Description
The Edouard Hastert burial plot, dating from 1936, was reacquired by the City of Luxembourg in 2015. By protecting it, we are commemorating one of the pioneers of concrete and mortar.
Emmy Berchem (1877-1968), daughter of the Luxembourg merchant Gustave Berchem, chose a prominent row in section 14 of the Notre-Dame cemetery to honour the memory of her husband, Pierre-Edouard-Théodore Hastert (1872-1936). The couple had no children. Edouard Hastert was the son of Pierre Hastert (1836-1910), who had first run a chocolate factory (Hastert Frères) at the former Cavalier Jost (Rue Aldringen), before establishing Luxembourg City's first power plant there. Edouard studied engineering and was a member of Luxembourg's naturalist society “Fauna Verein”. From 1893 to 1898 he worked for the Thyssen steel company in Bruchhausen, Germany, before moving to Budapest, where he managed the construction of a factory. After returning to Luxembourg, he joined S. A. des Hauts Fourneaux de Dudelange in 1906, and subsequently worked as an engineer at the Dommeldange factory. In 1915, he rejoined Thyssen in Duisburg, Germany, then returned to Luxembourg in 1919 when the business was restructured. Building on his experience, he took up the role of technical director with the cement company Société anonyme des Ciments d'Esch, later renamed Société anonyme des Ciments luxembourgeois. He served as managing director of this company from 1929 until his death. In this role, he established the mortar and cement testing laboratory. The scientific knowledge it generated enabled Luxembourg to become one of the global leaders in the marketing of this new construction material. Hastert also served as a director of Matériaux S.A. (1923) and as managing director of Briqueteries de Steinfort S. A. (1923). Until his death, he was the employers' representative for Luxembourg's state pension scheme.
The polished black granite monument consists of three gently sloping tombstones. Apart from the acronym R.I.P., there are no religious references on the grave. The main tombstone is raised and features the names of the persons buried here.
