History of Luxembourg in Timeline

Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked Western European nation bordering Belgium, Germany, and France. Luxembourg City, its capital, is a key EU center, hosting institutions like the Court of Justice of the European Union. It is a small but significant player in European politics and economics.

August 1914: Germany Invades Luxembourg

In August 1914, during World War I, Imperial Germany violated Luxembourg's neutrality by invading it in order to defeat France. The Luxembourgish government continued to pursue a policy of strict neutrality.

November 1918: Motion to abolish monarchy defeated

In November 1918, a motion in the Chamber of Deputies demanding the abolition of the monarchy was narrowly defeated.

January 1919: Luxembourg Army Rebellion

In January 1919, a company of the Luxembourgish Army rebelled, declaring itself to be the army of the new republic, but French troops intervened. Marie-Adélaïde abdicated in favour of her sister Charlotte 5 days later.

1919: Sovereignty Resides with the Nation

Since 1919, sovereignty has resided with the nation, exercised by the grand duke in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

1921: Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

In 1921, Luxembourg and Belgium formed the Belgium–Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) to create a regime of inter-exchangeable currency and a common customs.

1939: Army Increased

In 1939, the Luxembourg army increased to 425 due to Nazi Germany presence.

May 9, 1940: Schuster line closed

On May 9, 1940 Luxembourg closed the defensive Schuster line with Germany.

1945: United Nations Founding Member

In 1945, the Grand Duchy became a founding member of the United Nations.

1948: End of Neutrality

In 1948, Luxembourg's neutral status under the constitution formally ended.

April 1949: Founding Member of NATO

In April 1949, Luxembourg became a founding member of NATO.

1952: Luxembourg wins Olympic gold

In 1952, Josy Barthel won the 1500 metres and Luxembourg won its first gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

1952: European Coal and Steel Community

In 1952, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Communities, following the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community.

1956: First Eurovision Participation

Luxembourg was a founding participant of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.

1958: Creation of European Communities

In 1958, Luxembourg was a founding country for the creations of the European Economic Community and European Atomic Energy Community.

1959: Missed Eurovision Participation

Luxembourg did not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959.

1961: First Eurovision Win

Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961.

1962: Hosted Eurovision

Luxembourg hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962.

1965: Second Eurovision Win

Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965.

1966: Hosted Eurovision

Luxembourg hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966.

1972: Third Eurovision Win

Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972.

1973: Fourth Eurovision Win and Host

Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 and hosted the contest.

1980: Statistics on Religion

Since 1980, it has been illegal for the government to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices.

1983: Fifth Eurovision Win

Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983.

1984: Language Regimen Act

As determined by the 1984 Language Regimen Act, Luxembourgish is the sole national language of the Luxembourgish people.

1984: Hosted Eurovision

Luxembourg hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1984.

1984: Language Use in Administration

Per article 4 of the law promulgated in 1984, if a citizen asks a question in Luxembourgish, German or French, the administration must reply, as far as possible, in the language in which the question was asked.

1988: Tax Scheme for Audiovisual Investment

Due to a 1988 law that established a special tax scheme for audiovisual investment, the film and co-production in Luxembourg has grown steadily.

1993: Incorporation into the European Union

In 1993, the European Economic Community and European Atomic Energy Community were incorporated into the European Union.

1993: Relegation from Eurovision

Luxembourg was relegated after the 1993 Eurovision competition.

1994: UNESCO World Heritage Site

In 1994, the historic city of Luxembourg was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its well-preserved fortifications and historic quarters.

1995: Did not return to Eurovision Song Contest

Although Luxembourg was free to participate again in 1995, it chose not to return to the Eurovision Song Contest before 2024.

1995: European Capital of Culture

Luxembourg was the first city to be named European Capital of Culture in 1995.

1999: Joined the Eurozone

In 1999, Luxembourg joined the eurozone.

1999: Estimated Illegal Immigrants

There were an estimated 5,000 illegal immigrants in Luxembourg in 1999.

2000: CIA Factbook Estimate

A 2000 estimate by the CIA Factbook is that 87% of Luxembourgers are Catholic, including the grand ducal family, with the remaining 13% being Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and those of other or no religion.

2000: Immigrant Population

In 2000, there were 162,000 immigrants in Luxembourg, accounting for 37% of the total population.

2005: Eurobarometer Poll Results

According to a 2005 Eurobarometer poll, 44% of Luxembourg citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 28% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force", and 22% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".

2007: Cross-border European Capital of Culture

In 2007, the European Capital of Culture was a cross-border area consisting of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland in Germany, the Walloon Region and the German-speaking part of Belgium, and the Lorraine area in France.

2007: Women's European Volleyball Championship

The final of the 2007 Women's European Volleyball Championship took place at d'Coque, Kirchberg, north-eastern Luxembourg City.

2008: New Passenger Terminal at Luxembourg Airport

In 2008, a new passenger terminal at Luxembourg Airport was opened.

April 2009: G20 "Gray List"

In April 2009, concern about Luxembourg's banking secrecy laws led to its being added to a "gray list" of nations with questionable banking arrangements by the G20.

2009: Global Broadband Quality Study Ranking

In 2009, Luxembourg was ranked 8th in the Global Broadband Quality Study by the University of Oxford and the University of Oviedo.

March 2010: Kim Jong Il Accounts

In March 2010, the Sunday Telegraph reported that most of Kim Jong Il's $4 billion in secret accounts was in Luxembourg banks.

October 2010: World Expo in Shanghai

Luxembourg was represented at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010 with its own pavilion, designed as a forest and fortress.

