Luxembourg

Luxembourg has a very long history that extends as far back as 963. While it is now a small independent nation, it is very economically stable, with the nation’s finances coming from its iron ore exploration and subsequent steel industry. Its economic stability contributed greatly to the economic union with its neighbors, The Netherlands and Belgium. Later Luxembourg, the only Grand Duchy in the world played a significant role in the creation of the European Union. With its economic stability, its citizens are enjoying a high standard of living. Luxembourg did not suffer from the economic crisis that hit Europe in recent years.

:: Background of Luxembourg ::

Luxembourg was once part of the empire of Charlemagne. Luxembourg was founded in 963 when it became independent and the Count of Ardennes, Siegfried acquired a castle called Lucilinburhuc on a section of land that is now the location of the capital city of Luxembourg. The location became a fortress and a town grew around what was named the Gibraltar of the North. Conrad, who descended from Siegfried, became the count of Luxembourg in 1060. Spanish, French, Austrians, Prussians and Burgundians all wanted to seize the fortress of Luxembourg. Even the fortified fortress had to be rebuilt around twenty times after each siege that the fortress faced. Through a succession of rulers, the size of the territory increased.

Prussia and the Netherlands entered into a dispute over Luxembourg when Napoleon was defeated in 1815. Luxembourg became a Grand Duchy united with the Netherlands through the Congress of Vienna that settled the dispute. It also once became part of the German Confederation, with Prussian troops manning the fortress.

The territory of Luxembourg was significantly reduced to almost half its size when the Belgian Revolution was waged from 1830 to 1839 as the western part of the territory was returned to Belgium. Luxembourg became independent in 1839 by virtue of the Treaty of London, also called the Convention of 1839, a treaty between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Untied Kingdom of the Netherlands. The eastern part of Luxembourg in turn joined the Zollverein or German Customs Union to establish economic ties while still in personal union with the Netherlands, until it was granted autonomy in 1848. The London Conference of 1867 established Luxembourg as a neutral territory to be governed by a grand duke. During WWI and WWII, the country was occupied by the Germans. Luxembourg was liberated in 1944 by Allied troops.

In 1946 Luxembourg became a founding member of the United Nations; joined NATO in 1949 and was a founding member of the European Union in 1957. It joined the Euro currency era in 1999. The son and heir of Grand Duchess Charlotte, Prince Jean was made the head of state in 1961 until the Grand Duchess abdicated and Prince Jean became the grand duke who became the head of state for twenty-six years. In October 2000, Crown Prince Henri was sworn in as grand duke of Luxembourg.

:: Geography of Luxembourg ::

Landlocked and composed of gently rolling uplands and with a cool and mild climate, Luxembourg is a country that lack few natural resources but rich in human resources. It is one of the smallest countries in Europe.

Location
Luxembourg is a landlocked nation in northerwestern Europe, nestled in the midst of France, Germany and Belgium.

Geographic Coordinates
Luxembourg, which gained independence from The Netherlands in 1839 is geographically located 49° 45’ North of the Equator and 6° 10’ East of Greenwich.

Area
The country is one of the smallest nations in the world. Its total land area is 2,586 square kilometers, slightly smaller than Rhode Island and about half the size of Delaware. The country is landlocked therefore there are no territorial waters to be claimed. Luxembourg does not have a coastline.

Land Boundaries
Luxembourg has a long boundary, totaling 359 kilometers. It shares 148 kilometers of border with Belgium. Its border with Germany is 138 kilometers while its border with France is 73 kilometers long.

Climate
The climate of Luxembourg is mild and temperate. The summer months have generally cool weather, with an average temperature of 63° F. Even during winter, the weather is not that severe, with the average temperature reaching 32° F. Luxembourg is sheltered by the Ardennes mountain range on its northern portion so the country is shielded from the strong winds blowing from the north. The northwesterly wind that prevails is what keeps the temperature in Luxembourg mild. The southwest portion of Luxembourg receives the most rain, with an annual average of about 30 inches.

