Global Project: Luxembourg

Welcome to Luxembourg!

Contents 1 THE PROJECT 1.1 Mission 1.2 Goals 1.3 Management 1.4 Membership 2 LUXEMBOURG 2.1 Geography 2.2 History 2.2.1 Historical Timeline 2.3 Demographics 2.4 Luxembourgian Naming Conventions 3 LUXEMBOURGIAN PEOPLE 3.1 Head of State and Head of Government 3.2 The Luxembourgian Monarchy 3.3 Luxembourgian Notables 3.4 Top Unconnected Luxembourgian Branches 4 LUXEMBOURGIAN RESOURCES

THE PROJECT

Mission

The mission of the Luxembourg Project is to provide members who share an interest in Luxembourgian genealogy with a hub from which to research, learn, and grow, alongside others with similar geographic and genealogical interests.

Goals

• To bring like-minded WikiTreers together in a collaborative effort to make every Luxembourgian profile on WikiTree the best it can be.
• To provide a single location at which to gather the available resources and information necessary to assist members in building and documenting Luxembourgian genealogies.
• To develop our members' expertise in Luxembourgian genealogical research in order to better assist less-experienced members in their genealogical pursuits.

Management

The Luxembourg Project is a subproject of the Top Tier Global Project.

• Global Project Leader: David Randall
• Luxembourg Project Coordinator: Eric Weddington

(If you are interested in becoming a coordinator for the Luxembourg Project please inquire with the Global Project.)

Membership

To become a member, please contact the Project Leader directly to discuss your interest. Currently, we use G2G for our project communications.

If you are interested in starting a team to better a particular aspect of the Luxumburg Project, please post your proposal on G2G. Be sure to tag your post with both LUXEMBOURG and GLOBAL in order to ensure that the right people see it. Other relevant tags might include PROJECTS, BIOBUILDERS, SOURCERERS, DATA DOCTORS, NOTABLES, etc.

LUXEMBOURG

Geography

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small landlocked country located in Western Europe. It shares its borders with Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south.

Prior to 2015, Luxembourg was divided into three districts: Diekirch, Grevenmacher, and Luxembourg. Since then, the nation has been divided into twelve cantons, which were previously a subdivision of the districts but are now the first-level subdivision of Luxembourg. The cantons are further divided into communes (municipalities) which are the lowest administrative division in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg's capital and most populous city is Luxembourg City, with about 132,000 people, or 20% of the country's population. Other significant cities include Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange, Dudelange and Pétange.

See Also: Geography of Luxembourg

See Also: Administrative Divisions of Luxembourg

History

The earliest human remains found in present-day Luxembourg date from about 5140 BCE. Two Belgic tribes, the Treveri and Mediomatrici, inhabited the country from about 450 BCE until the Roman conquest of 53 BCE. The 5th century CE, marked the beginning of the Middle Ages in the locality, with the arrival of the Franks and the introduction of Christianity.

The history of Luxembourg proper is considered to have begun in 963. Over the following five centuries, the powerful House of Luxembourg emerged, but its extinction in 1451, put an end to the country’s independence. After a brief period of Burgundian rule, the country passed to the Habsburgs in 1477.

In 1815, after occupation by Revolutionary France, the Vienna Congress transformed Luxembourg into a Grand Duchy in personal union with the Netherlands. The Belgian Revolution of the 1830s reduced Luxembourg’s territory by more than half, as the predominantly francophone western part of the country was transferred to Belgium, but it also gained a greater measure of autonomy. In 1867, Luxembourg attained independence under the condition that it promise perpetual neutrality. However, it was still in personal union with the Netherlands until the death of King William III in 1890, after which the House of Nassau-Weilburg took over, marking the beginning of full independence.

Luxembourg was occupied by Germany from 1914 until 1918 and again from 1940 until 1942. Since the end of the Second World War, Luxembourg has become one of the world’s richest countries, buoyed by a booming financial services sector, political stability, and European integration.

See also: History of Luxembourg

Historical Timeline

• 963 The history of Luxembourg proper is considered to have begun with the emergence of the powerful royal House of Luxembourg.
• 1451 The House of Luxembourg comes to an end with the death of Elizabeth of Luxembourg.
• 1477 The Habsburgs claim control of Luxembourg.
• 1815 Following occupation by Revolutionary France, the Vienna Congress transforms Luxembourg into a Grand Duchy in personal union with the Netherlands.
• 1830 Luxembourg’s territory is reduced by more than half, as the predominantly francophone western part of the country was transferred to Belgium.
• 1867 Luxembourg attains independence under the condition that it promise perpetual neutrality.
• 1890 The House of Nassau-Weilburg claims the throne of Luxembourg upon the death of the Dutch King, William II, marking the beginning of full independence for Luxembourg.
• 1914-1918 Luxembourg was occupied by Germany during World War I.
• 1940-1942 Luxembourg was occupied by Germany during World War II.

