Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a small landlocked country in Western Europe. It borders Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg, is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union and the seat of several EU institutions, notably the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority. Luxembourg's culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its French and German neighbors; while Luxembourgish is the only national language of the Luxembourgish people and of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, French is the only language for legislation, and all three – Luxembourgish, French and German – are used for administrative matters in the country.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has long been a prominent supporter of European political and economic integration. In 1921, Luxembourg and Belgium formed the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) to create an inter-exchangeable currency and a common customs regime. Post-war, Luxembourg became a founding member state of the United Nations, and dropped its policy of neutrality to become a founding member state of NATO. Luxembourg expanded its support for European integration, becoming a founding member state of the Benelux Economic Union, and one of the "inner six" founding member states of the three European Communities; the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Economic Community (EEC). Subsequently, Luxembourg became a founding member state of the European Union (EU) when the EEC and ECSC were incorporated into it in 1993. Luxembourg is a founding member of the Schengen Area, abolishing internal borders amongst its member states, named after the Luxembourg village where the original agreement — since incorporated into EU law — was signed in 1985. At the same time, the majority of Luxembourgers have consistently believed that European unity makes sense only in the context of a dynamic transatlantic relationship, and thus have traditionally pursued a pro-NATO, pro-US foreign policy.
Luxembourg, also known as Luxembourg City, is the capital city of Luxembourg and the country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxembourg, the city lies at the heart of Western Europe, situated 213 km (132 mi) by road from Brussels, 372 km (231 mi) from Paris, and 209 km (130 mi) from Cologne. The city contains Luxembourg Castle, established by the Franks in the Early Middle Ages, around which a settlement developed.
The Left is a democratic socialist political party in Luxembourg. On the political spectrum, it is considered a left-wing or far-left political party. The Left is associated with The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament but does not have any members. The party participates in the Party of the European Left. Déi Lénk wishes to transition Luxembourg from a constitutional monarchy into a republic.
ISO 3166-2:LU is the entry for Luxembourg in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.
The Stade Josy Barthel is the former national stadium of Luxembourg, and the former home of the Luxembourg national football team. The stadium, which also hosted rugby union and athletics events, is located on route d'Arlon, in the Luxembourg City quarter of Belair. Following the opening of the Stade de Luxembourg in September 2021, the stadium and its grounds are currently due for demolition and redevelopment.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Luxembourg since 1 January 2015. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriages was enacted by the Chamber of Deputies on 18 June 2014 and signed into law by Grand Duke Henri on 4 July. Partnerships have also been available in Luxembourg since November 2004.
The linguistic situation in Luxembourg is characterized by the practice and the recognition of three official languages: French, German, and the national language Luxembourgish, established in law in 1984. These three languages are also referred to as the three administrative languages, as the constitution does not specify them as being "official". As of 2018, 98% of the population was able to speak French at more or less a high level, 78% spoke German, and 77% Luxembourgish.
Luxembourg's 102 communes conform to LAU Level 2 and are the country's lowest administrative divisions.
Christianity is the largest religion in Luxembourg, with significant minorities of non-religious people and adherents of other faiths.
Belair (formerly:"Neumerl") is a quarter in western Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg.
Luxemburger Wort is a German-language Luxembourgish daily newspaper. There is an English edition named the Luxembourg Times.
The National Library of Luxembourg, abbreviated as BnL, is Luxembourg's national library. It was founded in its current form in 1899, as a result of a series of different institutions originating in the 18th century. It is located in the Kirchberg district of Luxembourg City. The BnL is a public establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.
The Lëtzebuerger Journal is an online magazine in Luxembourg. It was formerly a daily newspaper published six times a week until 1 January 2021. The online magazine is currently managed by Daniel Nepgen, Lynn Warken and Melody Hansen (editor-in-chief).
La Voix du Luxembourg was a French-language newspaper published in Luxembourg between 2001 and 2011.
Privat is a German languaged News- and Online-Paper, Web-Radio and -TV in Luxembourg. It is published by the Groupe Nicolas group.
The Luxembourgish National Time Trial Championship is a time trial race that takes place inside the Luxembourgish National Cycling Championship, and decides the best cyclist in this type of race. The first edition took place in 1999 as a men's only competition, won by Christian Poos. Bob Jungels holds the record for the most wins in the men's championship with seven. The women's record is held by Christine Majerus with sixteen wins, including every year following the initial women's championship in 2006.
Le Quotidien is a French-language daily newspaper published in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. It has been in circulation since 2001.
The accounting profession in Luxembourg is structured around Ordre des Experts-Comptables (OEC) which serves as the main accounting body in the country. Luxembourg accounting standards are inspired from neighbouring France and Belgium. Similar to France, Luxembourg has set up a Commissions des Normes Comptables (CNC) which serves as an advisor to the Ministry for Justice in respect of accounting related matters, e.g. waivers for presenting consolidated accounts.
The Service de Renseignement de l'État, full name Service de Renseignement de l'État Luxembourgeois, is Luxembourg's homeland intelligence agency. The agency is colloquially known in Luxembourgish as the "Spëtzeldéngscht“.