Terrain
The terrain of Luxembourg is mostly composed of gently rolling uplands. It has shallow and broad valleys. The northern portion of the country is slightly hilly, with the highest point of Luxembourg located in the commune of Troisvierges up north. Oftentimes it is listed that the highest point in Luxembourg is the Buurgplaatz, a hill that rises to 559 meters. Close to it, near the town of Wilwerdange, still in the commune of Trousvierges is Kneiff, which is a meter higher than Buurgplaatz at 560 meters, which makes it the highest point in the county. The northern section of the country steeply slopes down to the Moselle flood plains located in the southeast of the country. The lowest point in Luxembourg is the Moselle River, which is 133 meters above sea level.

Natural Resources
Luxembourg is not particularly rich in natural resources. It made its economy very viable when iron ore was discovered but that had been exhausted around the 1980s. Despite having arable lands, agriculture is not an industry that Luxembourg can rely on for the country’s economy. It does have timber and water. What Luxembourg lacks in natural resources is compensated by its richness in human resources that have displayed ingenuity and adaptability to make their country’s economy grow, as well as the country’s efficient use of its capital.

Land Use
Only 27.4 % of the total land in Luxembourg is arable and 0.69% is planted with permanent crops. Twenty percent is covered by permanent pastures and forests cover twenty-one percent. The rest is used as residential, commercial and manufacturing areas.

Natural Hazards
Luxembourg is a very lucky nation as it faces no natural hazards, being protected by its neighboring countries as well as the Ardennes mountain range.

Current Environmental Issues
The country of Luxembourg is highly industrialized, with several tire manufacturing, metal fabrication and chemical plants operating in Luxembourg. Existing environmental issues that plague the country are air and water pollution in the urban areas and soil pollution of its meager farmlands.

International Environmental Agreements
Luxembourg has signed but has not yet ratified the international agreements on environmental modification. It has however joined in several international agreements involving issues on polluted air such as air pollution-sulphur 85 and 94, air pollution, air pollution, air pollution-volatile organic compounds, air pollution-persistent organic pollutants and air pollution-nitrogen oxides due to its heavy manufacturing industries. It has also entered into agreements regarding climate change, biodiversity, climate change-Kyoto protocol, endangered species, desertification, law of the sea, hazardous wastes, ozone layer protection, marine dumping, ship pollution, wetlands as well as tropical timber 83 and 94.

:: People of Luxembourg ::

Population
As of the 2011 estimates, the population of Luxembourg is about 511,840. Its median age is 39.4 years, with 38.4 years for the males and as of the July 2011 estimates, 40.4 years for the females. The population growth is estimated to be 1.145%. The birth rate, according to the 2011 estimates is 11.69 births per 1,000 people while the death rate is placed at 8.48 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.

Net migration is estimated in 2011 to be 8.24 migrants for every 1,000 inhabitants.
According to the estimates for 2011, the fertility rate is 1.77 children born for every female of child-bearing age in Luxembourg.

Age Structure
The current age structure in Luxembourg is divided into 18.2% for those in the zero to 14 years age bracket, with 18.2% or 47,274 males over 44,366 females. Those in the 15 to 64 years age bracket represent 66.9%, with 167,211 females and 169,343 males. In the 65 years and over group, there are 31,086 males and 44,022 females, representing 14.9%.

Sex Ratio
At birth, the sex ratio is 1.066 males for every female born. The ratio is maintained in the under 15 years age group, with 1.07 males for every female. It decreases slight as the age level increases. In the 15 to 64 age group, there is 1.01 male for every female. There is only 0.7 male for every female in the 65 years and over age group. The average sex ratio for the whole population is 0.97 male for every female.

Infant Mortality Rate
In the whole of Luxembourg, the infant mortality rate is 4.44 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is almost evenly divided between the males and females. There are 4.46 deaths for the males for every 1,000 live births and 4.42 deaths for the females.

Life Expectancy at Birth
The females outlive the males in Luxembourg slightly. Life expectancy at birth is 83.08 years for females while it is 76.36 for the males. The country average is placed at 79.61 years across all sexes.

HIV/AIDS
Although there are no natural hazards affecting the country, Luxembourg as a highly industrialized nation is not immune to the onset of HIV/AIDS among its population. According to the 2009 estimate the adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS is 0.3%. According to the same estimate, there are fewer than 1,000 cases of people living with HIV/AIDS in the country and there are fewer than 100 deaths that occurred due to HIV/ AIDS.

