Esch-sur-Alzette is situated in the industrial south called Bassin Minier and the second-most populous town in Luxembourg.

The discovery of the Minette ore in the 1870s forever changed its urban landscape, provoking the development of the Luxembourgish steel industry, which attracted workers from all over Luxembourg and several countries to Esch. 

ARBED's former industrial site in Esch-Belval has been transformed into a university campus.