Luxembourg Hotels

Within Western Europe lies the country of Luxembourg. Its borders include France, Germany and Belgium. It is a tri-lingual country with three official languages, German, Luxembourgish and French. History The origins of Luxembourg began in 963 when the fort of ‘Lucilinburhuc’ was captured by ‘Siegfried’, ‘Count of Ardennes’. It was from there that a town grew up.

In 1437 the territory was sold by ‘Duchess Elisabeth’ to ‘Philip the Good of Burgundy’ as there was no male heir. Over the next few centuries the fortress in Luxembourg was strengthened. In 1815 Luxembourg was quarrelled over by Prussia and The Netherlands.

Later Luxembourg was made a ‘Grand Duchy’ by the ‘Congress of Vienna’. During the ‘Belgian Revolution of 1830-39 Luxembourg’s land area was reduced and the western half was transferred to Belgium. By 1839 Luxembourg had independence, also in this year Luxembourg joined the ‘Zolverein’.

By 1867 Luxembourg was independent again; this lasted until 1890 under the rule of the King of the Netherlands. During World War I Luxembourg was invaded by Germany but still had independence. In World War II Luxembourg was invaded again.

By 1944 Luxembourg was liberated. In 1946 it became a member of the United Nations. In 1949 Luxembourg became part of NATO and in 1999 Luxembourg joined the Euro currency.

Climate Luxembourg has a similar climate to that of Britain, it is oceanic and has a lot of rainfall which occurs especially during late summer. Cuisine Luxembourg’s food is influenced by that of the German and French style cuisine. Delicacies include pastries, fresh fish, ham cheese and black pudding.

Other specialities include Miel Luxembourgeois de Marque Nationale, which is honey from Luxembourg, Thuringer, which are small spiced sausages, Grompere Kichelcher, which are spiced potato pancakes, Eisleker Ham, which is very thinly spliced ham, Kachkeis, which is a soft cheese spread, pate and Quetschenaart, which is plum tart. Places of Interest Luxembourg is a great place for hiking, ‘The Good Land’ hike stretches along the ‘Attert’ and ‘Eisch’ rivers. The ‘Wenzel Walk’ goes through Luxembourg’s oldest quarter.

It is also a great place for bikers too, especially the ‘Ardennes’ region. Other places of interest include ‘Bock Promontory’, ‘Castle Bridge’ which was built in 1735, ‘Church of St Ulric’ which is the oldest parish church, ‘Jacob Tower, ‘National Museum of Military History’, ‘General Patton Memorial Museum’, ‘Book Casemates’ which are underground fortifications that date back to 1644, ‘Vianden Castle’, which was built in the 11th century, ‘Victor Hugo House’, which opened in 1935, Luxembourg City History Museum’, ‘Beaufort Castle in Echternach’, which are medieval ruins near a lake with swans, ‘The Bank Museum’, ‘Butterfly Gardens’ in Grevenmacher’, ‘Musee d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean’ which opened in 2006, the ‘Moselle Valley’,which is famous for its white wines and ‘Mondorf le Domain Thermal’, which is Europe’s mot modern spa. Summary Luxembourg has several places of interest including great hiking opportunities and a varied cuisine which should please all.