Geography
Languages
Food
The Capital City
The Country Side
I have been born and have grown up in this tiny country in the heart of Western Europe and I would like to give you a brief idea of what being Luxembourgish is all about. I will also display a few pictures here, but if you want to know more about my home country, the smaller frame on the left provides you with a number of links, that I think are useful whether you just want general information or whether you are actually planning a trip to Luxembourg. If the second option should be the case don't forget to pay me a visit (that is if I am over there...).
Luxembourg is a small country (2586,3 square kilometers) in the heart of Western Europe between Germany, Belgium and France. It owes its independence to the provisions of the Congress of Vienna (1815).
Today it counts a population of around 400000 people, a number that can go well up to 1000000 people during daytime, when all the cross-border commuters are in the country.
The State of Luxembourg represents a parliamentary democracy, in the form of a constitutional monarchy, granting to the population a certain right for direct government by referendum. The head of State is H.R.H. Grand Duke Henri.
The area of the Grand Duchy has been split in the following three districts: Luxembourg in the Center and the South, Diekirch in the North and Grevenmacher in the East.
The capital city is also called Luxembourg and is not only a financial centre of internatinal standing, but also a major European Centre, with among other institutions, the European Court of Justice. Another imporant town is Esch Alzette in the South, the heart of Luxembourg steel industry.
All along Luxembourg's history, the most diverse people lived in the country. This and the fact that it takes them less than 45 minutes to visit either of their neighbouring countries explain why the Luxembourgers have become very open to the world. Besides their mother tongue (Luxembourgish) they all speak German and French. Furthermore English is a compulsory subject in Luxembourgish schools and most people have a good working knowledge of it. Due to the financial and European centres, you can nowadays find people from the most varied ethnic origins in Luxembourg and most languages of the world are spoken in some part of the country.
If you would like to taste a typical Luxembourgish dish, then I would suggest to try "Judd mat Gaardenbounen", smoked neck of pork with thick beans. The many other specialities include fried Moselle fish, Ardennes ham and "Ietsenbulli" (thick pea soup). Most people appreciate Luxembourgish beer as well as the white wines that complement the international cuisine, which is available everywhere in the capital. Most of the top restaurants owe their reputation to French gastronomy, whereas Italian and Chinese places are known for their hospitable atmosphere and their cheaper prices. Today most international cuisines are represented in Luxembourg with at least one restaurant.
I have previouly mentioned that the capital of Luxembourg is a major financial and European centre. In this section I would like to draw your attention to the true beauty of the city of Luxembourg, which lies in the Heart of the Old Town. Nowhere does Luxembourgish history come to light in such profusion as in the narrow, winding streets around the oldest part of the capital, the March�-aux-Poissons close to the Bock rocks. Indeed Luxembourg-city used to be a massive fortress in medieval times and many parts of it have survived until today. One can stroll through the "Casemattes", the mysterious 23 kilometers of underground fortress galleries as well as visit the little Spanish Towers
that remind us of the times when Luxembourg was under Spanish rule. Evidently there are numerous museums in this historical part of town, which all cover different sections of Luxembourg's past. Alternatively the visitor can choose to go for a peaceful walk through the "Petrus" valley and enjoy the remains of the fortress from the outside, whilst enjoying some of the many green spaces of the capital. Cosy caf�s, gourmet restaurants, artists' haunts and trendy clubs complete the charm of this area.
Once you have seen the main attractions of the capital city (and payed me a visit), you might wonder what else there is in Luxembourg. Well, there are numerous things that you might want to see, depending on your own personal interests. I would advise not to miss the castle of Vianden (see picture on the left). It is not only another big feature of Luxembourg history, but also it is an essential symbol for Luxembourg, that every school child has seen at least once. I think they dragged me up there four times :). Nevertheless it is definitely worth the travel and furthermore it gives you the chance to see the gorgeous northern parts of the country. You will see plenty of woods, small streets and traditional houses and farms.
Once you decide that you have explored enough of Luxembourg's history, I suggest you head towards the East, namely towards the Moselle river.
In this gorgeous part of the country you can either go for a boat trip on the river, enjoy a stroll along the Moselle, taste some delicious Luxembourgish fish specialities in one of the numerous restaurants or go to one of the wine makers and try the typical Luxembourg wines.
If you are still up for discovery after all this, you might want to head towards the South and see the birth of Luxembourg's economy via the steel industry. Indeed you can still see the massive ovens of the ARBED if you are in Esch/Alzette and this small town also provides interesting shopping and entertainment opportunities.
Well, these are the places I would suggest people to visit, but if you are even more curious, why not check out some of the links I am providing?