• Norway!

    Norway: Sunnylvsfjord. Go Now!

    Norway
    Known for its natural beauty, Norway is home to isolated villages, fjords, and mountains that create a culture and landscape without compare. Begin Your Journey!

  • Vatican City!

    Vatican City: Vatican Museums. Go Now!

    Vatican City
    The smallest country in the world offers the heart of Catholicism and among the world's finest art collections, including the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms (ceiling pictured). Go to Vatican City!

  • Macedonia!

    Macedonia: Traditional architecture. Go Now!

    Macedonia
    Macedonia is a country still finding its unique identity, but its architecture is already one of a kind. Explore Macedonia!

  • Austria!

    Austria: Belvedere Palace. Go Now!

    Austria
    Belvedere Palace (pictured) is just one of many palaces found in Vienna. The capital is a good start to Austria, which also features the Alps, the Lakes District, and incredible history & food. Go Now!

  • Spain!

    Spain: Guell Park and Gaudi architecture. Go Now!

    Spain
    Fusion foods, lively music, historic ruins, and cultural events like the Running of the Bulls and La Tomatina make Spain and Barcelona (pictured) a favorite tourist destination. Explore Spain!

  • Ukraine!

    Ukraine: Traditional Village. Go Now!

    Ukraine
    Ukrainian culture is based on village life, particularly that found in the Carpathian Mountains (pictured). Begin Your Journey!

Culture & Identity of Luxembourg

Introduction

The Luxembourgers have aspects of France and Germany in their culture, but the people are truly Luxembourger, which in an odd way is defined as taking the most desirable traits from these outside groups as well as numerous cultural elements that make Luxembourg truly unique.

The daily way of life in Luxembourg also has elements from France and Germany, as the people tend to relax a bit and enjoy life like the French, but there are no strict laws regarding work and for many the business life appears to be much more German from a foreigner's perspective.

Being a small country, most people live in or near the capital city of Luxembourg. This means the urban lifestyle dictates the daily pattern, transportation, and dining. In fact most people live and work in Luxembourg City, with most working Luxembourgers having jobs in the services sector.

Work is perhaps the most central element of the daily life in Luxembourg, simply because it takes so much time as many people work regular hours, typically from about 8:30 am to about 4:30 pm. Schools also have regular hours as most children attend classes from about 8:30 am until about 3:00 pm. Summer vacations, which last from mid-July to mid-September, are a time for families to get away, enjoy the outdoors, and perhaps see a bit of the world.

Of course, everyone has their own interests and how evenings and weekends (Saturday-Sunday) are spent varies. For families with young kids school work occupies many evenings while sports and other social clubs tend to also take up a large amount of time. For others their time and money is spent on travel or socialization with friends.

The one consistent is the high wages in the country and the freedom for most working people to enjoy life (although prices are high in Luxembourg to help match the high income levels). The French stereotyped relaxed lifestyle is most prominent when it comes to taking time off of work to relax, while the Luxembourgers high wages display their hard work, ingenuity, and stereotypical German work ethic.

Identity

The Luxembourgers identify as such, but they recognize that this is truly a combination of other ethnicities and cultures. In this way, the identity is named after the country and hence is, in many ways, a politically-defined identity. All citizens of Luxembourg, no matter their religion, ethnicity, or language, are Luxembourgers and most people first identify in this way because political independence and cultural variations from neighboring countries and significant, and important to the people. However, the term Luxembourger implies more than just citizenship; the identity is also defined by the culture of the people, which includes many of the best traits of the ethnic groups which have combined to create the modern Luxembourgers. This identity combines aspects of French, German, and to a lesser degree, Dutch culture.

This page was last updated: November, 2013