Luxembourgers of the Grand Duchy, a Small Nation at the Crossroads of Europe

At the heart of western Europe, wedged between France, Germany, and Belgium and grown from a fortress on a rock, lies the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, home to the Luxembourgers. A small nation with a Germanic tongue of their own and a famously multilingual culture, heirs to a mighty medieval house and to one of Europe’s great fortresses, they are one of the most distinctive of the continent’s smaller peoples.

This is the story of who the Luxembourgers are: where they came from, how they lived by farm and vineyard, what they believe, and how they kept a distinct identity as a small land between great powers before becoming a wealthy, sovereign, and thoroughly European nation. It is a tale of a fortress, a grand duchy, and a proud little people at the crossroads of Europe.

The Luxembourgers on Film

Origins
The Name
The Language
The Homeland
The Old Way of Life
Society and Community
Religion and Belief
Traditions
Crafts
Food
Festivals
History
Today

Origins

The Luxembourgers are the people of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a small landlocked country in the heart of western Europe, wedged between France, Germany, and Belgium. They are a distinct nation at the crossroads of the Latin and Germanic worlds, with a Germanic mother tongue of their own and a culture shaped by their neighbors yet unmistakably their own.

The history of Luxembourg as a distinct entity begins in the year 963, when Count Siegfried acquired a rocky promontory above the Alzette river and built a castle there, called Lucilinburhuc, the little fortress. Around this stronghold grew a town and a county, and from this small beginning the land and people of Luxembourg took their name and their start.

The commanding position of the fortress, perched on cliffs above deep river valleys, made Luxembourg one of the most formidable strongholds in Europe, fought over and fortified by successive powers for centuries. The land grew into a county and then a duchy, and in the Middle Ages the House of Luxembourg even provided several Holy Roman Emperors.

From this fortress town at the crossroads of Europe grew the Luxembourg nation, long ruled by outside powers yet holding to a distinct identity. Small in size but strategically vital, shaped by French, German, and Belgian neighbors while keeping its own Germanic speech, Luxembourg developed into one of the most distinctive of Europe’s small nations.

The Name

The Luxembourgers call themselves Lëtzebuerger and their country Lëtzebuerg in their own language, while it is known as Luxembourg in French and Luxemburg in German. The name comes from the little fortress, Lucilinburhuc, that Count Siegfried built in 963, so that the very name of the nation recalls the stronghold from which it grew.

The country is formally the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the world’s only remaining grand duchy, ruled by a grand duke as a constitutional monarch. This distinctive status, and the long history of the House of Luxembourg, give the small nation a special place among the states of Europe.

The national flag of Luxembourg bears three horizontal stripes of red, white, and light blue, similar to that of the Netherlands but with its own shade of blue, while the older heraldic banner of the red lion on white and blue stripes, the Roude Léiw, is also cherished as a national symbol, seen at celebrations and sporting events.

The Luxembourg name carries a strong sense of a distinct nation, small but sovereign, at the heart of Europe. Luxembourgers speak of Lëtzebuerg with pride and attachment, conscious of belonging to an ancient land that grew from a fortress on the Bock and endured to become an independent grand duchy and a founder of united Europe.

The Language

The Luxembourgish language, Lëtzebuergesch, is central to the identity of the Luxembourgers, a Germanic language of the Moselle Franconian group, related to the German dialects of the neighboring Rhineland but developed into a distinct national language of its own. It is the everyday spoken language of the Luxembourg people.

Luxembourg is famous for its multilingualism, and the country uses three official languages: Luxembourgish, the national tongue and the language of daily speech; French, long used in law and administration; and German, used in the press and schools. Luxembourgers grow up moving easily among these languages, a hallmark of their culture.

For much of history Luxembourgish was regarded as a spoken dialect rather than a written language, and French and German dominated writing and public life. Over the twentieth century, however, and especially after the experience of foreign occupation, Luxembourgish grew in status as a symbol of national identity, distinct from that of Luxembourg’s larger neighbors.