Nationality
Luxembourger(s) is used as a noun while Luxembourg is used as an adjective.

Ethnic Groups
There are a few ethnic groups co-existing in Luxembourg. The majority consists of Luxembourgers with 63.1%. It is followed by the Portuguese with 13.3% and the French with 4.5%. The Italians are represented with 4.3% and the Germans comprise 2.3%. Other EU groups represent 7.3% and other minorities represent 5.2%, according to the 2000 census.

Religions
Eighty-seven percent of the population of Luxembourg is Roman Catholic. Protestants, Muslims and Jewish account for 13% of the population, based on the 2000 census.

Languages
Due to its proximity to Belgium, Germany and France, the citizens of Luxembourg are tri-lingual. Luxembourgish or Luxembourgeois is the national language while German and French are administrative languages. Locally the national language is called Lëtzebuergesch.

Literacy
Luxembourgers have a high literacy rate. It is estimated that 100% of the population is literate, with the total population, male and female receiving an education and staying in school for 13 years in total.

:: References ::
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/lu.html
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Luxembourg.html
http://www.learn-french-help.com/information-on-luxembourg.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107734.html

Geography of Luxembourg: Important Geographical Information about Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a small landlocked country located in northwestern Europe is surrounded by Belgium on the western and northern sides. Belgium also separates Luxembourg from the North Sea. France borders it on the south and Germany shares borders with Luxembourg on the eastern side.

Luxembourg is about 84 kilometers long from north to south and 56 kilometers wide from east to west. Its capital city, Luxembourg is considered as one of the smallest capital cities in the world with only about 100,000 residents.

Topography
The topography of Luxembourg is divided into two distinct regions. One third of the whole country is located in the north, where the land is hilly. The region is called Oesling. Large deciduous forests can be found in the Oesling, and also where the highest hills in Luxembourg, especially near the borders with Germany and Belgium are located. Scenic river valleys including the Wiltz, Our, Upper Sauer and Clerve dominate the landscape. This northern region is sparsely populated and the villages’ economy relies on tourism. Among the larger villages like Vianden, Clervaux and Wiltz, only the latter is inhabited by more than 2,000 residents.

Two-thirds of the country or the southern and central regions are flat and locally called the Gutland or Good Land., a description derived from the fertile agricultural section of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Gutland is further subdivided into sub-regions such as the Red Lands, the Moselle Valley, the Valley of the Seven Castles, the Luxembourg Plateau and Little Switzerland. These sub-regions are urbanized and some are highly populated like Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette. The Luxembourg Plateau has the most fertile lands suitable for agriculture. It is also where the capital city of Luxembourg is located. The Moselle Valley is also a fertile sub-region and the wine growing section of Luxembourg where vineyards can be found. This is where white wine or Moselle wine has been produced since the 19th century. The sub-region called Red Lands is the most densely populated area in Luxembourg. The Red Lands got its name from the red iron-laden soil in the area. This is one of the most exceptional iron-producing areas in Western Europe that largely contributed to the economic stability and prosperity of Luxembourg. From the local steel industry, it became an international steel producer, forming partnerships with France and Spain to create Arcelor. With the merging of Arcelor and Mittal, it became the largest steel producer in the world, as of 2010.

Rivers and Lakes
The main river in Luxembourg is the Moselle, which originates from northeast France, flows through Luxembourg for 31 kilometers and joins the river Rhine in Germany. Its tributaries are Sûre and Our. There are other minor rivers, like the Alzette, the Pétrusse and the Eisch. These rivers form a natural boundary between Germany and the Grand Duchy.

Some of the rivers and lakes create idyllic countryside locations where tourism flourishes. Other areas like the Upper Sûre Lake is a haven for tourists where a variety of water sport activities like kayaking, canoeing and sailing can be done. A hydroelectric reservoir has been built in the upper section of the river. A dam was also built in the 1960s for the supply of drinking water to the country.

