Luxembourg - Small and Beautiful
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| When
in AD 963, Count Siegfried built his "Lucilinburhuc" (little castle)
on a rocky promontory overlooking the river Alzette, little did he know
that his home was to become the cradle of one of the smallest, yet one of
the richest countries in the world. |
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Thanks
to its strategic location at a crossing of Roman roads, "Lucillinburhuc"
grew rapidly. Siegfried's dynasty promoted this growth by forging the right
alliances, in marriage and political pacts. Throughout the Middle Ages,
the House of Luxembourg
has exerted considerable influence, providing Holy Roman Emperors and countless
Kings for realms far and near. Many times the city was besieged and occupied
by a multitude of foreign powers; Prussia, Austria, Burgundy, Spain, to
name but a few.
The Congress of Vienna settled the destiny of the country, by raising it
to the rank of Grand Duchy, and by giving it as personal property to the
King of the Netherlands (William
I of Orange-Nassau). The personal union between Luxembourg and the Netherlands
lasted until 1890. During this period the political independence and autonomy
were strengthened, and the democratic institutions were developed. Since
1890, when the Crown of the Grand Duchy passed to the elder branch of the
House of Nassau, Luxembourg has had its own dynasty.
The present ruler, H.R.H. Grand Duke Henri,
succeeded his father, Grand Duke Jean to the
throne in October 2000. Executive power is in the hands of a Cabinet of
12 ministers, while legislative power rests with a Parliament (Chamber of
Deputies) elected by men and women over 18, all of whom in Luxembourg have
the right [and obligation!] to vote. |
| For
all the havoc that has been wrought on the City of Luxembourg by the many
foreign invasions, it must be said that the occupiers, in particular the
brilliant French military engineer Vauban, developed Luxembourg's potential
and created one of the strongest fortresses ever built; so impregnable that
Luxembourg became known as the "Gibraltar of the North", protected by 3
defensive walls with 24 forts, and honey-combed by a man-made 17 mile network
of underground caverns, the so-called Casemates.
The fortress survived in its greatness until 1867, when it was dismantled
according to the provisions of the Treaty of London. Not surprisingly, it
took 20 years to carry this out, even though some fortifications simply
could not be destroyed, as the whole city would have crumbled away. The
Petrusse Valley fortifications show this perfectly: part natural rocks,
part man-made walls, gun-ports and secret passageways hewn into solid rock,
providing the foundations for the elegant three-spired cathedral of "Notre-Dame
de Luxembourg". This very valley has prompted that great German writer Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe, not only to paint it but to write of it, in 1792, that
"here such bulk is measured with so much grace, such gravity with so much
loveliness, that one might wish that Poussin had put his splendid talent
to work in such spaces." Today, the parklands of the Petrusse valley are
a haven of peace, and a road-wheeled tourist train, the "Petrusse Express",
runs through the Valley giving visitors an insight into life in the former
fortress. |
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Many
of these foreign incursions have left their mark - much of the city's older
architecture can be attributed to specific periods of occupation. Here and
there, so-called "Spanish Turrets", once used as spy-posts, still adourn
the city walls. Even the spectacular Art Nouveau buildings in the Bourbon
area of the city are a response to influences from outside. The ancient
convent among the cobbled streets of the Grund suburb, once used as a prison,
is now a cultural centre for exhibitions and concerts. Some 150 international
banks have major offices in the city, their marble mausoleums and glass
temples striking skywards from the ancient ramparts. The "City Historical
Museum" is housed in the former Music Conservatory, a 15th century building,
while "MUDAM", the city's Modern
Art Museum espouses the contours of the last remaining fort. What Luxembourg
has done, and what is so obvious even to the most casual observer, is to
integrate modern architecture into the older, more classical environment.
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| Just
look at the Place d'Armes, the principal square
in Luxembourg, originally a military parade ground, and now a tree-lined
sanctuary of restaurants and open-air cafés, the drawing room of the city.
This is a place to sit and savour not only the splendid beers of Luxembourg,
or its even finer wines, but also a tranquillity, a sophistication, a very
cultured existence, and definitely an affluent one. Everyone it seems either
sits watching, or joins in the promenade. Where foreign powers once drilled
their troops, there is now a leisurely parade, serenaded by the music from
the central bandstand. |
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The
invading armies have also left behind a human legacy. Still today, foreigners
make up a vast proportion of the population, and each race has added something
of its own to what had already developed over centuries of domination by
others. Luxembourg can proudly boast that it has the great fortune to possess
the best traits of so many countries. It has been able to filter, to extract
the cream from the top of the European churn of civilisation.