Today Luxembourgish is recognized as the national language, increasingly written, taught, and used in public life, and it stands as the clearest mark of Luxembourg identity in a country where French and German are also everyday tools. This small Germanic language, spoken by a whole nation at the crossroads of Europe, is a cherished expression of the Luxembourg people.

The Homeland

The homeland of the Luxembourgers is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Despite its small size, it is a land of considerable variety, from the wooded hills and valleys of the north to the gentler farmland and vineyards of the south.

The northern part of the country, the Oesling, belongs to the Ardennes, a region of forested hills, deep valleys, and old castles, while the larger southern part, the Gutland or good land, is a country of rolling farmland, woods, and river valleys, more fertile and more densely settled. In the southeast, along the Moselle river, lie the vineyards that produce Luxembourg’s wines.

The land is cut by scenic river valleys, and the region known as the Mullerthal, or Little Switzerland, in the east, with its curious rock formations, forests, and streams, is among the most beautiful parts of the country. The dramatic gorges of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers wind through the capital itself.

At the heart of the country stands Luxembourg City, dramatically set on cliffs above the river valleys, its old fortifications and picturesque lower town of the Grund among the most striking cityscapes in Europe, now a center of European institutions and finance. This small, varied, green land at the crossroads of Europe is the homeland of the Luxembourg people.

The Old Way of Life

For most of their history the Luxembourgers were a people of farms, villages, and vineyards, living in a small land at the meeting of the Latin and Germanic worlds. In the fertile Gutland of the south, families worked the fields and orchards, while in the wooded hills of the northern Oesling, farming was harder and life closer to the forest.

Along the Moselle river in the southeast, the cultivation of the vine has a long history, and the terraced vineyards of the valley produce the white wines and sparkling crémant for which Luxembourg is known. The wine-growing villages of the Moselle, with their cellars and their autumn harvest, form a distinctive part of the country’s rural life.

In the industrial south, the discovery of iron ore in the nineteenth century transformed part of the country, bringing steelmaking, mines, and factories, and drawing workers from many lands. This industrial heritage, centered on the towns of the Red Lands, sat alongside the older world of farm and vineyard and helped build the modern prosperity of the nation.

This world of farm, vineyard, forest, and, later, mine and mill, though transformed by the country’s modern wealth, is remembered as the setting of the old Luxembourg way of life. The rural traditions, the wine-growing, the crafts, and the customs of the villages are cherished as part of the heritage of the Luxembourg people.

Society and Community

The Luxembourg flag flying — Luxembourg flags, symbol of a small and proud nation.

Traditional Luxembourg society was built around the family, the village, and the parish, in a small and largely rural land, shaped by strong Catholic faith and by the country’s position at the crossroads of Europe. Attachment to the local community, to the land, and to a quiet and orderly way of life marked the Luxembourg character.

The country’s position and its openness to its neighbors made the Luxembourgers a people used to living among different languages and cultures, and the experience of being a small nation between great powers fostered both a strong sense of identity and a practical, accommodating spirit. Loyalty to the grand duke and the nation became a unifying bond.

A defining feature of modern Luxembourg society has been immigration, for the small country’s industrial growth and later its prosperity drew large numbers of workers and residents from other lands, so that a very large share of the population today is of foreign origin. This has made Luxembourg one of the most international societies in Europe, while the native Luxembourgers hold to their language and traditions.

Shaped by their small size, their multilingual culture, and their history between great powers, the Luxembourgers developed a strong and distinctive sense of national identity, famously expressed in the motto meaning “we want to remain what we are.” Attachment to the language, the land, and the traditions of the nation remains central to Luxembourg life.

Religion and Belief

The Luxembourgers are a traditionally Roman Catholic people, and Catholicism has long been central to the life, calendar, and identity of the nation. The faith shaped the culture and the customs of the country, and religious festivals and pilgrimages hold an important place in Luxembourg tradition.

