Eye On Western Europe

. . . in Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a country of only 998 square miles (2,585 square kilometers), surrounded by Belgium, Germany, and France. Despite its size, it is a center of European diplomacy and it outranks many other countries as an iron and steel producer. The country is composed of two natural regions. The fertile south and center is known as the Good Land--the Bon Pays (French) or Gutland (German). Luxembourg city, the capital, is in the Good Land, as is most of the population and industry.

The northern third of the country, called Osling, lies in the plateau of the Ardennes. Picturesque castles dot the landscape. The highest point, Buurgplaatz, (1,834 feet; 559 meters) is in the north. The climate is mild and damp. Temperatures at the capital average 63o F (17o C) in July and 33o F (1o C) in January. It rarely gets hotter than 87o F (31o C) or colder than 15o F (-9o C).

In recent years there has been a continuing trend of people moving away from the countryside to Luxembourg's larger towns. In 1991 75,377 people lived in the capital. Esch-sur-Alzette and Differdange, in the steel-producing region near the French border, had populations of 24,012 and 15,699 respectively.

One of every four people in the country is a foreigner. The largest numbers are from Portugal and Italy; most of the others are citizens of France, Belgium, or Germany. To promote rapid industrial development in the 20th century, the government actively encouraged workers to come from other countries. This, combined with a low birthrate, has brought about a population two thirds of which is of working age. Luxembourg owes its high standard of living in part to the fact that the labor force makes up almost half the population. About 95 percent of the people are Roman Catholic. The remainder is made up of Protestants and Jews.

The everyday language of the Luxembourgers, called Luxembourgian, is a Germanic dialect influenced by both French and German. French and German are both standard languages as well and are widely used in government, commerce, the press, and cultural life. Schooling is in French and German. Both languages, as well as English, are used at the university in Luxembourg city.

The grand duchy is a constitutional monarchy, governed by a Council of State and a Chamber of Deputies, with the grand duke as chief executive. Luxembourg was a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM)--collectively called the European Union (formerly the European Communities). Many institutions of the European Union are based in Luxembourg. The grand duchy is also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Luxembourg dates its founding from AD 963, when Siegfried, count of the Ardennes, built a castle--Lucilinburhuc, or "little fortress"--on the rock that is now the site of Luxembourg city. The medieval counts of Luxembourg achieved great military prestige and were several times elected king of Germany. In 1354 the county became a duchy, or dukedom.

In 1443, however, it fell to the Burgundians. Through inheritance it passed to the Spanish Hapsburgs, and in 1713, by the Treaty of Utrecht, to the Austrian Hapsburgs. The French conquered Luxembourg in 1795 and made it a department of the Napoleonic Empire. The Congress of Vienna, which redrew the map of Europe in 1815 after Napoleon's defeat, declared it an independent grand duchy and gave it to the Dutch king. In 1890 Luxembourg became truly independent.