Luxembourg is a landlocked country in Western Europe in between Belgium, France and Germany. It is the only Grand Duchy in the world and is the second-smallest of the European Union member states.
Regions
DiekirchGrevenmacherLuxembourgCities
Luxembourg - CapitalMertertEchternachUnderstand
ClimateModified continental with mild winters, although January and February do get very cold. The summer can be very hot in Luxembourg, with temperatures around July and August reaching around 35 degrees celsius.
It might rain a LOT in Luxembourg, so bring an umbrella.
TerrainMostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the south.
HistoryFounded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy.
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Independence : 1839 (from the Netherlands)
Full independence was attained in 1867.
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Constitution : 17 October 1868, occasional revisions
Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.
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National holiday : National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte shifted by 6 months) 23 June
Get in
By planeLuxembourg International Airport is located 6 kilometres outside Luxembourg-City. It is served by Luxair, the national airline, which flies to many EU countries (including London Heathrow and City), and Air France (Paris; actually a Luxair codeshare), KLM (Amsterdam), Swiss (Zurich), Lufthansa (Frankfurt; actually a Luxair codeshare) and British Airways (London Gatwick). Another airline to consider is VLM, often a cheaper option than Luxair. The airport is currently undergoing expansion and renovation; some short-haul intra-Schengen flights now operate out of Terminal B, and a new Terminal A is being built.
By trainLuxembourg train station can be reached directly from Paris, Metz, Brussels and Trier. Both international and national timetables can be found on the website of the national railways company
CFLBy carMotorways from Metz (A3), Brussels (A6) and Trier (A1) connect to the ring-road around Luxembourg City, from which most other parts of the country can be reached.
If you want to enjoy a nice view to the city, "Grund" and Kasematten, leave the motorway coming from the East (Germany) at exit "Cents".
Enter Cents and drive down the hill.
Don't let yourself being stopped by signs that the route is blocked via "Grund".
By busThere is a bus connection from Luxembourg City to the Hahn airport in Germany, operated by low cost airlines. Sometimes there are commuter buses to Trier and Bitburg. The train is a far preferable option for entering the country from nearby.
By boatLuxembourg being a landlocked country, it's extremely hard to get in by boat. But if you really want to there are boat links form the German side of the Moselle river to the Luxembourg side, but it is easier walking over the bridges.
Get around
By carLuxembourg's road infrastructure is well-developed (if not always very well thought-out). Anywhere that happens to lie along the major motorways is easily accessible via these (including Grevenmacher in the east, Mamer to the west and Bettembourg to the south). Esch-Alzette, the country's second city (more like a small town by international standards) has its own motorway link, the A4. In addition, a new motorway is being built towards the north of the country (Mersch, Ettelbrück), but this won't be completed until 2010 at the earliest. However, the current North Road provides easy access to these areas for the moment.
Current national speed limits are 50km/h in towns and villages, 90km/h on open country roads (110 in some places on N7 and N11), and 130km/h on the motorway (110 in the rain). 70km/h also exists in some places. Speed limits are enforced by random police checks. Be aware that if you have a right-hand-drive car then you are very likely to be singled out for a customs check on the way in. Police are also very keen on stopping drivers for having the 'wrong' lights on in town, i.e. side lights instead of dipped headlights.
By BusWithin the city, the bus service is adequate for the average tourist. Buses numbered 1-25 serve the Ville de Luxembourg, with the most useful being the 16 (Town to the Airport via Kirchberg) and the 18 (Town to Kirchberg and Auchan). Almost all buses include the central bus station Hamilius (centre of town) and the Station (Luxembourg Gare) in their routes at some point. Any bus pointing stationwards from Hamilius will probably take you there (the 3 being a notable exception).
Bus tickets are available from the driver. These cost €1.50 for one hour or €5.00 for one day. A €40 month ticket can be purchased at the CFL office under Hamilus, or at the station.
The bus service out of town is very good. Every village has a convenient bus service which runs at least once every hour. Buses numbered 100 upwards will take you out of the city. Useful routes to the north of the country include the 100 (Diekirch via Junglinster, every hour), the 120 (Junglinster, every 30 minutes) and the 290 (Mersch, frequent). However, Mersch and the south are more easily reached by train (see below).
