Echternach

Echternach grew around the abbey founded by the Northumbrian monk Willibrord in 698, which made it a centre of learning whose scriptorium produced illuminated manuscripts now scattered across European libraries. The town keeps a compact old centre of arcaded houses and a market square, with the abbey basilica holding Willibrord's tomb in its crypt. Its most distinctive survival is the hopping procession on Whit Tuesday, when thousands move through the streets in a rhythmic side-to-side step to a single repeated tune - a tradition centuries old and listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage.

History

The town grew around the abbey founded in 698 by St Willibrord, an English monk from Ripon in Northumbria who became the first bishop of Utrecht and was abbot here until his death in 739. A Roman villa found here in 1975 was said to be the largest north of the Alps, and though Willibrord's buildings were lost to fire in 1017, the Romanesque basilica still holds his tomb in its crypt (Wikipedia, Echternach).

What you'll find

• The abbey basilica and crypt - Willibrord's tomb and the abbey museum.
• The hopping procession - the Whit Tuesday tradition through the town.
• The old market square - arcaded houses and the medieval denzelt.
• Echternach lake - the walking and boating lake just outside town.

When to go

Spring to autumn suits the town and the surrounding Mullerthal walks. The hopping procession falls on Whit Tuesday, in late spring, and fills the town completely - plan accommodation far ahead or visit as a day trip. Summer brings a well-regarded classical music festival in the basilica.

Good to know

Outside the procession and festival, Echternach is a quiet small town seen in a few hours - most visitors pair it with Mullerthal walking or the Sure valley. Parking fills on procession day and roads close. The abbey museum is small. German day visitors cross the river bridge in numbers at weekends.

Nearby

The Mullerthal Trail, Beaufort castle and the Sure valley along the German border.

Key facts