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Luxembourg
Let's explore one of the world's most fascinating countries — packed with surprises, stories, and pen pal potential.
The Basics
3 Things That Will Blow Your Mind
Genuinely. You'll want to tell someone immediately.
Luxembourg is the only country in the world ruled by a Grand Duke
Most countries are republics or kingdoms. Luxembourg is officially a Grand Duchy, which means it is governed by a Grand Duke. It is the very last Grand Duchy anywhere on Earth and has been one since 1815.
Nearly half the people who work in Luxembourg live in other countries
Every weekday morning, approximately 200,000 people drive or take the train into Luxembourg from France, Belgium, and Germany to go to work and then return home again in the evening. These cross-border workers are called frontaliers and on a typical working day the number of people in Luxembourg is almost twice the number who actually live there.
Most children in Luxembourg grow up speaking at least four languages
Luxembourgish is the language spoken at home and with friends. German is used in primary school. French takes over as the main language in secondary school. English is used everywhere online and in business. Most Luxembourgers switch between all of them in the same day without really thinking about it because that is simply how Luxembourg works.
Famous For
Ancient Fortifications
Luxembourg City was once considered one of the most impregnable fortresses in Europe and earned the nickname Gibraltar of the North. The old city is built on dramatic rocky cliffs above a gorge and contains over 17 kilometres of tunnels and casemates cut directly into the rock over several centuries.
Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish is one of the rarest national languages in the world, spoken by only about 400,000 people in the whole world. It sounds a little like German and a little like Dutch but is its own distinct language that developed in a small country surrounded by powerful neighbours all speaking different things.
Heart of Europe
Luxembourg is one of the founding members of both the European Union and NATO and several major EU institutions are based in Luxembourg City. For a country of fewer than 700,000 people it has played an outsized role in shaping modern European history.
Free Public Transport
In 2020 Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make all public transport completely free for everyone. Trains, trams, and buses across the entire country cost nothing to ride, for citizens and visitors alike.
Did You Know?
Luxembourg City has more Michelin-starred restaurants per person than almost any other capital city in the world. For a place most people struggle to locate on a map, it has one of the finest dining scenes in Europe and the city is regularly visited by food lovers from across the continent specifically to eat there.
Pen Pal Connection
A child in Luxembourg might write to you about being able to drive to three different countries in under 40 minutes in any direction, the four languages they use depending on who they are talking to, the ancient tunnels carved under their city that stretch for kilometres below the streets, taking the free train anywhere in the country because it costs nothing, or what it feels like to live somewhere so small and so wealthy that most of the world needs reminding it is a separate country.