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Total population | |
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47,129 (2019) [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Illinois · Wisconsin · Michigan • Minnesota · Iowa · California · South Dakota · Ohio · Pennsylvania · New York · Florida · Indiana · Kansas · Missouri · Louisiana | |
Languages | |
American English · Luxembourgish · German · French · Yiddish · Hebrew | |
Religion | |
Roman Catholicism · Judaism · Lutheranism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
German Americans · Belgian Americans · French Americans · Swiss Americans |
Luxembourgish Americans are Americans of Luxembourgish ancestry. According to the United States' 2000 census, there were 45,139 Americans of full or partial Luxembourgish descent. [2] In 1940, the number of Americans with Luxembourgish ancestry was around 100,000. [3]
The first families from Luxembourg arrived in the United States, around 1842, fleeing from the overpopulation and economic change in the newly independent country. They worked in the field, as was traditional in their country. [4]
Luxembourger Americans are overwhelmingly concentrated in the Midwest, where most originally settled in the 19th century. In the 2000 census, the states with the largest self-reported Luxembourger American populations were Illinois (6,963), Wisconsin (6,580), Minnesota (5,867), Iowa (5,624), and California (2,824). [5]
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Between the mid-19th century and the early 20th century, approximately one-third of the Luxembourgish population emigrated. Luxembourg was, at the time, a poor country with an economy dominated by agriculture. [6] The United States was a popular destination for Luxembourgers, as it was for many other European emigrants of the period. The number of Luxembourgers who emigrated to the US in the 19th century is thought to be around 60,000–70,000. [7]
Substantial Luxembourgish emigration to America took off from about 1845, for several reasons. Advances in medicine caused the rate of infant mortality to decline. This resulted in overpopulation. The lack of work in industry led many to despair. The country could no longer feed its population. In the large families of the time, the dividing up of inheritances led to fragmentation of land ownership. The portion of each child was reduced to a few hectares, which was barely enough to feed a family. Selling one's portion to the elder brother, however, provided enough money for the other siblings to pay for the voyage to America and to start a new life there. [7]
Traveling was becoming easier in this period as well. Previously, it had taken as long to go from Luxembourg to Paris as from there to America. After a while, the news came to Europe that there was much unused land available in America. The Homestead Act offered fertile land for low prices. Many therefore took the step of attempting a new start, since staying in one's home country would mean death by starvation. [8]
Luxembourgers arriving in the United States would not necessarily be registered as such by the authorities, but instead as Belgians or Germans. After arriving in New York, Luxembourgers tended to move on to Chicago, as well as Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. A small number stayed in New York. [7]
In 1871, just after the Great Chicago Fire parishioners of St. Michael's Church in Chicago formed the first Luxembourger American organization in the United States, the Luxemburger Unterstützungsverein (Luxembourg Mutual Aid Society). [9] Other organizations followed including the Luxembourg Bruderbund and the Luxembourg American Cultural Society.
Lists of Americans |
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By US state |
By ethnicity |
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg City, 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 greatly influenced by its much larger neighbors France and Germany; for example, Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, 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, German and French – are used for administrative matters in the country.
Demographic features of the population of Luxembourg include population density, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Belgium is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located along Interstate 43, the village is one of the northernmost communities in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 2,245 at the 2020 census.
Luxembourg has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 38 times since its debut at the first contest in 1956. The Luxembourgish national broadcaster, RTL Lëtzebuerg (RTL), participates in the contest representing the country. The nation participated in all but one event between 1956 and 1993, only missing the 1959 contest. After finishing among the bottom seven countries in 1993, Luxembourg was relegated and prevented from competing in 1994. The nation declined to return to the contest in 1995, and would make no further appearances over the next three decades. The country returned to the event for the first time in 31 years in 2024.
The 12 cantons of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are subdivisions at the first level of local administrative unit (LAU-1) in the European Union's Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics for Eurostat purposes. They were subdivisions of the three districts of Luxembourg until 2015, when the district level of government was abolished. The cantons are in turn subdivided into 100 communes.
Luxembourgers are an ethnic group native to their nation state of Luxembourg, where they make up around half of the population. They share the culture of Luxembourg and speak Luxembourgish, a West Germanic language.
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.
The culture of Luxembourg refers to the cultural life and traditions of Luxembourg. Most citizens are trilingual, speaking French and German in addition to the Germanic national language of Luxembourgish. Although its contributions to the arts are not largely known outside its borders, Luxembourg has a rich cultural history, especially in music, painting and photography. Its evolving museums, concert halls, theatres and galleries testify to its citizens' growing appreciation of culture.
From August 1914 until the end of World War I on 11 November 1918, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was under full occupation by the German Empire. The German government justified the occupation by citing the need to support their armies in neighbouring France, although many Luxembourgers, past and present, have interpreted German actions otherwise.
St. Michael's Church in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago is a Catholic church staffed by the Redemptorist order of priests.
Luxemburger Wort is a German-language Luxembourgish daily newspaper. There is an English edition named the Luxembourg Times. It is owned by Mediahuis Luxembourg.
Multilingualism is a part of everyday life for the population of Luxembourg. Legally and socially, different sectors of Luxembourg use French, German, and Luxembourgish, which is a variety of Moselle Franconian, partially mutually intelligible with the neighbouring High German but with a large number of loanwords from French. Additionally, most citizens learn English and may study other languages as well. A substantial immigrant population has brought numerous immigrant languages to the small state, notably Portuguese, which is spoken by more than one-fifth of the population. However, the different languages are used in different social situations.
Portuguese Luxembourgers, also known as Luso-Luxembourgers, are citizens or residents of Luxembourg whose ethnic origins lie in Portugal, including both Portuguese-born citizens with Luxembourg citizenship and Luxembourg-born citizens of Portuguese ancestry or citizenship.
Luxembourg nationality law is ruled by the Constitution of Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a member state of the European Union and, therefore, its citizens are also EU citizens.
The Luxembourgish Patriot League was a Luxembourgish Resistance movement during World War II. When Luxembourg was invaded and annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940, a national consciousness started to come about. The LPL was founded on 4 September 1940 at the Lycée of Echternach in Echternach by Raymond Petit.
Antoine Meyer, also known as Antun or Tun Meyer (1801–1857) was a Luxembourg-born mathematician and poet who later adopted Belgian nationality. Sometimes referred to as the father of Luxembourgish literature, he is remembered for publishing the very first book in Luxembourgish, a collection of six poems entitled "E' Schrek ob de' lezeburger Parnassus".
The involvement of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in World War II began with its invasion by German forces on 10 May 1940 and lasted beyond its liberation by Allied forces in late 1944 and early 1945.
When Luxembourg was invaded and annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940, a national consciousness started to emerge. From 1941 onwards, the first resistance groups formed in secret, operating underground and in defiance of the German occupation. Their covert activities included aiding political refugees and those evading conscription into the German forces, as well as disseminating patriotic leaflets to bolster the Luxembourgish population's spirits.
Luxembourgish Canadians are Canadian citizens of Luxembourger descent or Luxembourg-born people who reside in Canada. According to the 2016 Census there were 3,915 Canadians who claimed full or partial Luxembourgish ancestry.
Luxembourgers in Chicago are an ethnic group in the Chicago area.