Town buses experienced a reduced service on Saturdays (including those used mainly by shoppers), and many routes are barely existent (if at all) on a Sunday. This doesn't matter, though, since most shops and attractions are closed on a Sunday.
Almost all national buses run the same on Saturdays (which count as working days in this instance) as during the week, but the Sunday service is usually reduced or non-existent.
www.mobiliteit.lu will help to plan your trip with bus and train.
By TrainThe train network is either comprehensive or spartan, depending whether you want to go south or north. While the south is reasonably well covered, the north is limited to one main line which runs from Luxembourg City to Mersch, Ettelbrück, Wilwerwiltz and Clervaux. The line continues north to Belgium. Diekirch has a branch line from Ettelbück, and Wiltz has a branch line from Kautenbach. To the south you can reach Bettembourg and Esch-Alzette.
The same tickets are valid on trains as buses, and the same rates as above apply. Trains in Luxembourg generally run very much on time.
Approaching Luxembourg is recommended from the north; a scenic route leads in pass-by of famous Luxembourgeouse places, just by taking the train!
By BikeThe streets and landscape in Luxembourg make for good biking territory; highly recommended. Be wary, though, of small-ish bicycle repair shops in rural corners of the country -- they may quite well charge you quite some money for fixing your bike when they actually break it, more or less subtly. For bicycle repairs, neighboring Trier (with a considerable University student population) is usually a safer bet.
Talk
Luxembourgish ("Lëtzebuergesch") is the national language, while French is the administrative lanuguage. German is also widely used.
Over one third of Luxembourg's overall population is made up of foreigners, and this figure rises to 50% in the city. Hence, knowing French is your best bet if you want to converse with most people, especially as people working in shops and bars usually come from France or Belgium and don't bother to learn the local language. English is widely understood by such personnel as bus drivers, but many shop assistants will only respond if addressed in French. Educated Luxembourgers are fluent in all four of the above languages; it is the "frontaliers" (workers who live across one of the borders) who may not speak English. Virtually every Luxembourgish person understands and speaks fluent German and French.
Buy
Sometimes, you won't be able to get things you desire in Luxembourg. In that case, neighboring Trier might be a good bet.
Since several products are much cheaper, many people on travel will stop here to buy cigarettes, alcohol or petrol. Yes, despite Luxembourg's GDP among the highest in the world, many products are pretty cheap. For example, a bottle of Stella Artois beer can cost only 0.5€! Petrol is also about 25% cheaper than in the neighbouring countries making the small state a popular destination for long-haul drivers.
Drink
Apricot Lemonade
Sleep
For the budget aware traveller the recommendation is Luxembourg Youth Hostels (www.youthhostels.lu).www.hotels.lu hotels in Luxembourg in rural setting.www.camping.lu for campsites in all regions and for all budget.National Tourist Board Office in London for any further info about the Grand Duchy, very complete site.Work
If you are looking for work, you will be expected to know at least French, but well paid jobs will expect you to know German, French and English.
Stay safe
In many surveys, Luxembourg has been named "safest city in the world"
Stay healthy
The food in Luxembourg is good and healthy, so no worries. The climate is average, the summers can get hot but temperatures only rarely rise above 30 degrees celsius.
Respect
Try to show respect for the local language and make some effort to say a few words to people.
The
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, Großherzogtum Luxemburg), archaically spelled
Luxemburg, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg has a population of under half a million people in an area of approximately 2,585 square kilometres (998 sq mi).
Luxembourg is a parliamentary representative democracy with a constitutional monarchy, ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world's only sovereign Grand Duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita in the world. Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, Benelux, and the Western European Union, reflecting the political consensus in favour of economic, political, and military integration. The city of Luxembourg, the capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the European Union.
Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romance Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. Luxembourg is a trilingual country; French, German, and Luxembourgish are official languages. Although a secular state, Luxembourg is predominantly Roman Catholic.
For many people in other parts of Europe, Luxembourg is best known for its radio and television stations, Radio Luxembourg and RTL.