This cream is perhaps best exemplified by the fact that there are more Michelin-starred
Restaurants per head of population in Luxembourg than anywhere else in the
world, though that should not prevent you from trying any of the non-star
rated restaurants. Fine cuisine is indeed quite common-place in quality-conscious
Luxembourg. It is often said that Luxembourg food
combines French Finesse with German heartiness. Local dishes include "Judd
matt Gaardeboùnen" (smoked collar of pork with broad beans), "Friture
de la Moselle" (small deep fried river fish), "Pike in Riesling Sauce",
"Ardennes Ham", "Wild Boar", and a host of others. The restaurateur "Léa
Linster" at Frisange has won a "Bocuse d'Or" for her traditional style cuisine.
As one would expect in a country where more than one third of the population
holds a foreign passport, international cuisine is everywhere; American,
Japanese, Indian, Thai, Russian, and many other speciality restaurants abound.
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| Geographical
statistics show the Grand-Duchy
of Luxembourg to cover 1000 square miles (some 2600 sq km), with a maximum
North-South extension of 52 miles (84 km) and 36 miles (58 km) East-West,
and a population of 502 000. These bare figures belie the fact that so many
different landscapes are evident in such a small territory. Indeed, the
northern half of the country, site of the 1944 Battle
of the Bulge, is hilly, densely forrested Ardennes countryside, dotted
with medieval hilltop castles, of which Vianden,
Esch-sur-Sûre, and Bourscheid
are probably best known. To the North-East of the City, the "Müllerthal"
region is often called Luxembourg's "Little Switzerland"; strange sand-rock
formations litter the area's many woods, providing opportunities for not-too
strenuous rock-climbing, or walking along the hundreds of well-marked hiking
paths criss-crossing the area in every direction. The "Gutland" in the centre
and the south is mainly rolling farmland and woods, bordered to the east
by the wine-producing valley of the Moselle, and in the extreme south-west
by a narrow strip of red earth which forms the Luxembourg iron-ore basin.
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It was the re-discovery
of this iron ore around 1850 which marked the turning point for Luxembourg
and meant its economic take-off, thanks due in particular to that industrious
British court-clerk, Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, who as a pastime(!), developed
a method of removing phosphorus during the smelting process to create fine
quality steel. An important steel industry came into being in the south-western
corner of the country, drawing tens of thousands of foreign workers into
the ore mines and steel factories and bringing prosperity to the whole country.
The steel industry is nowadays little more than a memory but prosperity
has not faded with it. |
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Indeed, Luxembourg
plays a major role as a prominent international financial centre. Banks
and investment trusts have settled in the capital, as the fiscal legislation,
which dates back to 1929, favours Banks and Holding Companies. Luxembourg
as an international centre numbers more than 15000 domiciled Holding Companies,
some 2500 investment funds, and 140-odd banks
which represent the greatest banking concentration in the European Community,
and makes Luxembourg the 8th most important banking centre worldwide.
One statistic perhaps best underlines the massive importance that banking
represents for the country: The assets of banks form a proportion of 6:1
to the GNP, whereas in most first world countries this proportion is in
the region of 1:30.
Luxembourg has reaffirmed its importance as a centre for Eurobonds, and
the future seems likely to attract more investment funds to this relatively
young, but steadily growing centre. The multi-lingual abilities and very
high education level of the working population provide local businesses
with first-rate staff, whilst the advanced technological infrastructure
of the country guarantees the best-possible future support for the finance
spot. One statistic sticks out to stress the importance of investments
funds to Luxembourg: the net active amount domiciled in Luxembourg is
some 2,185,000 billion euros.
It is no coincidence that ASTRA, the
European Television Satellites, are owned and controlled by SES, based
in Luxembourg, or that Amazon or Skype
have their European headquarters here, to quote only a few examples of
international companies choosing Luxembourg as their European base.
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The Luxembourger
lives a fine life, where quality is above all of the greatest importance.
He demands a high quality of life for himself and his family, he is proud
of the high quality of the goods and services he provides, and his high
standards are not selfishly kept as his own. He is happy to share his
life with you. He is delighted and almost flattered when you chose to
visit him, and he wants you to know it. His is not so much a welcome as
an invitation to be pampered. Yet, despite their desire to welcome others,
and their will to be "as one" with their neighbours, the people of Luxembourg
have always been proud and protective of their individuality. The nation's
motto is "Mir wëlle bleiwe, wat mir sin" - "We want to remain what we
are".
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