Across the border from the Belgian
province of Luxembourg, the
Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg is one of
Europe's smallest sovereign states,
a tiny independent principality with
a population of around 420,000. As a
country, it's relatively neglected
by travellers, most people tending
to write it off as a dull and
expensive financial centre, but this
is a mistake. Compared to much of
Europe, its attractions are indeed
fairly low-key, and it is pricey,
but it does have marvellous scenery
in abundance: the green hills of the
Ardennes spreading over the border
to form a glorious heartland of deep
wooded valleys spiked with sharp
craggy hilltops crowned with
castles.
The capital, dramatically-sited Luxembourg
City , is almost impossible to
avoid if you're not travelling by
car. Home to something like a fifth
of the population, it is the
country's only genuinely urban
environment, and well worth one or
two nights' stay. The central
part of Luxembourg is, however, even
more spectacular, rucking up into
rich green hills and valleys that
reach their climax in the narrowing north
of the country around Echternach
, a tiny town dominated by its
ancient abbey, and Vianden ,
with its magnificent castle.
Once part of the Spanish and
later Austrian Netherlands,
Luxembourg today is an independent
constitutional monarchy. Although
everyone speaks the indigenous
language, Letzebuergesch - a dialect
of German that sounds a bit like
Dutch - most also speak French and
German and many speak English too.
Indeed, multilingualism is one of
Luxembourg's most admirable features
and different languages are favoured
for different purposes - French is
the official language of the
government and judiciary, the one
you'll see on street signs and
suchlike, whilst German is the
language most used by the press.