History
The recorded history of Luxembourg begins with the acquisition of Lucilinburhuc (today Luxembourg Castle) by Siegfried, Count of Ardennes in 963. The current name of Luxembourg comes from the former name Lucilinburhuc. Around this fort, a town gradually developed, which became the centre of a small, but important, state of great strategic value. In 1437, the House of Luxembourg suffered a succession crisis, precipitated by the lack of a male heir to assume the throne. In the following centuries, Luxembourg's fortress was steadily enlarged and strengthened by its successive occupants, the Bourbons, Habsburgs, Hohenzollerns, and the French, among others. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Luxembourg was disputed between Prussia and the Netherlands. The Congress of Vienna formed Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy in personal union with the Netherlands. Luxembourg also became a member of the German Confederation, with a Confederate fortress manned by Prussian troops.
The Belgian Revolution of 1830–1839 reduced Luxembourg's territory by more than half, as the predominantly francophone western part of the country was transferred to Belgium. Luxembourg's independence was reaffirmed by the 1839 First Treaty of London. In the same year, Luxembourg joined the Zollverein. Luxembourg's independence and neutrality were again affirmed by the 1867 Second Treaty of London, after the Luxembourg Crisis nearly led to war between Prussia and France. After the latter conflict, the Confederate fortress was dismantled.
The King of the Netherlands remained Head of State as Grand Duke of Luxembourg, maintaining personal union between the two countries until 1890. At the death of William III, the Dutch throne passed to his daughter Wilhelmina, while Luxembourg (at that time restricted to male heirs; see Salic Law) passed to Adolph of Nassau-Weilburg.
Luxembourg was invaded and occupied by Germany during the First World War, but was allowed to maintain its independence and political mechanisms. It was again invaded and subject to German occupation in the Second World War in 1940, and was formally annexed into the Third Reich in 1942.
During World War II, Luxembourg abandoned its policy of neutrality, when it joined the Allies in fighting Germany. Its government, exiled to London, set up a small group of volunteers who participated in the Normandy invasion. It became a founding member of the United Nations in 1946, and of NATO in 1949. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union), and, in 1999, it joined the euro currency area. In 2005, a referendum on the EU treaty establishing a constitution for Europe was held in Luxembourg.
Government and politics
Luxembourg has a parliamentary form of government with a constitutional monarchy inherited by male-preference primogeniture. Under the constitution of 1868, executive power is exercised by the Grand Duke or Grand Duchess and the cabinet, which consists of a Prime Minister and several other ministers. The Grand Duke has the power to dissolve the legislature and reinstate a new one. However, since 1919, sovereignty has resided with the country.
Legislative power is vested in the Chamber of Deputies, a unicameral legislature of sixty members, who are directly elected to five-year terms from four constituencies. A second body, the Council of State (
Conseil d'État), composed of twenty-one ordinary citizens appointed by the Grand Duke, advises the Chamber of Deputies in the drafting of legislation.
The Grand Duchy has three lower tribunals (
justices de paix; in Esch-sur-Alzette, the city of Luxembourg, and Diekirch), two district tribunals (Luxembourg and Diekirch) and a Superior Court of Justice (Luxembourg), which includes the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation. There is also an Administrative Tribunal and an Administrative Court, as well as a Constitutional Court, all of which are located in the capital.
Luxembourg's contribution to its defence and to NATO consists of a small army. As a landlocked country, it has no navy, and it has no air force, except for the fact that the eighteen NATO AWACS airplanes were registered as aircraft of Luxembourg for convenience. In a joint agreement with Belgium, both countries have put forth funding for one A400M military cargo plane, now currently on order. Luxembourg still maintains three Boeing 707 model TCAs for cargo and training purposes based in NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen.
Demographics
The people of Luxembourg are called Luxembourgers. The native population is ethnically a French and Germanic blend. The indigenous population was augmented by immigrants from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal throughout the twentieth century. Since the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, Luxembourg has seen many immigrants from war-torn and politically unstable Balkan states, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. Annually, over 10,000 new immigrants arrive in Luxembourg, mostly from EU states, as well as Eastern Europe. As of 2000, there were 162,000 immigrants in Luxembourg, accounting for 37% of the total population. There are an estimated 5,000 illegal immigrants in Luxembourg.
