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LUXEMBOURG
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (also Luxemburg)
is a landlocked country in north-west Europe, bordered by France, Germany
and Belgium.
History
The recorded history of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg begins with the
construction of Luxembourg Castle in the middle ages. Legend has it that a
Count named Sigfrid constructed a small fort on land given to him by the
Abbey of Trier in 963 AD. Around this fort a town gradually developed, which
became the centre of a small but important state of great strategic value to
France, Germany and the Netherlands. Luxembourg's fortress was expanded by
successive owners, among others the Bourbons, Habsbourgers and Prussians,
which made it one of the strongest fortresses on the European continent. The
Luxembourgian dynasty provided several German Emperors, Kings of Bohemia, as
well as Archbishops of Trier and Mainz. From the Early Middle Ages to the
Renaissance, Luxembourg bore multiple names, depending on the author. These
include: Lucilinburhuc; Lutzburg; Lützelburg; Luccelemburc; Lichtburg; etc.
The Congress of
Vienna gave formal autonomy to Luxembourg in 1815, but its fortress was to
be taken over by Prussian forces, following Napoleon's defeat. It thus
became a member of the Zollverein, a Prussian-dominated free trading zone.
It is from those times that the Luxembourgers still call the Germans
informally "Preisen" (Prussians). Luxembourg eventually became an
independent and neutral nation in the 1839, but it was not until 1867 that
the independance was formally ratified, after a period of unrest which even
included a brief time of civil unrest against plans to annex Luxembourg to
Belgium, Germany or France. Famous visitors to Luxembourg in the 18th and
19th centuries included the German lyric Goethe, the French writers Emile
Zola and Victor Hugo, the composer Franz Liszt, and the English painter
Joseph Mallord William Turner.
The country was repeatedly attacked by Germany in the twentieth century.
German troops invaded Luxembourg in 1914, but the government and the
Grandduchess Marie-Adelaide were allowed to remain in office throughout the
occupation, which brought it the accusation of collaboration by France.
Through the intervention of the United States, Luxembourg was not annexed to
Belgium in 1918, as France had wanted. After a 3-day period as a Soviet
Socialist Republic in 1919, which was quickly abolished by French troops,
Luxembourg reverted to being a parliamentary monarchy. In the 1930's the
internal situation deteriorated, as Luxembourgian politics was influenced by
European left- and right-wing politics. The government tried to counter
Communist led unrest in the industrial areas and continued a friendly
politics towards Nazi Germany, which led to much critique. The attempts to
quell unrest peaked into the Maulkorbgesetz, the "muzzle" Law, aimed at
censoring the press. The law failed to get through Parliament. A second
German invasion on 10 May 1940 swept away the government and monarchy, most
of whom went into exile in London, from which the Grandduchess Charlotte
broadcast regularly to Luxembourg to give hope to the people. Measures to
quell any Luxembourgian feelings were met with passive resistance at first,
such as the Spéngelskrich (lit. "War of the Pins"), and refusing to speak
German. As French was forbidden, many Luxembourgians resorted to 'digging
out' old Luxembourgish words, which led to a renaissance of the language.
Other measures included deportation, forced labour, forced conscription and,
more drastically, internment, deportation to concentration camps and
execution. The latter measure was implied after a general strike from the 1
September to the 3 September 1942, which paralyzed the administration,
agriculture, industry and education as response to the declaration of forced
conscription by the German administration on 30 August 1942. The then
civilian commander of Luxembourg, Gauleiter Gustav Simon had declared
conscription necessary to support the German war effort. It was to remain
one of only two mass strikes against German war machinery in the West of
Europe.
The liberation by US troops in September 1944 restored Luxembourgian
sovereignty. It was briefly endangered during the Battle of the Bulge,
otherwise known as the Ardennes Offensive or the Rundstedt Offensive, which
had German troops take back most of the North of Luxembourg for a few weeks
before the Allies' final push into Germany. Even today some areas are still
mined and closed for the public. Hikers are advised to stay out of marked
areas, as these areas still contain unstable explosives.
After World War II Luxembourg abandoned its politics of neutrality, when it
became a founding member of NATO, the United Nations and the European
Economic Community (later the European Union). It is a signatory of the
Treaty of Rome, and constituted a monetary union with Belgium, and an
economic union with Belgium and The Netherlands, the so-called BeNeLux
treaty. Furthermore, it has been one of the strongest avocates of the
European Union in the tradition of Robert Schuman. It was given the honour
to provide the first President of the European Commission, former Prime
Minister Jacques Santer. The current Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker
follows that tradition.
Politics
Luxembourg has a parliamentary form of government with a constitutional
monarchy by inheritance. Under the constitution of 1868, executive power is
exercised by the Grand Duke and the cabinet, which consists of a prime
minister and several other ministers.
Legislative power is vested in the Chamber of Deputies, elected directly to
5-year terms. A second body, the "Conseil d'Etat" (Council of State),
composed of 21 ordinary citizens appointed by the Grand Duke, advises the
Chamber of Deputies in the drafting of legislation.
Districts
Luxembourg is divided in to three administrative subdivisions, or districts:
Diekirch
Grevenmacher
Luxembourg
Geography
Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe. It is ranked 166th in
size. The country is about 2,586 km˛. This makes it approximately the same
size as many counties in the United States.
The north of the country, part of the Ardennes, has hills and low mountains,
with the Buurgplaz as the highest point at 559 m. The rest of the country is
also hilly.
Luxembourg's eastern border is formed by three rivers, the Moselle, the Sűre
and the Our.
The capital Luxembourg is the largest city of the country. Other important
cities are Esch-sur-Alzette (a.k.a. Esch), to the south-west of the capital,
and Echternach, against the German border in the east.
Economy
The stable, high-income economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and
low unemployment. The industrial sector, until recently dominated 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, account for a growing proportion of the economy. Agriculture is
based on small family-owned farms. Luxembourg has especially close trade and
financial ties to Belgium and the Netherlands, and as a member of the EU,
enjoys the advantages of the open European market.
Demographics
As a small country, much of the population of Luxembourg originates from
neighbouring countries, and there are three languages spoken. Besides French
(spoken in neighbouring Belgium and France) and German (Germany),
Luxembourgish is spoken. There are sizeable minorities of Italian and
Portuguese speakers.
Most Luxembourgers adhere to the Roman Catholic faith.
Culture
The language of Luxembourg is Luxembourgish, a blend of old German and
Frankish elements. The official language of the civil service, law, and
parliament is French, although criminal and legal debates are conducted
partly in Luxembourgish and police case files are recorded in German. German
is the primary language of the press. French, German and English are taught
in the schools, with German spoken mainly at the primary level; French and
English at the secondary level.
Public service information is in French, German, and sometimes English or
Portuguese, since roughly 10% of the population is Portuguese. There have
been debates in parliament about making Portuguese a fourth official
language.
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