Luxembourg

Quick Facts

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Local name

Lëtzebuerg (Luxembourgish), Luxembourg (French), Luxemburg (German)

Capital

Luxembourg

Government

Constitutional Monarchy

Nationality

Luxembourger

Population

454,000

Languages

Luxembourgish, German, French

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant), Judaism, Islam

Currency

Euro (EUR) €

Calling Code

+352

Time Zone

UTC+1

Summer (DST)

UTC+2

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Introduction

The Grund - Luxembourg City

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Pea-sized it may be, but Luxembourg's size belies its importance in European history. Luxembourg City originated as a fortress in 963 AD; so the nation was birthed. At one time, Luxembourg City was considered the second strongest fortress in Europe. More recently, Luxembourg has taken the lead in international politics by being one of six states to establish the European Union.

Modern-day Luxembourg is an exemplary nation-state, boasting low levels of unemployment and superb standards of living for its 400,000 plus citizens. For visitors, too, Luxembourg packs a delightful punch, especially considering its size. The Ardennes, complete with castles and river valleys, and marking the site of the Battle of the Bulge, is one of Luxembourg's more popular attractions. So is the region commonly referred to as Little Switzerland, where opportunities for cycling, hiking and rock climbing are equally successful at drawing the crowds.

Luxembourg shares international borders with Germany, France and Belgium.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Luxembourg is divided into three administrative districts:

• Diekirch
• Grevenmacher
• Luxembourg

Cities

• Luxembourg, the country's capital.
• Clervaux
• Echternach
• Ettelbruck
• Esch-sur-Alzette
• Diekirch
• Differdange

Sights and Activities

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame Cathedral located in the capital of Luxembourg, is an magnificent Cathedral. The Jesuits placed the first cornerstone in 1613, which began the construction of this Cathedral. The church is a good example of late gothic architecture. Interestingly there are also many Renaissance elements and decorations. This is a great sight to visit while in the capital.

Fort Thüngen

Fort Thüngen is an historic fortification located in the capital. The fort was dismantled after the 1867 Treaty of London, which ordered the destruction of most of the capitals many fortifications. In the 1990s the fort was reconstructed as part of the new modern art museum the Mudam.

The Grand Ducal Palace

The Grand Ducal Palace was originally built in 1572 and was used as a town hall. During the 18th century it was expanded twice to become the French government building. In 1817 the palace became the residence of the Governor. Then in 1890 it was reserved for use only by the Grand Duke and his family. The palace was heavily damaged during the Second World War and was restored in the 1960s. Today it is the current residence of the Grand Duke and is a great building to see from the outside.

Other Sights and Activities

• Mudam (Musée d'art moderne Grand-Duc Jean) - Houses works of art by pre-eminent modern artists from around the world.
• Kneiff - Explore the rolling green hills of this pretty area in the Northern part of the country.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Flights to and from Luxembourg-Findel International Airport (LUX) mainly are with the national airline Luxair. For such a small country and airline there are surprisingly many flights, although many of the destinations are seasonally flights to countries in Southern Europe only. Regular connections include Nice, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Geneva, London and Madrid. Other connections include Amsterdam with KLM, Copenhagen with SAS, Reykjavik with Iceland Express and Lisbon and Porto with TAP.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Train

CFL is the national railway company. Trains travel north from Luxembourg City to Mersch, Ettelbrück, Wilwerwiltz and Clervaux. From Ettelbrück you can go to Diekirch as well. Other destinations include Wiltz and Kautenbach. Going south, you can go to Bettembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette. There is at least one train an hour to every city and in every direction.

By Car

Roads in Luxemburg are very good and major highways run towards Germany, Belgium and France. Petrol is among the cheapest in Western Europe, car rental prices are relatively high though. Rental cars are available at the international airport or in most major cities and towns. Traffic drives on the right and your national driver's licence or international driving permit will be sufficient.

By Bus

Comfortable and punctual bus travel is possible between all major cities and towns. Most lines have at least one hourly bus, but Sunday services are less frequent.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

Money

See also: Money Matters

Luxembourg has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.

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