The Engineer
Nicolas Strotz, a widely respected politician in Luxembourg's Moselle region, has died suddenly at the age of 85. A long-serving member of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), he was mayor of Wellenstein for more than two decades.
He served as an MP representing the East between 1989 and 2004, while simultaneously serving as mayor of Wellenstein from 1982 to 2005. Born in 1940 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Strotz was an engineer by training.
His talents extended beyond politics. In the 1960s, he played for Luxembourg's national basketball team. He was also passionate about table tennis, volunteered with the fire brigade, and was involved with the Possenhaus museum in Bech-Kleinmacher.
Described as "a politician who wanted to stay close to the people", Strotz was seen as one of the East's most authentic CSV representatives, dedicating himself not just to his own municipality but to the wider region.
Strotz was proud of the Moselle area and the openness of the border region, noting in a 2021 interview that local authorities from neighbouring countries had long worked together, even using maps without borders drawn in. He expressed the hope that deeper European integration would help people "live together better".
An engineer who played basketball for his country, volunteered as a firefighter, ran a municipality for 23 years, served 15 years in parliament, and still found time for table tennis and a museum. That is a life.