Interesting Luxembourg Facts That You Probably Didn't Know

One of the smallest countries in Europe that has one of the four official European capital cities besides Frankfurt, Brussels, and Scarborough in the European Union in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg is not just a member of the European Union but also its founder. Being a landlocked country and surrounded by nations like Belgium, France and Germany the language, culture, and lifestyle are influenced by these European countries.

Luxembourg is the only Grand duchy country in this world that has a Grand Duke. It is one of the most prosperous countries in Europe and is the least populated country in Europe.

The capital of Luxembourg is Luxembourg city and the language that is predominantly spoken is Luxembourgish, German, and French. Luxembourg has 43% of the foreign population as people from over 170 nations live here. It is a country with mesmerizing tunnels and the finest wineries.

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel set a benchmark by becoming the first Europen union leader to marry a same-sex partner. Despite being a small country it has the highest minimum wage and has the second-highest GDP.

Thus Luxembourg is a crucial part of Europe and all this magnificence makes it a must-visit country of western Europe. If you want to learn more fun facts about Luxembourg and Luxembourg city then keep reading this article as more fun facts are stated below.

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Luxembourg Culture Facts

When we address a country we address its cultural aspects too and Luxembourg has a rich cultural aspect. The culture and tradition also have the influence of its neighboring country and these are discussed below.

Culturally Luxembourg is ahead as it is represented through its language and traditions. If you ever visit Luxembourg you will come across numerous museums that exemplify its cultural spirits.

Nicolas Liez, Jean-Baptiste Fresez, Jean Jacoby are some of the notable painters of Luxembourg. There are many cultural institutions and galleries in Luxembourg.

Music plays a crucial role in the life of people here which is very evident from the Union Grand-Duc Adolphe. Luxembourg's population is comparatively less than other countries.

The people of Luxembourg are called Luxembourgers. The Luxembourgers are primarily ethnic German and they speak Luxembourgish mostly. However, there are other groups of people too.

Nearly half of the population of Luxembourg constitutes non-ethnic groups from various nations. They speak German, French, and Luxembourgish mostly.

Luxembourg is one of the richest countries in the world and happens to have the second-highest GDP and high payscale people from other countries come and settle down here. 73% of the Luxembourgers are Christian including the Catholic, protestant, orthodox while 23% of the population do not identify with any religion as the remaining are non-Christians.

Luxembourg Food Facts

Just like the culture, the food of Luxembourg is also an amalgamation of French and German cuisine. Some of its popular food includes gromper keeschelche, Bouneschlupp, quetsche tort and more. So if you ever plan to visit Luxembourg make sure to try these.

Famous restaurants that are worth a visit include Restaurant Chiggeri that happens to have the longest list of wines. The vineyards are situated near the German border.

The national dish of Luxembourg is Bouneschlupp that is made up of many vegetables and bacon and is frequently served with potato pancakes.

Smokes pork and broad bean is another popular choice and most of the special foods are eaten during the holidays or on Sunday. Fish is now widely available for being a land-locked country however some varieties like pike and trout are consumed.

What is Luxembourg famous for?

Although Luxembourg is a tiny country yet the grandeur of this country is insufficient as it is famous for a lot of things. From its beautiful landscapes, the finest wine, and GDP the landlocked country Luxembourg has got a lot to offer.

The education system of Luxembourg is famous for its unique curriculum as all three languages are taught. The school starts by teaching Luxembourgish first and then in primary school children are taught German and in secondary French is taught.

Luxembourg is also famous for its car ownership as it has the highest rate. Another unusual fact for which it is famous is the birthday of the Grand Duchess that was shifted from 23 January which is her actual birthday to 23 June due to climatic conditions.

This day is also observed as the National day in Luxembourg. Luxembourg is one of the safest countries to visit in Europe as the crime rate is very low.

There is so much to explore including some of its towns, museums, and castles.

The very famous Notre-Dame Cathedral of Roman catholic is also situated in Luxembourg. The Luxembourg capital is one of the UNESCO heritage sites and has many things to offer to tourists.

The Luxembourg castle is going to be one memorial experience if you ever visit this country. The old quarter of Luxembourg city has the mesmerizing fortress that is referred to as the Gibraltar of the North.

Besides these, if you are eager to explore the cultural side of this country then visit some of the museums in mandatory. The National Museum of Art and History in Luxembourg city is a must-visit.

Luxembourg History

The first pieces of evidence of human remains that have been found from Luxembourg date back to 5140 BCE. The land was inhabited by various committees including the Celts, Belgic, Ligurians, Romans, Franks, and Germans.

In the following passage, we will learn about one of the most influential eras called the ‘Golden age’, the World Wars, and its current political scenario and foreign relation.

The year 963 is assessed to be the proper historical beginning of Luxembourg. The Luxembourg dynasty ruled for the next five centuries after which the Burgundian power came into existence.

With the extinction of the Luxembourg dynasty, the freedom of the country was gone too. The House of Habsburg that happens to be a German dynasty soon took after the Burgundian.

After the French revolution, Luxembourg became a Grand Duchy that still exists. The history of Luxembourg has a lot of offers and one of the vital phases was called the Golden Age.

The duration of this age was from 1312-1443 under the rule of Henry VII. This was the time when Luxembourg was asserting prominence in Central Europe.

Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe but it flourished immensely under the rule of Henry VII. The Luxembourg dynasty did not rule the Holy Roman Empire but also its influence started to grow in other parts of Europe too.

The son of Henry was John the Blind who was the King of Bohemia and is acknowledged for his chivalrous acts in wars till he died. However, the glory did not last more than 130 years as after this golden age Luxembourg became a piece of the Burgundian Netherlands.

Nevertheless, the Grand duchy still exists in Luxembourg. Luxembourg is currently the only Grand duchy in the world.

Since 19th April 1839, Luxembourg is an independent sovereign state. It is a democratic state with a multiparty system that has a Prime Minister who is the head of the state while the Grand Duke is the monarchial head.

World Wars had a huge impact on Europe and Luxembourg was affected too, particularly during World War II. Germany occupied Luxembourg during World World I but they did not interfere much with the administration.

However, during World War II things were not the same. Luxembourg agreed to remain neutral during World War I and II.

During the first World War when Germany occupied Luxembourg it did cause interference with the administration. But in World War II Luxembourg was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940 and the Grand duchy was soon brought under the military authority of Germany.

As there was the influence of the French in Luxembourg the German strived towards suppressing it. Also, over 3,500 jews from this country were killed during the holocaust. The powers are divided into the executive, legislative, and judiciary.

The Grand duke is the monarchial head along with the Council of Government comprising of the Prime Minister and other ministers. The legislative power is exercised by both Parliament and government while the judiciary is entirely free from both the legislative and executive.

The chamber of deputies has a term of five years and it has 60 seats. Luxembourg has multiple parties Christian Social People's Party, Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party, Democratic Party, and more.

Luxembourg was declared full democracy in 2019. Luxembourg was practically neutral during the War Wars however it has to withstand the collateral damage.

Luxembourg made several agreements with various nations over the years including Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic, and more. Luxembourg is also a patron of European integration.

Luxembourg is one of the founding members of the United Nations and then it became the founding member of Nato. Besides these Luxembourg is also the founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community, European communities, European Economic Community, Benelux Union, and European Union.

As Belgium is one of the neighboring countries of Luxembourg they have formed the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union for the betterment of both countries.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for interesting Luxembourg facts then why not take a look at interesting facts about Burundi, or interesting facts about Bulgaria.