Luxembourg was founded in 963 when it became the County of Luxembourg, gaining its independence from Lotharingia/Duchy of Upper Lorraine.
|
In 1354 County of Luxembourg became Duchy of Luxembourg.
|
In 1814 Duchy of Luxembourg became the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
|
In 1839 after signing the Treaty of London the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was declared independent in union with the Netherlands.
|
In 1890 the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ended its union with the Netherlands.
|
Following World War II the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg gained its independence from the German Reich.
|
Luxembourg City is the European Court of Justice's seat, which is the European Union's highest court of law in regards to EU issues.
|
Luxembourg encompasses an area of 998 square miles.
|
The population of Luxembourg in 2015 was estimated to be almost 563,000 people.
|
Luxembourg is considered to be the second wealthiest country in the world after Qatar.
|
Luxembourg is considered to be an extremely safe country and there are only two jails in the entire country.
|
Roughly 50% of the people that work in Luxembourg live in other countries including France, Belgium, and Germany.
|
Luxembourg is the only Grand Duchy in the entire world. A Grand Duchy is a territory or state that is ruled by a duchess or grand duke. Following constitutional reform in 2008 the position became mostly ceremonial.
|
Of all the countries in the European Union, Luxembourg is the least populated.
|
Luxembourg was originally built as a fortress that grew into one of the greatest fortified sites in Europe. Luxembourg City was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the old quarters and fortifications there.
|
Luxembourgers usually are fluent in several languages. They are taught Luxembourgish, French, German, English and many also know Portuguese.
|
The European Investment Bank is located in Luxembourg, as well as 150 other banks. It is popular for banking because of the less sticky tax laws, enabling large companies and private individuals to save a lot of money.
|
Approximately 1/3rd of Luxembourg is covered in forests and about 50% of these forests are owned privately.
|
It is estimated that about 40% of the people living in Luxembourg are immigrants from other countries.
|
There are many castles in Luxembourg that are open to the public including Clervaux, Larochette, Bourscheid, Beaufort, and Vianden. These are grand historic castles reminiscent of fairy tale castles popularized in literature and film.
|