Luxembourg Holidays, Events, Climate and Sightseeing

Luxembourg: holidays, national customs, climate

There are a number of public holidays that do not have a fixed date but are based on the location of Easter. Easter takes place on the first Sunday that follows the first full moon after the beginning of spring. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, which ends on Holy Saturday, is 46 days before Holy Saturday. The date for Pentecost is then 50 days after Easter. Corpus Christi is celebrated on the second Thursday after Pentecost. All Saints’ Day is celebrated for Orthodox Christians on the first Sunday after Pentecost, but for Catholic Christians the date is fixed on November 1st. On October 31, Protestants celebrate Reformation Day. The Halloween festival also takes place on this day.

Holidays

Date	Holiday
January 1	New Year
February March	Carnival Monday
March April	Easter Monday
1st of May	Labor Day and May Day
May	Ascension of Christ
May June	Whit Monday
23rd June	National holiday
15th of August	Assumption Day
November 1	All Saints Day
25./26. December	Christmas holiday

Source: Countryaah – Luxembourg Holidays

In Luxembourg, traditions are still alive in many secular and religious festivals. The Schuoberfouer, which takes place from the end of August to the beginning of September, is the most important showman festival on the Glacis field, whose origins go back to the 14th century.

During the Éimaischen, the traditional Emmaus festival on Easter Monday, many Luxembourgers go to the square by the fish market to get one of the ceramic pipes in the shape of a bird, the péckvillchen, that are only available on that day.

The most important religious festival in Luxembourg is the octave, which is celebrated from the fifth to the seventh Sunday after Easter and during which a pilgrimage takes place in honor of Our Lady, the patron saint of Luxembourg. This festival is accompanied by a fair on Wilhelmsplatz.

Regular events

Summer in the City

This annual summer music festival is held at various locations in the city.

Schobermesse

The Schobermesse (D’Schueberfouer) is a large folk festival lasting several days in the form of a fair, which is celebrated every year in late summer on the glacis field in Luxembourg City.

Around two million people from the country and neighboring countries Belgium, Germany and France come to the festival

The beginning of the Schobermesse dates back to October 20, 1340, when John the Blind (1296-1346) – King of Bohemia, Margrave of Moravia and Titular King of Poland and Count of Luxembourg – gave the city the privilege of a several-day fair at the end the harvest time and the church fair.

National customs

You greet each other with a light handshake, the normal form of greeting. Close friends hug in greeting. Cheek kisses are appropriate among friends. The most common greetings in Luxembourgish are “Moien” (morning), “Gudden Owend” (good evening) and “Wéi geet et?” (How are you?) As well as the French “Bonjour”.

To say goodbye you can say “Äddi” (an informal goodbye) or use the more formal variant “Au revoir”. Young people like to use short formulas like the French “Salut” or the Italian “Ciao”. Friends and acquaintances use expressions such as “bis tight aner Kéier” or “bis häno” (both mean see you soon or see you later). “Äddi, bis mar” (see you tomorrow) is only said if that is the case.

climate

Luxembourg is characterized by a temperate Western European climate, which is characterized by mild winters and moderate summers. In the north of the country, the so-called Ösling, it is usually a bit cooler and there is also more precipitation.

The best travel time is from May to October.

As is well known, the ideas of what is meant by a particularly favorable travel climate depend on a number of factors. Cultural travelers certainly see the climate differently than people who, for example, want to spend a pure beach holiday. The state of health or age can also play an important role.

Luxembourg: Sightseeing

Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that LU stands for the nation of Luxembourg as a two-letter acronym.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Old town district and fortresses of Luxembourg

Luxembourg has been invaded and conquered again and again over the centuries, for example by the Duke of Burgundy or the Habsburgs, among others.

The city’s first town hall stood on the site where the palace is now. It was destroyed by an explosion in 1554. Today’s palace is the then newly built town hall.

From 1890 the palace was used as a grand ducal palace until the Second World War. A number of modifications and additions were made. The Nazis then used the palace as a place for entertainment and events. Many valuable pictures and objects fell victim to their vandalism.

The former intersection of two Roman roads is the “Marche-Aux-Poissons” (the fish market). It is the historic center of the old town.

The old buildings around the square are valuable witnesses of the past.

There you can also find St. Michael’s Church from 987, which was originally a castle chapel that the counts of the city had built. The church was destroyed several times, but was rebuilt again and again. The different periods in which the church was rebuilt can be recognized by the elements of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque construction.

The old town quarter and the fortresses of Luxembourg were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

Special structures

Fortification Lützelburg Corniche

From the remains of the old fortification of Luxembourg one has a colossal view over the whole city.

Under the Corniche are the Casemates du Bock, the underground casemates of the fortress from 1745.

Parts of the existing 23 km of fortifications can still be visited today.

Vianden Castle

The complex is considered one of the most beautiful preserved medieval residences in Europe. It was built from the 11th to the 14th centuries on the foundations of Roman and Carolingian buildings. After being taken over by the state, the complex was extensively restored in 1977.

Fort Thüngen

The fort from 1732 is one of the largest in Europe. In 1836, the Prussians expanded the facility and adapted it to the defense requirements. The “Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean” is now located in the restored outer walls.

Heiliggeist Citadel

The Heiliggeist Monastery was founded on the Heiligeist plateau in 1234 and embedded in the city’s fortifications in the 14th century. However, it only fulfilled a military purpose during the Spanish rule in the 16th century. The massive structure finally served as a citadel from 1687.

“Hotel de Ville”

The town hall was built between 1830-38. The building, built in the neoclassical style, stands on Wilhelmsplatz on the foundation walls of the Franciscan monastery that was destroyed in 1829.

Palais Grand Ducal

The grand ducal palace with its oldest parts from the 13th century is a two-story Renaissance palace, at the lower end of which is the House of Representatives. Originally the town hall was located here, which was destroyed by a powder explosion in 1554.

Bourscheid Castle

The castle, which dates back to the 10th century, was extended in the 14th – 15th centuries in the Gothic style. There is a museum in the Gothic mansion from 1348.

Luxembourg: Fort Thüngen © goruma (V. Koppenwallner)

Cultural sites

Wilhelm II equestrian monument, Luxembourg

The monument in honor of Grand Duke Wilhems II of Orange-Nassau, who ruled from 1840-1849, commemorates the ruler who gave the country the most liberal parliamentary constitution of its time. Kanounenhiwwel (Cannon Hill) The monument in Luxembourg City was erected to commemorate those who died in World War II and the resistance of the Luxembourg population against the Nazis. Before that an eternal fire burns.

Gëlle Fra memorial

The “Golden Woman”, created by Claus Cito in 1923, was created to commemorate the Luxembourg soldiers who voluntarily served in the French army from 1914 to 1918. The gilded figure stands on a 21 m high stone obelisk. After the memorial was destroyed under the Nazis and rediscovered in 1980, it is now used to commemorate the victims of both World Wars and the Korean War. It also stands for the freedom of Luxembourgers.

Place Guillaume II (Wilhelmsplatz)

The square in the center of the city with the town hall and the equestrian statue of William II of Orange is located on the site of the Franciscan monastery. Today the square is lively with markets and festivals.

Place d’Armes

The former parade ground from 1671 is the main square of the old town of Luxembourg. After being rebuilt in 1986, it is now the center of urban life.

Luxembourg: equestrian statue of Wilhelm II. © goruma (V. Koppenwallner)

Museums

Bank Museum

Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat

1, place de Metz

L-2954 Luxembourg

Tel.: (00352) – 4015-5900

Luxembourg: holidays, national customs, climate

Holidays

Luxembourg: Sightseeing

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