A tour option for those in the Midwest of Germany is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Its capital, the city of Luxembourg, is just 35 km from the German border.
With a population of 600 thousand inhabitants, equivalent to the city of Stuttgart, Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe and the only grand duchy in the world today. Its small territory, however, contains beautiful forests, castles, and a rich and charming capital.
In contrast to its discrete dimensions, Luxembourg has the highest GDP per capita in the world (IMF data for 2020). This is reflected in some characteristics that we can observe during a guided tour of its capital, such as clean streets, safe and efficient transport, and a calm and organized city. Many foreign investors choose to open a headquarters or headquarters in Luxembourg, as the country offers several tax incentives.
Its strategic position has ensured it is one of the largest fortresses in Europe since the 15th century, where it was called “Gibraltar of the North” due to its impenetrability. However, in 1866, France and Prussia exchange sparks and narrowly declare war for possession of the Luxembourg fortress, where they ended up signing the Treaty of London of 1867, which required the dismantling of the fortress and that Luxembourg be placed in perpetual neutrality, leading to the end of the country’s use as a military location. It is currently possible to visit what remains of the forts, which together with the city’s old quarter have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the curiosities of Luxembourg is that a quarter of its population speaks Portuguese, in addition to German, French, (official languages), English, and of course, Luxembourgish, which has influences from neighboring countries (France, Germany, and Belgium). Since 2010, Luxembourgish is considered a vulnerable language, that is, it has great risks of disappearing in the coming decades. To circumvent this, the local government has taken steps to preserve and make the language one of the European Union’s officials. It is common to observe an exchange of dialogues in more than one language, in which one person asks in German and the other answers in Luxembourgish, for example.
A point in the Luxembourg fortress that the traveler cannot miss is the Casemates du Bock. The casemates are fortifications that have the objective of military defense, and in this specific case, they still had the advantage of being the rocky cliffs, above the river Alzette. These fortifications had started to be built in 963, by Count Siegfried, next to his castle, Lucilinburhuc, from where the city of Luxembourg developed.
The relief of Luxembourg is really incredible, which allows us to admire landscapes as we don’t see anywhere else, with plateaus, and a valley in the middle of the city, the traveler can take a stroll and visit the Place de la Constitution, from which he will have an impressive panoramic view.
In addition to this, there are several interesting points in the city, such as the museum that tells the history of the country (Lëtzebuerg City Museum), which in the past has been a strong producer of gloves for all of Europe. In addition to this, on our guided tour in Luxembourg, you will discover several curiosities, such as preserved medieval old clothes.
For travelers who are in Germany and want to include Luxembourg in their itinerary, or take a guided tour of Luxembourg, we carry out this tour from several cities in Germany. Contact us to know more about our tours and personalized trips.
