Luxembourg is officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a landlocked nation in Western Europe. It is surrounded by Belgium to the west and also north, Germany to the eastern, as well as France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is among the four official capitals of the European Union (together with Brussels, Frankfurt, as well as Strasbourg) and also the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the greatest judicial authority in the EU.

Its culture, individuals, and languages are extremely intertwined with its next-door neighbors, making it a combination of French and also German societies. Luxembourgish is the only nationwide language of the Luxembourgish individuals, as defined by law. In addition to Luxembourgish, French and German are utilized in administrative and also judicial matters; the three languages are jointly taken into consideration administrative languages of Luxembourg.

With a location of 2,586 square kilometers (998 sq mi), it is just one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe. In 2022, Luxembourg had a population of 645,397, that makes it one of the least-populous countries in Europe, but by far the one with the greatest population growth price. Foreigners account for almost fifty percent of Luxembourg’s populace. As a representative democracy with a constitutional emperor, it is headed by Grand Duke Henri as well as is the globe’s only remaining sovereign grand duchy.

Luxembourg is an industrialized country, with a sophisticated economy and also among the world’s highest possible GDP (PPP) per capita. The City of Luxembourg, with its old quarters and also fortifications, was proclaimed a UNESCO Globe Heritage Website in 1994 as a result of the outstanding conservation of the large strongholds and also the old city.

The history of Luxembourg is taken into consideration to begin in 963, when count Siegfried obtained a rough headland and its Roman-era strongholds called Lucilinburhuc, “little castle”, and the bordering location from the Imperial Abbey of St. Maximin in close-by Trier. Siegfried’s descendants increased their territory via marital relationship, war and also vassal connections.

At the end of the 13th century, the counts of Luxembourg controlled a considerable area. In 1308, Matter of Luxembourg Henry VII came to be King of the Romans and later Holy Roman Emperor. The House of Luxembourg created four Holy Roman Emperors throughout the High Middle Ages. In 1354, Charles IV raised the county to the Duchy of Luxembourg. The duchy ultimately became part of the Burgundian Circle and afterwards one of the Seventeen Provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands.

Over the centuries, the City and Fortress of Luxembourg, of fantastic critical value given that it was located between the Kingdom of France as well as the Habsburg regions, was progressively developed to be among the most reputed strongholds in Europe. After coming from both the France of Louis XIV and also the Austria of Maria Theresa, Luxembourg became part of the First French Republic and also Empire under Napoleon.