OVER A THOUSAND YEARS OF HISTORY

The name of Luxembourg made its first appearance in history when, around the year 963, Count Siegfried exchanged land for a small abandoned castle, known as "Lucilinburhuc", located on a precipice on the site of the present-day capital.

Charte d'échange de l'an 963

Throughout the Middle Ages, the House of Luxembourg was able to extend its lands and power. Between 963 and 1443, Luxembourg was an independent county, then a Duchy within the Germanic Empire. In the 14th century, kings and emperors came from the House of Luxembourg: Henry VII, Emperor and Duke of Luxembourg, John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, his son Charles IV, who was responsible for the splendour of the city of Prague, Wenceslas II and Sigismond, Emperors and Kings of Bohemia. From 1443 to 1815, the date of the Congress of Vienna, Luxembourg shared the same destiny as the Belgian provinces of which it formed part: first of all, it was ceded to the House of Burgundy from 1443 to 1506, then returned to the Spanish from 1506 to 1684, was attached to France (1684 to 1697), then after the War of the Spanish Succession, the Austrians took possession of Luxembourg from 1714 to 1795, the year when Luxembourg was attached to revolutionary France.

The fact that Luxembourg was so highly-prized was due to the strategic position of Luxembourg on the European chess-board, and due to its formidable fortress known as the "Gibraltar of the North".

Plan manuscrit de la Forteresse de Luxembourg (1720)

It was the importance of this fortress that led the Allies of the day, meeting in the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to decide the destiny of Europe after the defeat of Napoleon, to create a new country around this fortress: the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. For strategic reasons, the King of the Netherlands was appointed, in a personal capacity, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and at the same time, Luxembourg was part of the Germanic Federation (until 1867). In 1830, however, the Grand-Duchy took an active part in the Belgian revolution, and formed part of the Kingdom of Belgium. In 1839, the Treaty of London detached the eastern part of the Belgian province of Luxembourg to form the present Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In 1841, Luxembourg was given its first constitution, and when in 1867, the Congress of London declared the Grand Duchy "perpetually neutral", the Prussian garrison had to leave the city of Luxembourg, and the fortress was dismantled. In 1890, the Nassau-Weilburg dynasty succeeded the House of Orange-Nassau. Henceforth, the Grand-Duchy would have its own dynasty. During the First and Second World Wars, its independence was seriously challenged. The painful experiences of these two wars strengthened the solidarity between the country's citizens, and consolidated national feeling. Luxembourg was one of the founder countries in the building of Europe.

In 1952, the first European institution, the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) started its work in Luxembourg. Since then, the Grand Duchy has hosted several highly important European institutions. The economic boom, which started at the end of the 19th century with the extraordinary expansion of the steel industry, and taken over since the 1970s by the services sector, particularly banking and the audiovisual media, now guarantee the prosperity of the country.

Luxembourg’s location at the crossroads of Latin and Germanic culture as well as its history have led to its developing four characteristic features:

• a strong national identity,
• a status as a real melting-pot within Europe,
• a rich and varied industrial heritage,
• a culture of festivals.