The great religious event of the Luxembourg year is the Octave, a Marian pilgrimage lasting two weeks in spring, during which pilgrims from across the country and beyond come to honor Our Lady, the Consoler of the Afflicted, the patroness of the city and the nation, in the cathedral of Luxembourg City. It culminates in a great closing procession through the streets.

The cathedral of Notre-Dame in the capital, along with countless parish churches, chapels, and wayside shrines across the country, reflects the deep Catholic heritage of the land. The veneration of Our Lady as patroness of the nation binds the religious and the national identity of the Luxembourgers closely together.

Though modern times have brought secularization, as elsewhere in western Europe, and Luxembourg has become a highly diverse and international society, the Catholic heritage remains an important part of the national culture and calendar. The Octave and its pilgrimage, and the traditions of the church year, continue to hold a cherished place in Luxembourg life.

Traditions

Luxembourg traditions blend the Catholic heritage of the nation with old folk customs and the celebrations of a small, close-knit country, and they are treasured as expressions of a distinct identity at the crossroads of Europe. Festivals, processions, and seasonal customs mark the calendar and bring communities together.

The most famous and unique of Luxembourg traditions is the Dancing Procession of Echternach, held each spring in honor of Saint Willibrord, in which thousands of pilgrims dance in a hopping, rhythmic step through the streets of the town to the sound of music, in a ritual reaching back centuries and recognized as a treasure of world heritage.

The year is marked by other beloved customs, from the great funfair of the Schueberfouer, a centuries-old festival in the capital, to the burning of great bonfires on the first Sunday of Lent, the Buergbrennen, to drive out winter, and the springtime pottery market and folk customs of Éimaischen. Each brings its own rituals, foods, and gatherings.

National Day, celebrating the grand duke’s birthday, is a great occasion of national pride, marked with fireworks, parades, and festivity across the country. Together with the religious festivals, the folk customs, and the celebrations of the seasons, these traditions form a vivid and cherished expression of the Luxembourg people and their identity.

Crafts

The crafts of the Luxembourgers grew from a small land of farms, forests, vineyards, and, later, industry, and from the tastes and needs of its people. Traditional crafts served the rural and village life of the country, from woodworking and the making of the goods of the farm to the arts of the vine and the wine cellar along the Moselle.

One of the most cherished traditional crafts is the pottery associated with the village of Nospelt, celebrated each year at the Éimaischen folk market held after Easter in Luxembourg City and in Nospelt, where the whistling clay birds known as Péckvillercher and other earthenware are sold, a beloved survival of the old potter’s craft.

The industrial heritage of the country, above all the ironworking and steelmaking of the Red Lands in the south, gave rise to its own skills and traditions of metalwork and engineering, which transformed Luxembourg in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and built much of its modern wealth. This industrial craft sat alongside the older village trades.

Alongside these, the making of wine and crémant along the Moselle, the baking of the traditional breads and pastries, and other rural and domestic crafts form part of the heritage of the country. These traditions, from Nospelt pottery to the arts of the vine, are cherished and kept alive as a valued part of Luxembourg culture.

Food

Luxembourg cuisine reflects the country’s position at the crossroads of the Germanic and French worlds, combining the hearty portions and dishes of German cooking with a French refinement and love of good eating. Rooted in the produce of the farms, the forests, the rivers, and the Moselle vineyards, it is a rich and satisfying regional cuisine.

The national dish is Judd mat Gaardebounen, smoked pork collar served with broad beans, a hearty and beloved plate that embodies the country’s traditional cooking. Other favorites include Gromperekichelcher, spiced fried potato cakes popular at fairs and markets, and Kniddelen, a kind of dumpling, along with dishes of pork, game, and freshwater fish.