Climate
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is blessed with very fine weather. The Ardennes mountain range protects it from the strong northerly wind, while the northwesterly winds bring cool air into the country keeping the summer cool and the winter mild. While the northern region experiences erratic weather patterns influenced by the Atlantic weather system, which bring rainfall in the winter and frequent overcast skies, the southern part of the country has a more pleasant climate. With an annual average temperature of 50° F and regular rainfall that averages about 31.5 inches, the southern section has a climate that provides good growing conditions for flowers, fruits and crops, particularly in the Moselle Valley where wine grapes are grown.

Flora and Fauna
Large quantities of hardwood trees are found in Luxembourg. There are beech and oak trees in the northern region. The oak trees grow as high as 45 meters with a diameter of up to 2.4 meters. Black Alder and willows are found along the river banks. The willow trees that can grow as high as 20 meters are highly valued for their use in creating ornamental items while the alder wood highly priced because they are resistant to diseases and remain durable and strong even when placed under water.

The valleys in the northern section of Luxembourg provide a very good habitat for plants and animals including the protected European otter, wild boar, roe deer and deer. There are plenty of chestnut, spruce, elm, linden and pine trees. The abandoned quarries and open pit mines during the heyday of iron ore mining have been reclaimed by nature creating a unique landscape. And the fertile regions are usually covered with a myriad of colorful flowers.

:: References ::
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Luxembourg
http://www.luxembourg.co.uk/nutshell.html

Information about the Luxembourger Flag: Colors and Meaning of the Flag of Luxembourg

The flag of Luxembourg has been used since 1848 although it was only officially adopted on June 23, 1972. The colors of the flag had been used since the Belgian Revolution in the 1830s to show their patriotism, derived from the colors in the coat of arms of counts, dukes and Grand Duke of Luxembourg during the 13th century. The design of the current flag was created and fixed on June 12, 1845 after Luxembourg gained independence from Germany in 1835. It was greatly influenced by the flag of France. The current flag, with three equal sized horizontal stripes of red, white and blue is quite similar to the national flag of Netherlands. The difference is in the blue stripe, which uses a brighter and lighter blue than that of the flag of Netherlands. It is also longer, using either a ratio of 1:2 or 3:5.

:: References ::
http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/luxembourg-flag.html
http://www.worldflags101.com/l/luxembourg-flag.aspx

Extensive List of Languages of Luxembourg: Spoken and Extinct Languages

French
[fra] 13,100 in Luxembourg (Johnstone 1993). Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian, Oïl, French

German, Standard
[deu] 10,900 in Luxembourg (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001). Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, High German, German, Middle German, East Middle German

Luxembourgeois
[ltz] 250,000 in Luxembourg (1998). Population total all countries: 320,830. Also in Belgium, France, Germany, United States. Alternate names: Frankish, Letzburgisch, Lëtzebuergesch, Luxembourgish, Luxemburgian, Luxemburgish, Moselle Franconian. Dialects: As distinct from Standard German as is Dutch [nld] (Stephens 1976); not inherently intelligible with it. A Moselle variety of Frankish-German origin, related to varieties of Mitteldeutsch of Belgium. Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, High German, German, Middle German, West Middle German, Moselle Franconian

:: Reference ::
Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/

Famous Luxembourger People: Luxembourger Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

The Grand Duchy Luxembourg, the sixth smallest nation in the world has its share of famous personalities that have made a mark in different fields – from the arts, politics, literature, sports and science. They are just some of many famous Luxembourgers who have lifted Luxembourg’s name worldwide and made a difference in our world. Their purpose and stories inspired awe if not greatness.

:: List of Famous People from Luxembourg ::

Joseph Jean Ferdinand Kutter
Joseph Kutter was born on December 12, 1894. He was one of the most important painters of Luxembourg. He introduced modern painting in his country, greatly inspired by the Impressionists painters of Europe but created his own style called Expressionism. He was first introduced to the works of Wilhelm Maria Hubertus Leibl when he studied painting at the Munich Academy before he became influenced by the style of French artist, Paul Cézanne. Kutter’s painting style always portrayed the subjects in the foreground. He regularly used strong brushstrokes with his portraits all notably showing large noses that particularly attract attention. Most notable of Kutter’s work were the Snow Scene, Wooden Horse, Red House and The Champion. Kutter contracted a disease that doctors failed to diagnose, which brought him great pain at times. He died on January 2, 1941.

