Official name: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Capital city: Luxembourg
Internet country code: .lu
Flag description: Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France
National anthem: “Ons Hémécht” (Our Motherland)
National flower: Rose
Geographical description: Western Europe, between France and Germany
Total area: 999 sq. mi. (2,586 sq. km.)
Climate: Modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
Nationality: noun: Luxembourger(s); adjective: Luxem
bourg, Luxembourgian, Luxembourgish
Population: 480,222 (July 2007 CIA est.)
Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo), Belgians, French, and Germans
Languages spoken: Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language), English
Religions: Roman Catholic 87%, other (includes Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 13%
(in German Luxemburger, Lützelburger), a dynasty that ruled the Holy Roman Empire (1308-13, 1347-1400, and 1410-37), Bohemia (1310-1437), and Hungary (1387-1437).
The main representatives of the Luxembourg dynasty were Henry VII (count of Luxembourg), emperor in 1308-13; John, king of Bohemia in 1310-46; Charles IV, emperor in 1347-78 and king of Bohemia as Charles I from 1346; Vaclav, emperor in 1378-1400 and king of Bohemia as Vaclav IV in 1378-1419; and Sigismund I, king of Hungary in 1387-1437, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1410-37, and king of Bohemia in 1419-21 and 1436-37.
The Luxembourgs used their imperial position to expand their family domains. The basis of their rising economic and political power was Bohemia, which came under Luxembourg rule when John of Luxembourg, the son of Emperor Henry VII, married the heiress to the Bohemian throne, thus becoming King John of Bohemia. The power of the Luxembourgs reached its zenith under Charles IV. Whereas the Luxembourgs strengthened central authority in Bohemia, their policy in the empire promoted the power of the princes through such acts as Charles IV’s Golden Bull of 1356. Sigismund I, in alliance with the papacy, suppressed the Hussite revolutionary movement in Bohemia.
a province in southern Belgium, located mainly in the Ardennes. Area, 4,400 sq km. Population, 219,200 (1971). Arlon is the capital. The province is basically an agricultural region. There is cattle breeding (mainly horned cattle). Wheat and tobacco are cultivated and horticulture is practiced. Much of the province is covered with forests.
the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the country’s basic economic center and a European railroad and highway junction. Located at the confluence of the Alzette and Petrusse rivers; elevation, 334 m. The climate is temperate, transitional between maritime and continental. The average temperature in January is 0.9° C, and in July, 16.6° C. Annual precipitation, 829 mm. Population, approximately 90,000 (1972).
Luxembourg is mentioned in sources for the first time in 963 as a trade settlement near Lucilinburhuc Castle, which was built by Count Siegfried I on the ancient Roman route from Reims to Trier. Luxembourg was granted the rights of a city in 1244. It belonged to Spain from 1506 to 1684 and from 1697 to 1714, to France from 1684 to 1697 and from 1794 to 1815, and to Austria from 1714 to 1794. After the formation of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which joined the German Confederation, Luxembourg was a Prussian fortress from 1815 to 1867. It was occupied by the troops of the German Reich in World War I (1914-18). Luxembourg was again occupied by the troops of fascist Germany in May 1940 during World War II (1939-45) and liberated by British and American allied troops from the fascist German invaders in February 1945.
The Alzette and Pétrusse rivers divide Luxembourg into the Lower City and Upper City. The numerous bridges play an important role in the city’s architectural appearance. The major monuments are to be found in the Upper City: ruins of a Roman watchtower, the Chapel of St. Quirinus (a cave; sixth and 15th centuries), the Gothic St. Michel Church (1519; bell tower, 1634), the left wing of the Grand Ducal Palace (former Rathaus, 1563; Renaissance), the Palace of Justice (1556-72; facade, 19th century; Neorenaissance), the Notre Dame Cathedral (1613-21; architect, J. du Blocq; Baroque), and the city hall (1830; classical). Contemporary buildings include the Radio House (1937-52) and the National Theater (1962-66; French architect, A. Bourbonnais). The Lower City is the site of enterprises of the food-and-condiment industry (including breweries), steel mills, enterprises of transport machinery, light industry, large banks, and the boards of several monopolies.
Luxembourg’s educational institutions include the International University of Comparative Sciences, a medical college, and other specialized schools; its scientific institutions include the Grand Ducal Institute (sections of history, medicine, natural science, literature, art, and other disciplines) and the Society of Naturalists. In Luxembourg are the National Library and the National Museum; also located there (1973) are the Municipal Theater, the Luxembourg Conservatory, the Radio-Luxembourg Symphony Orchestra, and a motion picture studio.