Although it is one of the world’s smallest countries, Luxembourg boasts a diverse cultural background, as hundreds of intricacies make this country one of the most unique on the globe. Below, we highlight five of Luxembourg’s most notable features. From wealth, to battles from the World Wars, to even the longest wine list, the Luxembourgish community is bursting with life and character.
As of October 4, 2017, Luxembourg remained the second richest country in the world per Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In part due to its enhanced financial district, Luxembourg defeats all odds by having a GDP that is 9x the world average!
In sync with it being among the world’s wealthiest nations, Luxembourg also boasts the European Union’s highest minimum wage. At a staggering minimum wage of 2000 euros a month, Luxembourgers make a solid earning. Equally interesting is the fact that nearly half of Luxembourg’s workforce travels to work from bordering countries.
In 2008, the Luxembourgish restaurant, Chiggeri, won the Guinness World Record for having the world’s largest wine list. That year, Chiggeri offered 1746 varieties of wine from its cellar (that number has increased since 2008 and is now over 2000). Considering Luxembourg’s small size, the country produces large quantities of wine, as about 3200 acres (5 square miles out of the country’s 998) of land is covered by vineyards. Wine tourism continues to be a major attraction for international visitors.
Luxembourgers are multilingual. The major languages of the country are Luxembourgish, French, and German. Because 40% of the country’s population is foreign-born (about 170 nationalities are present in Luxembourg), a variety of other languages are also frequently spoken by locals. These languages include Portuguese, Italian, and English. If a traveler speaks any of these six languages, chances are they’ll be able to get by in Luxembourg.
Approximately one-third of Luxembourg is forest area; some of this land is made up of The Ardennes region, which occupies land in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and France. It was an intense battleground during both World Wars (most notably as the location of World War II’s Battle of the Bulge, which claimed at least 175,000 lives), but is now a cherished hiking site by many Europeans. Rolling valleys, mountains, rivers, lakes, caves, forests, and hiking paths entwine in the region, creating picture-perfect views and a chance for explorers to connect with history and nature.
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