural sciences and was supposed to spend her last year in Ettelbruck.

The little aches and pains of a fresh start

Nina likes the change, even if it means that her way to school has become longer: “I live in Perlé near Martelange and now take the bus for one and a half hours. Unfortunately, the shuttles don't work out as they should yet, so I alternate between public transport and car.” LTA director Tom Delles is also aware of the “little teething troubles” when it comes to access. Parking spaces are currently one of the sore points of the new location, because although the location in the countryside has many advantages, it also has one or two snags. “We are in the process of doing a survey of classes to find out where and when buses are needed. That is the disadvantage here and with the construction work in Diekirch, it is exacerbated. But we are working with the Ministry of Transport to find a solution”, says Delles.

The less than 100 parking spaces on site have been a source of discussion since the beginning of the new school year, because its deliberate remoteness means that the agriculture school obliges many students and teachers to get into their cars in the morning to get to class. “When the project went into planning, no parking spaces were planned at all, but the head office objected to that”, the director reveals. In Ettelbruck, many pupils parked their cars in the Deichwiesen car park and walked the rest of the way. I don't want to know how much money they paid for parking tickets.”