In early July, 2022, The municipality of Luxembourg City had announced that the new section of the N3 route will be known as the ‘Boulevard de Kiev’, apparently promoting the Russian spelling instead of the Ukrainian one. Now, at end July, 2022, they’ have confirmed: it’ll be ‘Kyiv’ instead.
On Friday, 22 July, the Luxembourg City council released a statement on social media confirming the renaming.
The N3 under construction (photo Domingos Oliveira)
The municipal authorities had announced that the newly constructed portion of the N3 route would be named the “Boulevard de Kieve” as a ‘symbol of solidarity’ with the Ukrainian people.
This led to a backlash, with readers and supporters of Ukraine pointing out that the Ukrainian spelling of their capital city is properly spelled as Kyiv.
In their statement, the authorities acknowledged that since its independence from the USSR in 1991, Ukraine’s capital has been known as Kyiv.
The N3 under construction (photo Domingos Oliveira)
By naming the new National N3 route ‘Boulevard de Kyiv’, they hope to ‘send a strong sign of recognition and encouragement to the Ukrainian people.’
By 2023, the N3, Boulevard de Kyiv, which will act as the new gateway to the capital by 2023, connecting Luxembourg’s central railway station (Gare de Luxembourg) to the municipality of Hesperange, in particular the Howald district. It will be partially bordered by the tramway and aims to reorganize traffic in the south of Luxembourg City. The tram will be alongside a limited stretch of the Boulevard de Kyiv.
Some of the tram lines along the new boulevard are already done and in service (photo RTL)
