Facing the risk of becoming dormitory villages, towns bet on local life.

In Sierck-les-Bains as in Apach, proximity to Luxembourg is a major economic advantage, but it also poses a challenge for small towns: keeping a real community life. Shops, facilities, associations, events and new projects: the towns are taking many initiatives to preserve the appeal of their villages and prevent them from becoming purely residential places.

Just a few kilometres from Luxembourg, Sierck-les-Bains and Apach are experiencing what many border villages know: some of their residents work on the other side of the border. This proximity is a real opportunity, but it also raises the question of everyday local life.

How do you make sure people don't just come home in the evening, but keep going to their town centre, their shops, their associations and the various meeting places in their town?

In Sierck-les-Bains, the town council wants to continue its efforts on quality of life and local services.

For this new term, several projects concern after-school care and schools in particular: bringing buildings up to standard, better insulation, accessibility and greening the playgrounds are among the plans.

But one of the biggest challenges remains reviving the town centre.

The mayor, Ms Hammond, notes a clear change in consumer habits: “People have changed their consumption and shopping habits enormously.”

The closure of the Schmidt bakery has further weakened life in the centre. The town is therefore working on its right of pre-emption for the former shop on Place Jules Florange, in order to open a tea room there.

The aim is to create a new place for socialising and get people back into the habit of coming to the town centre.

“We're not giving up,” stresses Ms Hammond, who sees these premises as “a key point for the revival, so that people get into the habit of coming to the centre”.

The idea is also to build on the town's heritage and surroundings, so that residents, but also visitors from neighbouring villages, come to Sierck-les-Bains, spend time there and enjoy its various attractions.

In Apach, associations keep the village alive

In Apach, the focus is above all on the strength of community associations.

For Ms Émilie Villain, mayor of Apach, proximity to Luxembourg can pose a risk: that the village becomes mainly a place to live.

But she sees associations as a real driving force for village life:

“The dormitory village is perhaps the downside of a village right next to Luxembourg. But thanks to our associations, we keep the village alive and avoid becoming a dormitory village.”

This dynamism is particularly visible at the guinguettes organised by the festival committee in July and August near the Voie Bleue.

These gatherings bring residents together while welcoming the cyclists on this route. A chance for visitors to take a break, talk to local people and discover the town in a different way.

Bringing towns to life all year round

The examples of Sierck-les-Bains and Apach ultimately show two different responses to the same issue.

In Sierck-les-Bains, the emphasis is mainly on shops, facilities and reviving the town centre.

In Apach, it is rather associations and local events that ensure the bond between residents.

But in both towns the aim is similar: to make sure that community life is not limited to big events or a purely residential role.

In this spirit, Radio Tripoint, as a local and cross-border media outlet, also wants to give a voice to those who keep the region alive: elected officials, shopkeepers, associations, residents and local players.

Because a lively region also needs shops that open, associations that get involved, events that bring people together and residents who want to take part in the life of their town.

Radio Tripoint will continue to shine a light on these initiatives and, at its own level, help build links between the three regions.