Marc Girardelli
Marc Girardelli was born in Austria on July 18, 1963. Now retired, he was a former alpine ski racer and had been the World Cup overall champion five times. Girardelli excelled in all of the five alpine disciplines at the height of his career. Girardelli started skiing at five years of age and began to race when he was seven years old. He was an Austrian skier until 1976 then switched to Luxembourg due to coaching disagreements.

He made significant progress in his first podium in 1981 and from then on became a regular contender for the giant slalom and slalom podiums. He attained his first victory in Sweden in 1983 although it was followed by agony when he tore all the ligaments in his left knee, his first major skiing injury. But in the following year, 1984, Girardelli won five slalom races, placing third in the World Cup overall standings. He went on to win 11 races and the World Cup overall title in 1985, 1986 and 1989. He had his second major skiing injury in 1990 where he almost became a paraplegic. He subsequently made a full recovery and won the World Cup overall title once again in 1991, and won the coveted title for the fifth time in 1993 – an achievement that is still unequalled in the men’s side.
He was not eligible to join the Luxembourg skiing team in the 1980 and 1984 Winter Olympics because he was still an Austrian citizen at the time. He finally received his Luxembourg citizenship before the Winter Olympics in 1988 but he did not win any medal. In the 1992 Winter Olympics, Girardelli won silver in the giant slalom and in the Super G.

Henri Owen Tudor
Engineer, inventor and industrialist, Henri Owen Tudor, born on September 30, 1859 was the developer of the first practical lead-acid battery in the world, the Tudor battery. He developed it in 1886. He quickly established a manufacturing plant in Luxembourg but found it too costly because local demand was very little at that time and his country did not have a lead industry. Tudor expanded and established manufacturing in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and in Belgium. His company employed 25,000 people by the time Henry Tudor died in 1928, ironically from lead poisoning.

Joseph (Josy) Barthel
Josy Barthel, one of Luxembourg’s outstanding athletes was born on April 24, 1927. He was a middle distance runner during WWII. He won the Military World Championships held in Berlin in the 800 meter division in 1947. He improved his record by winning both the 800 meters and the 1,500 meters the following year in the Military World Championships held in Brussels. He held the distinction of winning the gold in the Men’s 1500 meters during the Summer Olympics in 1952. And he was the only athlete from Luxembourg to have won an Olympic gold medal.

Four years earlier, in the Summer Olympics in London, Josy finished 9th in the finals of the 1,500 meters. In 1949 he won the Student World Championships in the 800 meters, and then followed that up with wins in the 800 meters and the 1,500 meters in 1951. Josy Barthel retired from running after participating in the 1956 Summer Olympics. He acted as the president of the Luxembourg Athletics Federation in 1962 before he held the position of president of the Luxembourgish Olympic and Sporting Committee from 1973 to 1977. Josy died from a severe illness on July 7, 1992. The Lycée Technique Josy Barthel and the Stade Josy Barthel were named in his honor.

Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller who was born on May 9, 1983 holds the distinction of being one of the most successful professional tennis players from Luxembourg. He was a finalist in the Wimbledon Championships in 2001. Müller was the 2001 boy’s singles champion in the US Open, beating Yeu-Tzuoo Wang 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the finals and ended the year as the Number 1 Junior Tennis Player in the world.
Although he has yet to win a title in the men’s senior tour, Gilles has the talent to advance in his career as he has beaten some of the great tennis players such as Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Tommy Haas, Nicolas Almagro, Laurent Recouderc, Nikolay Davydenko and Feliciano Lopez.

Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul was one of the cycling greats from Luxembourg. He was born in Pfaffenthal on December 8, 1932. Charly was a fragile-looking man with a long, sad face. He had short legs which were not in proportion to his lanky figure. Despite looking fragile, Charly was a slaughterman at an abattoir and also worked in a butcher’s shop. He was an amateur cyclist who had won over 60 races before he turned professional in 1953. Charly was at his best when riding in cold, wet weather as he cannot stand the heat and he was a better climber, earning him the nickname, The Angel of the Mountains when he participated in the Tour de France in 1958. He won the 1958 Tour de France with four stage victories, while he set the stage for that important victory by winning the Giro d’Italia in 1956 and again in 1959. Charly was also the Luxembourg cyclo-cross champion in 1953. Despite his fame, Charly lived as a recluse after retirement, losing much of his memory. He died of lung cancer on December 6, 2005.

