Where in the world is Luxembourg
By Lisa Oberg
Have you ever proudly mentioned your Luxembourg heritage in conversation only to be asked “Isn’t that part of Germany?” or something along those lines? Unless you are from Luxembourg or of Luxembourg-descent it is a reasonable question and one you might not even have known the answer to at one time!
Luxembourg is not the smallest country in Europe – that would be Vatican City – but it is certainly small by comparison to the United States. At 999 square miles Luxembourg is smaller even than the state of Rhode Island, so it is no surprise not everyone knows quite where it is. Luxembourg is located in Western Europe, bordered by Belgium to the north and west, France to the south and Germany to the east. Luxembourg as a nation dates back to 963, when Sigefroid constructed a castle at Lucilinburhuc, “little fortress”, at present day Luxembourg City. The castle’s strategic location enabled Sigefroid’s descendants, the succeeding Counts of Luxembourg, to extend their holdings far beyond the country’s current borders.
After the original dynastic line died out, Luxembourg was ruled by the Bourbons, Habsburgs, Hohenzollerns, and the French, among others. After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, the country finally achieved independence, although a battle for the country continued between Prussia and the Netherlands. Over time the country was reduced to one quarter of its original size in three separate “partitions”. The areas surrounding the cities of Thionville and Montmédy were partitioned to France in 1659. Land in the north and east was lost to Prussia in 1815. Finally in 1839, following the Belgian Revolution, Luxembourg was reduced by half – to its present size – when the western part of the country was ceded to become Belgium’s province of Luxembourg.
Luxembourg may be small, but it is large in history and culture. So next time someone looks at you quizzically when you mention your Luxembourg roots reassure them it is not part of Germany… or Belgium or France. Though it has been conquered many times, Luxemboug’s enduring legacy is evident in the country’s motto, Mir wölle bleiwe wat mir sin! “We want to remain what we are!”
