GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG
Population: 454,157
Area: 2,586 sq. km.
Economy: In 2002, Luxembourg ranked 18th in the UN's Human Development Index survey and 102nd in total GDP, with the world's highest per capita GDP at $44,586. O.3% of the population live on less than $11 per day. Debt service statistics unavailable.
Main Languages: Luxembourgish, French, German
Monkey's Name: Af, Le Singe, Der Affe (ah-f, luh sonzh, dare off-uh)
Fun Fact: Luxembourg is the most generous international donor nation in the world. It gives away over $356 per citizen annually. The next closest country, Norway, is about $47 per person behind Luxembourg.
In 963 Luxembourg shed some of its ties to Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire and Siegfried, a count from the Ardennes (a region now split between Belgium and Luxembourg), became the first king of an independent Luxembourg. The kingdom's core was the fortress that is the site of today's capital. Situated above the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers on a high, rock promontory called the Bock, subsequent kings and conquerors of Luxembourg—the French, Austrians, Spanish, and the German Confederation among them—continued to fortify the citadel. These military engineering projects led Luxembourg City to be dubbed "the Gibraltar of the North." So renowned were its fortifications that in 1867, long after cannons and artillery had proven their supremacy over masonry walls, when the Conference of London was called by the Great Powers to settle the question of Luxembourg's autonomy and neutrality, the agreement stipulated that the city's defenses must be dismantled. This was partially accomplished, but the Monkey was pleased to see that many of the fortifications are still present.
Luxembourg is a tiny and pleasant country, almost a bit fairy-tale. There is much remaining evidence of its feudal past in the remnants of 76 of its 109 medieval castles, the bastions of the nobility that ruled over peasant serfs. Industry and services have long since supplanted agriculture as the chief industries in these lands, though the Monkey was happy to visit some Luxembourgish vineyards that were churning out delicious wines. As a founding member of the Benelux union with Belgium and the Netherlands in 1948, Luxembourg played a key role in creating the foundations for the European Union. It was an original member of the EU, and is the seat of the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank.
The Monkey enjoyed his visit to Luxembourg and looks forward to future visits to this fascinating little country.
The Monkey in Luxembourg City, one of the most interesting settings for a city in the world.
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