Namur 1, Luxembourg

Located in the very heart of Luxembourg city, on Rue des Capucins, Namur is a family-owned business specialized in making fine delicacies and sweet treats. Run by six generations of the Namurs for over 150 years now, the company had its story begin in 1851 with Nicolas Namur, the founder, embarking on a trip to New York from Le Havre, France to continue his pastry apprenticeship initiated in Metz and Paris. In 1854 the young chef opened a pastry shop in Sacramento, California.

After the beginning of the Civil War in the United States, he returned to Luxembourg in 1861 and two years later opened his first pastry shop in the capital. In 1904, Nicolas's son Georges inherited the business and moved to 60 Grand Rue. During the turbulent 1930s and 40s, Georges Paquet, Nicolas's grandson, managed the company up until the late 1960s, over which period he had learned much from the Swiss chocolate makers, such as Tobler and Sprüengli.

In the 1970s, Max and Jean-Paul Nickels, the grandsons of Georges Paquet, took over the business, setting up a couple of new stores and moving the downtown flag store to its current location at 27 Rue des Cappins. Nowadays in the hands of the sixth generation of the Namurs, the firm remains loyal to its original philosophy – always taking the utmost care selecting the best possible ingredients: almonds from Sicily, hazelnuts from Piedmont, senga-sengana strawberries, Turin chestnuts, untreated oranges from Spain and others, in order to produce the tastiest and top quality products befitting “true connoisseurs”.

Namur is also one of the rare manufacturers of semi-finished products: marzipan, praline, puff pastry, candied fruit, chestnut cream, etc. Their chocolates are made in small quantities according to the traditional, almost century-old recipes. All the pastries are made daily.