2010: Pew Research Center Study

According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, 70.4% are Christian, 2.3% Muslim, 26.8% unaffiliated, and 0.5% other religions in Luxembourg.

2010: High Healthcare Spending

According to data from the World Health Organization, healthcare spending on behalf of the government of Luxembourg topped $4.1 Billion in 2010, amounting to about $8,182 for each citizen in the nation.

2010: Agriculture Statistics

In 2010, agriculture employed about 2.1% of Luxembourg's active population, with 2,200 agricultural holdings averaging 60 hectares.

2010: National strategy for very high-speed networks launched

In 2010, the Luxembourg Government launched its National strategy for very high-speed networks with the aim to become a global leader in terms of very high-speed broadband by achieving full 1 Gbit/s coverage of the country by 2020.

2011: NGA Coverage Reached 75%

In 2011, Luxembourg had an NGA (Next Generation Access) coverage of 75% across the country.

2011: Financial Secrecy Index Ranking

In 2011, Luxembourg ranked third on the Tax Justice Network's Financial Secrecy Index.

2011: World's Second Richest Country

In 2011, according to the IMF, Luxembourg was the world's second-richest country, with a per capita GDP on a purchasing-power parity (PPP) basis of $80,119.

2011: Paquet Telecom

In 2011, the telecommunications industry in Luxembourg adopted the legislative framework Paquet Telecom of the Government which transposes the European Telecom Directives into Luxembourgish law.

April 2012: Amazon.co.uk Tax Loopholes

In April 2012, The Guardian reported that Amazon.co.uk benefits from Luxembourg tax loopholes.

May 2012: Unemployment Rate

By May 2012, Luxembourg's unemployment rate reached 6.1% after the Great Recession.

December 2012: Data centers ranked among top positions

In December 2012, a survey measuring availability and performance of nine international data centers showed that the top three positions were held by Luxembourg data centers.

2012: Environmental Performance Index Ranking

According to the 2012 Environmental Performance Index, Luxembourg ranked fourth out of 132 assessed countries.

2012: Native languages spoken

In 2012, 52% of citizens claimed Luxembourgish as their native language, 16.4% Portuguese, 16% French, 2% German and 13.6% different languages (mostly English, Italian or Spanish).

January 2013: Data centers ranked among top positions

In January 2013, a survey measuring availability and performance of nine international data centers showed that the top three positions were held by Luxembourg data centers.

April 2013: Sixth Highest Download Speed Worldwide

In April 2013, Luxembourg had the sixth highest download speed worldwide and the second highest in Europe with 32.46 Mbit/s.

2013: United Nations Security Council

In 2013, Luxembourg served on the United Nations Security Council for the first time.

2013: UN Security Council Member

In 2013, Luxembourg was elected non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

2013: Safest Tax Haven

In 2013, Luxembourg was ranked the second safest tax haven in the world, behind Switzerland.

2013: Immigrant Population

In 2013, about 88,000 Luxembourg inhabitants possessed Portuguese nationality. In 2013, there were 537,039 permanent residents, 44.5% of which were of foreign background or foreign nationals.

November 2014: Luxembourg Leaks

In November 2014, Jean-Claude Juncker was hit by media disclosures from Luxembourg Leaks, revealing that Luxembourg had become a major European center of corporate tax avoidance under his premiership.

2014: Luxembourg School of Business Creation

In 2014, Luxembourg School of Business, a graduate business school, was created through private initiative.

2014: United Nations Security Council

In 2014, Luxembourg continued to serve on the United Nations Security Council.

2014: Oscar Win

Luxembourg won an Oscar in 2014 in the Animated Short Films category with Mr Hublot.

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May 2015: Holdings of U.S. Treasury Securities

In May 2015, Luxembourg ranked 11th in the world in holdings of U.S. Treasury securities, totaling $171 billion.

December 2017: Reintroduction of Trams

In December 2017, Luxembourg City reintroduced trams.

2017: Luxembourg School of Business Accreditation

Luxembourg School of Business received the accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of Luxembourg in 2017.

2018: Multilingual Population

As of 2018, 80% of citizens reported being able to hold a conversation in English, 78% in German and 77% in Luxembourgish.

2019: Public Debt

As of 2019, Luxembourg's public debt totalled $15,687,000,000, or $25,554 per capita. The debt to GDP was 22.10%.

2019: Forest Landscape Integrity Index

Luxembourg had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 1.12/10, ranking it 164th globally out of 172 countries.

February 2020: Free Public Transportation

On 29 February 2020, Luxembourg became the first country to introduce no-charge public transportation, which is almost completely funded by public taxation.

2020: Aim to achieve full 1 Gbit/s coverage

By 2020, the Luxembourg Government aimed to achieve full 1 Gbit/s coverage of the country as part of its National strategy for very high-speed networks.

2020: Free Public Transport

In 2020, Luxembourg became the first country in the world to provide free public transport at a national scale.

2020: Environmental Performance Index Ranking

In 2020, Luxembourg ranked second out of 180 countries in Environmental Performance.

2021: French Spoken Widely

In 2021, 98% of citizens were able to speak French to a high level.

July 2023: Constitution updated

On 1 July 2023, The Constitution of Luxembourg, the supreme law of Luxembourg, was last updated.

2023: 6th highest health index in Europe

Luxembourg ranked 6th place in highest health index of countries in Europe in 2023.

January 2024: Investment Tax Credit Law Takes Effect

On January 1, 2024, Luxembourg's law to modernize the current investment tax credit, adopted in December 2023, took effect.

2024: Luxembourg's Population

In 2024, Luxembourg had a population of 672,050, making it one of the least-populated countries in Europe, but with the highest population growth rate.