LanguageThree languages are recognised as official in Luxembourg: French, German, and Luxembourgish, a Franconian language of the Moselle region very similar to the local German dialect spoken in the neighbouring part of Germany, except that it includes more borrowings from French. Apart from being one of the three official languages, Luxembourgish is also considered the national language of the Grand Duchy; it is the mother tongue or "language of the hearth" for nearly all Luxembourgers.
Each of the three languages is used as the primary language in certain spheres. Luxembourgish is the language that Luxembourgers generally speak to each other, but it is not much written. Most official (written) business is carried out in French. German is usually the first language taught in school and is the language of much of the media and of the church.
Luxembourg's education system is trilingual: the first years of primary school are in Luxembourgish, before changing to German, while secondary school, the language of instruction changes to French. However, as proficiency in all three languages is required for graduation from secondary school, half the students leave school without a certified qualification, with the children of immigrants being particularly disadvantaged.
In addition to the three official languages, English is taught in the compulsory schooling (mostly from the eighth grade, i.e. at the age of 13 to 14 years) and much of the population of Luxembourg can speak some simple English, at any rate in Luxembourg City. Portuguese and Italian, the languages of the two largest immigrant communities, are also spoken by large parts of the population, but by relatively few from outside their respective communities.
ReligionSince 1979, it has been illegal to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices. It is estimated that 87% of Luxembourgers are Roman Catholics, and the other 13% are mostly Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Luxembourg is a secular state, but the state recognises certain religions as officially-mandated religions. This gives the state a hand in religious administration and appointment of clergy, in exchange for which the state pays certain running costs and wages. Currently, religions covered by such arrangements are Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Greek and Russian Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.
Economy
Luxembourg's stable, high-income economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, which was dominated until the 1960s by steel, has become increasingly more diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. During the past decades, growth in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking and other financial exports, account for the majority of economic output. Agriculture is based on small, family-owned farms. Luxembourg has especially close trade and financial ties to Belgium and the Netherlands (see
Benelux), and as a member of the EU it enjoys the advantages of the open European market. Luxembourg possesses the highest GDP per capita in the world (US$68,800 as of 2006), As of March 2006, unemployment is 4.8% of the labour force. For the fiscal year of 2005 and 2006, Luxembourg has run a budget deficit for the first time in many years, mostly because of slower international economic growth.
Culture
Luxembourg has been overshadowed by the culture of its neighbours, although, having been for much of its history a profoundly rural country, it retains a number of folk traditions. There are several notable museums, mostly located in the capital; these include the National Museum of History and Art (MNHA), the History Museum of the City of Luxembourg, and the new Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (Mudam). The National Museum of Military History (MNHM) in Diekirch is especially known for its representations of the Battle of the Bulge. The city of Luxembourg itself is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, on account of the historical importance of its fortifications.
The country has produced some internationally known artists, including the painters Joseph Kutter and Michel Majerus, as well as the photographer Edward Steichen. Steichen's
The Family of Man exhibition is now permanently housed in Clervaux, and it has been placed on UNESCO's Memory of the World register.
Luxembourg is the first European city to be named "Capital of Culture" for the second time. The first time was in 1995. In 2007, the European Capital of Culture will be a cross-border area consisting of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland in Germany, the Walloon Region and the German-speaking part of Belgium, and the Lorraine area in France. The event will promote mobility and the exchange of ideas, crossing borders in all areas, physical, psychological, artistic and emotional.
See also
Foreign relations of LuxembourgRadio LuxembourgGrand Ducal Family of LuxembourgCommunications in LuxembourgMilitary of LuxembourgTransportation in LuxembourgLuxembourg Boy Scouts AssociationFootnotes
External links
Governments on the WWW: LuxembourgHistory of Luxembourg: Primary DocumentsOfficial Governmental SiteOfficial Website for LuxembourgLuxembourg National Tourist OfficeLuxembourg Tourist Office - LondonLuxembourg GeographyLuxembourg European Capital of Culture 2007World Factbook: Information on Luxembourg
