Clausen: Between industry, distress, and social engagement

In the 1840s, Clausen, a suburb located on the Alzette River, serves as a microcosm of the social and economic upheavals in Luxembourg: a place where industrial development, social inequality, and charitable efforts are closely intertwined. Breweries, glove factories, and tobacco manufacturing provide work for a labor population that often lives in poverty. However, wages are low: a female worker in the glove factory earns only 0.60 francs per day around 1845. Workdays often last 12 to 16 hours, and the income is barely sufficient to meet rising food prices. To survive, many residents also rely on home work. Over the ruins of the former Mansfeld residence, Marie-Catherine Wurth-de la Chapelle lives with her husband, Jean-Philippe-Christophe Wurth, who runs a notions factory in Clausen. The devout Catholic establishes a work school for girls from the working class in her home in 1843. The students receive basic vocational training and moral-religious education there. This initiative aims to alleviate social hardship but also reflects the paternalistic control of the upper class. The geographical location of Clausen and its economic structure make the neighborhood a central stage for the labor movement. On April 26, 1848, workers and craftsmen from Clausen and the neighboring Grund gather in Hess's Garden, a green space between the two districts that serves as a natural meeting point. There, they demand political and social reforms under the leadership of the young lawyer Charles André, including the right to vote for all men over 21 years, a limitation on working hours, and a minimum wage. In addition to the workers, prominent Masonic and Catholic notables participate, questioning the legitimacy of the constituent assembly.