LUXEMBOURG
Luxembourg is the fanciful and picturesque country, officially, though, less renowned the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as it is ruled by one grand duke. The “storybook” country of hills and valleys of grace, greens of intensity, and meadows of serenity will really inspire the bard in you. The landlocked nature of the Grand Duchy all the more enhances its fairy-tale, faraway impression the world has imprinted on it. For this mythical quality, Luxembourg is hailed as film country and has become the successful setting for many animations and movies from Gundam Wing to The Girl with the Pearl Earring that require its mystic, old-world scenery. Besides the natural grandeur of the place, around 40 production companies have been creating feature films and luring lead film stars to the country.
GEOGRAPHY
The Grand Duchy (49 45 N, 6 10 E) is quite a small, landlocked territory at 2,586 km2- the 178th in the world. Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in the world. In effect, it’s even too small for its name on the geography map. But, without doubt, every inch of it is a spectacle, and that you can’t find in too many countries on the planet. The terrain is heavily forested as it is a continuation of the Belgian Ardennes in the north, while in the south, an extension of the French Lorraine plateau. The northern third of the country is hilly, with low mountains, including the highest point in all of the country, the hill called Kneiff at 560 m. Towards the south, the terrain recedes in a sleep slope down to the Moselle flood plain. The lowest point of the country, the Moselle River, 133 m above sea level is not really low at all.
CLIMATE
The Luxembourg climate is modified continental with mild winters with moderate snowfall, save for January-February, the coldest period, when temperatures can fall to -15 °C. Summer, on the other hand, can be extremely hot in Luxembourg, particularly in July and August where temperatures go up to 30°C and higher. Luxembourg is also said to have an oceanic climate with high precipitation, particularly in late summer.
PEOPLE
The entire population of about 503,302 Luxembourgers have adds to the marvel of the country. The people of Luxembourg are an amusing mélange of a French and German with a Celtic base. Of course, the significant presence of ethnic Portuguese, Germans, French, and Belgians is only sensible geographically-speaking, and the immigrant population continues to increase to even more 37% of the population since 2000. Recent additions include Bosnians and Herzegovinians, Montenegrins, and Serbians since the beginning of the Yugoslav Wars.
LANGUAGE
LUXEMBOURGISH is the official language and the mother tongue of the Grand Duchy. This is a Franconian language of the Moselle region. And while it is part of the West Central German group of High German language, more than 5,000 words in the Luxembourgish language have their origins in French. With the affinity of Luxembourgish to the 2 languages, FRENCH and GERMAN are also official languages. ENGLISH is widely spoken as well.
RELIGION
Luxembourg is predominantly Roman Catholic, while the country practices secularism in religion. Still, the state recognizes certain religions as officially-mandated, meaning the state has a hand in certain matters as the appointment of clergy. In return, the state handles some running costs and wages. Religions included in this arrangement are Lutheranism, Judaism, Greek Orthodoxy, Russian Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Mennonitism, and Islam. Yet, only about 40% of Luxembourgers believe in God.
ATTRACTIONS
It is a fact that while Luxembourg is stunning for its natural landscape including astounding ancient forests and rock formations in Müllerthal (northeast), period films set location here because of it carefully maintained old structures that look current including the spectacular castle of Vianden, the medieval market town of Clervaux, the Luxembourg Cathedrale Notre-Dame, and even the entire Lower Luxembourg City. Characteristic of Luxembourg’s “old world” features, besides the heritage structures, are the traditions still practiced to this day such as the celebration of Whit Tuesday in the eastern town of Echternach, a place of both outstanding nature and tradition.
And there is truly a plethora of these merriments in the Grand Duchy. At the same time, the Grand Duchy boasts an ultra-progressive and modern quality. And these qualities are present in the capital Luxembourg-Ville with its two districts – the quaint Old Centre (a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the modern downtown area Plâteau du Kirchberg where the famous bridge of Pont Grand Duchesse Charlotte can be seen. Insight towards the Luxembourgers past and present will all reveal with a visit at the marvellous museums in the region: National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of History and Art, and the Museum of the City of Luxembourg.
FOOD
With the Luxembourg scenery and diversity, any time of the year will make a perfect time to visit, whether you opt for flowers in spring, wine-making in autumn, or eating the whole-year round (certainly, dining chooses no time). Luxembourg cuisine combines a balance of German heartiness like in the carré de porc fume that is smoked pork and sauerkraut/ broad beans, or Cochon de lait en gelée or jellied suckling pig, and French-Belgian elegance as in the Omelette soufflée au kirsch. Recently, there have also been Italian and Portuguese inspirations on the gastronomy, adding a delightful spectrum of flavours.
Traditional dishes are based on “pork and potatoes” for the most part due to this prevalent German and central European influence on cuisine. In fact the “porky” national dish is judd mat gaardebounen which is smoked pork’s neck served with broad beans, and the almost “national” snack (because it’s a MUST-try) is Gromperekichelchen or “potato biscuits” which are shredded with onions, shallots, and parsley, like hash browns. Rich, hearty pork meals chugged down with Luxembourg’s specialty beer are ideally Luxembourg, although the dessert aspect Luxembourg dining definitely needs exploration.
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Josh Boorman
Editor-in-chief
Backpacking Addictz
Twitter: @backpackaddictz
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