Demographics

See Also: Demographics of Luxembourg

Ethnicities: The majority of the population, approximately 51%, are Luxembourgers, native to the grand duchy. However, Luxembourg’s multicultural identity is enriched by a significant Portuguese community, making up more than 15% of its population. The influence of neighboring countries is also evident with French, Italian, Belgian, and German communities representing 7.5%, 3.6%, 3.3%, and 2.1% of the population respectively. The Spanish and British also have a presence in Luxembourg, each constituting around 1% of the population. In addition to these groups, there are people from various other nationalities residing in Luxembourg, accounting for about 14.6% of the total population. This diversity truly makes Luxembourg a melting pot of cultures.

See also: Luxembourgers

Language: The linguistic situation in Luxembourg is characterized by the recognition of three official languages: French, German, and Luxembourgish. Approximately 98% of Luxembourg's population is able to speak French at more or less a high level (usually as a second language); 78% speak German; and 77% speak Luxembourgish. Other languages are also spoken in Luxembourg, including English, Italian, and Portuguese, as well as Slavic and Nordic languages.

See also: Languages of Luxembourg

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Religion: About 73% of Luxembourgers are affiliated with some form of Christianity. This includes Catholicism (65%), Protestantism (3%), Eastern Orthodoxy: (2%), and other Christian denominations (3%). Muslims account for about 1% of the population, while Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions each account for about 1% of the population. About 5% of the population is either agnostic or atheist. Note that since 1979, it has been illegal for the Luxembourg government to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices, so the percentages provided are based on various estimates and surveys.

See also: Religion in Luxembourg

Luxembourgian Naming Conventions

Before record keeping began, most Luxumbergers had only one name. As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same name. The problem was usually solved by adding descriptive information. Surnames developed from several sources such as:

• Occupational: Based on a person’s trade, such as Muller (Miller) or Schmit (Smith).
• Geographical: Based on a person’s residence such as Luxenberg.
• Patronymic: Based on a person’s father’s name, such as Pierre or René.
• Descriptive or Nickname: Based on a physical characteristic or personality trait, such as Thill (meaning proficient).

As Immigrants moved into English-speaking countries, their surnames were impacted in a variety of ways. Often the surname spelling changed to accommodate a different phonetic spelling in the English language.

LUXEMBOURGIAN PEOPLE

Head of State and Head of Government

Notable	Born	Title	In Office	Photo	Status
Henri	1955	Grand Duke of Luxembourg	2000		Connected
Xavier Bettel	1973	Prime Minister	2013		Connected

The Luxembourgian Monarchy

Luxembourg was founded in 963 by Siegfried, who acquired an old castle overlooking the Alzette valley. The title of ‘Count of Luxembourg’ first appeared in a document dating from 1083. Luxembourg rose to the rank of Grand Duchy in 1815.Since 1815, there have been nine monarchs, including the incumbent, Henri. When Luxembourg gained its independence in 1890, marking the end of its personal union with the Netherlands, Grand Duke Adolphe became the first sovereign of a national dynasty. Today, Luxembourg stands unique as the world’s only sovereign Grand Duchy.

Luxembourgian Notables

Notable	Born	Died	Claim to Fame	Photo	Status
Étienne Lenoir	1822	1900	Inventor of the Spark Plug		Connected
Curt von François	1852	1931	Geographer and Cartographer of Africa		Connected
Hugo Gernsback	1884	1967	Science Fiction Writer		Connected
William Justin Kroll	1889	1973	Metallurgist		Connected
Camillo Felgen	1920	2005	Singer and Lyricist		Connected
Josy Barthel	1927	1992	Luxembourg's Sole Olympic Gold Medal Winner		Connected
Gaston Thorn	1928	2007	Prime Minister, UN and EU Leader		Connected
Charly Gaul	1932	2005	Champion Cyclist		Connected
Elsy Jacobs	1933	1998	Champion Cyclist		Connected
Louis Pilot	1940	2016	Champion Footballer		N/C

For additional Luxembourgian notables see: Category: Luxembourg, Notables

Top Unconnected Luxembourgian Branches

None at the moment.

LUXEMBOURGIAN RESOURCES

• Wikipedia: Articles Related to Luxembourg

• Family Search: Luxembourg Genealogy

• Ancestry.com:
  • Notarial Records, 1621-1821
  • Select Births & Baptisms, 1662-1840
  • Select Marriages, 1700-1810
  • Select Deaths & Burials, 1702-1798
  • Civil Registrations, 1793-1823
  • Phone Book Indexes, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003

• Cyndi's List: Luxembourg

• WorldGenWeb: LuxembourgGenWeb

• The Library of Congress: European Reading Room

• National Archives: Archives nationales de Luxembourg

• National Library: Bibliothèque nationale du Luxembourg