The rivers and the season bring their own specialties, above all the small fried fish of the Moselle and dishes of the forest and farm, while the country’s pastries and sweets, influenced by its neighbors, are enjoyed with coffee. The traditional cooking is warming and generous, suited to the climate and the tastes of the people.

Luxembourg is also proud of its wines, above all the crisp whites and the sparkling crémant produced along the Moselle, which accompany the meal and the celebrations of the year. Rooted in the land and the river valleys and shaped by its neighbors, Luxembourg cuisine is a hearty and cherished expression of the nation’s culture.

Festivals

The festivals of the Luxembourgers blend the Catholic heritage of the nation with old folk customs and the celebrations of a small, proud country, filling the calendar with color and community. These occasions, from religious pilgrimages to funfairs and national celebrations, are central to Luxembourg life and identity.

The most unique is the Dancing Procession of Echternach in spring, honoring Saint Willibrord, in which thousands of pilgrims move through the town in a rhythmic, hopping dance to music, a centuries-old ritual recognized as a treasure of world heritage. The Octave pilgrimage in the capital, honoring the patroness of the nation, is another great religious festival.

The Schueberfouer, a huge funfair held in Luxembourg City in late summer, dates back to the Middle Ages and is one of the largest and most beloved popular festivals in the region, while the Buergbrennen bonfires drive out winter in early spring, and the Éimaischen pottery market delights crowds after Easter.

National Day, marking the official birthday of the grand duke, is the great secular festival of the nation, celebrated with fireworks, parades, and festivity across the country in a display of Luxembourg pride. Together with the religious and folk festivals of the year, these celebrations are a vivid and cherished expression of the Luxembourg people.

History

The history of the Luxembourgers begins in 963 with Count Siegfried and his little fortress on the Bock, from which grew a county and then a duchy at the crossroads of medieval Europe. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the powerful House of Luxembourg rose to great heights, providing several Holy Roman Emperors and kings of Bohemia.

From the fifteenth century, however, Luxembourg passed under a long succession of foreign rulers, held in turn by the Burgundians, the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs, and the French, its great fortress endlessly besieged and rebuilt until it was known as the Gibraltar of the North. For centuries the land was a strategic prize rather than a self-governing nation.

The modern Grand Duchy took shape in the nineteenth century, established in 1815 and gradually gaining full independence and neutrality, its great fortress dismantled by international agreement. Luxembourg remained tied for a time to the Netherlands before gaining its own ruling house, and it built up its identity and, with the discovery of iron ore, its industrial wealth.

In the twentieth century Luxembourg suffered occupation by Germany in both world wars, experiences that deepened the national sense of identity and the attachment to the Luxembourgish language. After the Second World War the small nation became a founding member of the European institutions, and it grew into one of the wealthiest and most international countries in the world, while holding to its distinct identity.

Today

Today the Luxembourgers are the native people of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, one of the wealthiest and most international countries in the world and a founding member of the European Union, whose capital is a seat of major European institutions. Luxembourg City, dramatically set above its river valleys, combines a historic old town with a modern district of banks and European bodies.

Modern Luxembourg is a prosperous nation, long built on steel and now on finance, services, and its role at the heart of Europe, and it is home to a remarkably diverse population, a very large share of whom are of foreign origin, making it one of the most cosmopolitan societies on the continent. The native Luxembourgers form a distinct community within this international land.

Luxembourg identity remains strong, expressed above all in the growing status and use of the Luxembourgish language as a national symbol, in the multilingual culture of the country, and in pride in the flag, the grand duke, the festivals, and the traditions of the nation. The famous motto, that they wish to remain what they are, captures this enduring spirit.

Through more than a thousand years since Count Siegfried’s little fortress, the Luxembourgers have held to a distinct identity at the crossroads of Europe, small in number yet sovereign and proud. A people of a Germanic tongue and a multilingual culture, attached to their Grand Duchy and its heritage, the Luxembourgers remain one of the distinctive nations of Europe.