Hugo Gernsbacher
Hugo Gernsbacher was born in Bonnevoie, a suburb in the capital city of Luxembourg on August 16, 1884. His name was shortened to Hugo Gernsback when he went to the United States. Gernsback was a writer, magazine publisher and an inventor. He published the first science fiction magazine and considered as the father of science fiction together with Jules Vern and H. G. Wells for the significance of his contribution to the science fiction genre. The Hugos, the annual awards for achievements in science fiction are named after him.

Hugo Gernsback founded the radio station WRNY in New York, the Modern Electronics magazine, the first magazine in the world dedicated to radio and electronics, the Wireless Association of America and The Electrical Experimenter, another amateur radio magazine. It was later named Science and Invention. Gernsback also published a magazine called Amazing Stories containing science fiction stories but lost the popular magazine due to a bankruptcy lawsuit. He came back with Air Wonder Stories and Science Wonder Stories, two new magazines which he published until 1936 before these were sold to Thrilling Publications. In 1952 and 1953, Gernsback published the Science-Fiction Plus magazine. Hugo Gernsback died on August 19, 1967 in New York.

Jonas Ferdinand Gabriel Lippmann
Gabriel Lippmann was born on August 16, 1845 was an inventor and physicist and a recipient of the Nobel laureate in physics. His family moved to Paris when he was three years old. Although inattentive in school, he was quite interested in mathematics and preferred to study physics than take the exam that will prepare him for a teaching profession. He was sent by the French government on a special mission to the Heidelberg University where he graduated summa cum laude, specializing in electricity. Eventually he became a physics professor at the Sorbonne. Some of the notable contributions of Lippmann included the first capillary electrometer, later called the Lippmann electrometer, used in the first ECG machine. He also invented the method to reproduce colors based on interference phenomenon in photography and eventually received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1908 for his invention. He was also able to devise integral photography in 1908, a method of recording images of scenes appearing in vertical and horizontal locations creating life-size and three dimensional scenes. Lippmann was also the inventor of the ceolostat, a tool used in astronomy that compensates for the earth’s rotation, thus allowing a region of the sky to be photograph without manifesting any movement.

Georges Christen
Georges Christen is a strongman born in Luxembourg in 1962. He has amazed the world with his feats of strength, including towing ships, planes trains with his teeth, bending nails, and tearing up phone books. Overall, Christen holds 23 Guinness World Records, including the first man to inflate hot water bottles by sheer lung power.

William Justin Kroll
William Justin Kroll was a National Investors Hall of Fame inductee in 2000. He was born on November 24, 1889 in Luxembourg. Kroll invented a process in 1932 to produce metallic titanium by combining titanium tetrachloride with calcium. The process was later named the Kroll Process. In its pure form titanium was difficult to extract from its natural state and it was impossible to heat the metal since it becomes useless. As titanium is the 4th most abundant structural metal, Kroll’s invention was highly significant. It paved the way to create a metal alloy that is non-corrosive, with superior strength and lightness, which became highly prized as the metal of choice for the production of jet engines, piping systems, marine equipment, watches and golf clubs. It is also used in the manufacture of artificial knees and hips. Dr. Kroll died on March 30, 1973.

Jeff Strasser
Jeff Strasser, born on October 5, 1974, is one of the most successful footballers from Luxembourg. Although retired from club football, at the international level, he still plays as a defender. His football career took off when he played for the first divisions in France and Germany. He first played for FC Metz in Ligue 1 for France between 1993 and 1999. He later moved to the German Bundesliga, playing for 1.FC Kaiserslautern where he spent three seasons from 1999 to 2001. In 2002 Strasser moved to another German football club, Borussia Monchengladbach and stayed there for four seasons, scoring 10 goals in 194 appearances for the two German clubs.

RC Strasbourg in French Ligue 2 side was Strasser’s club in August 2006. After one season he signed up with FC Metz for two seasons. When his contract ended he went back to Luxembourg to play for CS Fola Esch. His contract was for 2 years but it only lasted for 17 days because he moved to play for Grasshopper, a Swiss football club based in Zurich, where Strasser stayed for one year. That was the end of his club career as he announced his retirement on May 17, 2010 from club football.

Strasser is a member of the national football team of Luxembourg and made his debut in a World Cup qualifying match with Greece in 1993 and had played 29 World Cup qualifying matches in his international career. He already had earned 88 caps for Luxembourg and scored 6 goals, making him an all-time record holder for most caps in his country. Since his retirement, Strasser had been appointed to be the youth manager of CS Fola Esch. After seven months Strasser was promoted to coach the senior team of Fola Esch.

Emil Gustav Hirsch
Emil Hirsch was born on May 22, 1852 in Luxembourg, the son of a philosopher and Rabbi Samuel Hirsch. His family moved to the United States where Emil received his education from the University of Pennsylvania and has his post-graduate work done in Berlin. Emil became a rabbi at Baltimore’s Har Sinai Congregation from 1877 to 1878 and then spent two years as a rabbi in Louisville, Kentucky.

From 1880 up to 1923, a total of 42 years, Emil Hirsch was the rabbi of the Chicago Sinai Congregation where he made a massive impact on a mixed congregation, unwavering in his conviction to have social reforms. In 1892 he was appointed as a professor of philosophy and rabbinical literature at the University of Chicago. From 1885 to 1897 Emil Hirsch served on the board of the Chicago Public Library. He also did various editing work, including the Jewish Encyclopedia’s Department of the Bible. He was instrumental in convincing Sears, Roebuck and Co. co-owner Julius Rosenwald to help build public schools for African-Americans.

Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d’Aviano
He is better known as Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, born on January 5, 1921. His parents were Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. Pope Benedict XV was one of his godparents. Grand Duke Jean ruled Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000.

His family fled to Paris when Luxembourg was invaded by Germany in 1940. Grand Duke Jean later studied at Université Laval in Quebec, where he took up law and political science. In 1942 he volunteered in the Irish Guards. He received military training and became a captain in 1944 and joined the troop that fought in the liberation of Luxembourg as well as Brussels. He was an Irish Guard Colonel of the Regiment while ruling Luxembourg until he abdication on October 7, 2000.

Henri Albert Gabriel Félix Marie Guillaume
Henri is the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He was born on April 16, 1955 and is the eldest of son of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He came to the throne when Grand Duke Jean abdicated in his favor in 2000.

On November 12, 1964 Henri became the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He studied in Luxembourg, and then obtained his bachelor’s degree in France in 1974. At the University of Geneva, Grand Duke Henri took up political sciences graduated in 1980. He received his military officer trainingin the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. Grand Duke Henri married fellow political sciences student Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista in February 1981. They have five children and two grandchildren.

Jean-Claude Juncker
Jean-Claude Juncker is the current and the longest serving head of government of Luxembourg, having been the Prime Minister since January 20, 1995. He was born on December 9, 1954. Juncker is also the current president of the Euro Group, which has political control over the Euro and the EU’s monetary union. As the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, he had served as the President of the European Council in 1997 and 2005, serving for 6 months for each term.

Jean-Claude Juncker also served as Governor of the World Bank in 1989 while holding the position of Minister of Labor. In his second term, he gained more prominence in the European Union by chairing the Council of Economic and Financial Affairs and became one of the architects for the creation of the official European Union and the use of a single currency, the euro. While his superior, Jacques Santer was nominated as the president of the European Commission, Grand Duke Jean appointed Juncker as the Prime Minister in 1995. He also swapped his position of governor of the World Bank to be governor of the IMF, while holding his ministerial positions.

In his position as Prime Minister, he embarked on improving the profile of Luxembourg internationally and went on state visits. He successfully settled the dispute between President Jacques Chirac of France and Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany over the policy of the EU Economic and Monetary Union. He received the Vision for Europe Award in 1998 because of his instigation of social integration in Europe, European policy against unemployment and ideals for the Euro 11. He was successful in having the Luxembourg vote for the ratification of the proposed constitution of the European Union and was awarded the Charlemagne Prize or the Karlspreis in 2006.

:: References ::
http://www.luxembourg.co.uk/trivia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/89.html