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About us:
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Wording
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Phonetic
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English
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| Salut | Sah-loo | Hello/Hi |
| Au Revoir | Aw Rev-wah | Good Bye! |
| Parlez Vous Anglais / Francais? | Pah-lay Voo On-glay / Fron-say | Do you speak English / Spanish? |
| Je M'appelle... | Sheh Map-el | My name is… |
| Pouvez Vous M'aider? | Poo-vay Voo May-de | Can you help me? |
| Je Recherche... | Shey Ree-chursh | I’m looking for… |
| Oui / Non | Wee / Noh | Yes / No |
| Merci | Mur-see | Mr / Mrs / Miss |
| Aujourd Hui / Maintenant | Oh-shord Wee / Mane-ten-on | Today / Now |
| Demain / Hier | Deh-mon / He-air | Tomorrow / Yesterday |
| Ce / Que / Ici / La | See / Kay / Ee-see / Lah | This / That / Here / There |
Phrases
Above are a few common French phrases to help you get around.
Languages
Luxembourgish is considered the national language as 90% of Luxembourg’s residents speak it; however, French is more widely spoken by 96% of the population. Additionally, 92% speak German and 61% speak English. A further 12% speak other languages of varying sorts, mainly European in origin.
It should be noted that a wide portion of the population is Trilingual, or at least Bilingual, and will speak a combination of Luxembourgish, French, German and English. Many schools also teach Spanish, Portuguese, Latin and other languages of mainly European origin.
Religion
It’s impossible to give an exact figure of religious diversity in Luxembourg as it’s been illegal for the government to collect statistics on religion since 1980, but it’s estimated that around 70% of Luxembourgian nationals are Christians (mainly Catholic), around 2% are Muslims, around 27% are Atheists and the last 1% follow other religious beliefs or practices.
The Grand Duchy recognizes and supports several dominations but in exchange has a hand in their affairs but today sees little interference from the government, if at all, in any religious branch, mainstream or not. Today, the state recognizes Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Greek and Russian Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism as officially mandated religions, other groups are also engaging in talks to become officially mandated religions as well including Anglicanism, Islam, and both Romanian and Serbian Orthodox Christianity.
Museums, Galleries & Architecture
Luxembourg’s architectural styles can be broken down into roughly six eras; Celts (2nd Century BC-1st Century AD), Roman (1st-5th Century AD), Christian (5th-11th Century AD), Medieval (11th-15th Century AD), Renaissance (15th-20th Century AD) and Contemporary (20th Century AD-Present).
The Treveri are mainly responsible for the earliest architecture in the region, a prosperous Celtic Tribe, the Treveri built small, low down, round buildings in small clusters all across the country. As the Romans moved into the country in the 1st Century AD, we see Bathhouses, Villas and even Mansions begin to be built around the country, this persisted until the fall and recall of the Romans later on that century. Soon afterwards, Christianity, first brought in by the Roman predecessors, began to sweep across Europe and a wide array of Churches began to be constructed, these were often revamped and restructured in the 14th and 16th Centuries with Gothic-style additions.
During the Medieval period, warring became commonplace between various factions fighting for control over the country as it became fair ground for claims by modern-day France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Both interior and exterior factions began to build large castles and fortresses, these include the Castle of Vianden and Bourscheid Castle, both built in the 11th Century, as well as Beaufort Castle and Clervaux Castle, both built in the 12th Century, among others.
The Renaissance era saw a slightly more modern look to its buildings but also kept a Gothic theme, perhaps to keep the country’s culture alive, and include structures such as the Grand Ducal Palace build in the 16th Century, Neumunster Abbey built in the 17th Century, Fort Thungen built in the 18th Century and both the Cercle Municipal and the Hotel de la Caisse built in the early 20th Century. This era also saw the birth of many bridges across the country which have rapidly become national symbols and include the Pont Du Chateau built in the 18th Century, the Passerelle built in the 19th Century and both the Adolphe Bridge and the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge completed in the 20th Century.
In recent years the country has also seen a string of new developments with more efforts to accommodate the arts, sports and the financial industry. Most prominent are the National Sports and Cultural Centre built in 2001, the Philharmonie Concert Hall built in 2005, the Museum of Modern Art built in 2006 and the European Investment Bank built in 2008.
Like large nightclubs, parties and bouncing tunes? You’ll love Melusina in Clausen! The club boasts a huge dancefloor coupled with multiple surrounding lodges and a VIP area which plays more chilled out music, the Superlounge.
Perhaps you’d prefer something a little more dance-y but with a retro feel? Try Scott’s in Grund, this Irish Pub is divided into three areas, one being outside, and has a nightclub in the top area which plays 70’s style music.
Maybe you prefer something a little more refined? The Vinoteca is a beautiful wine-bar run by a top sommelier and boasts a beautiful valley-view from the terrace as well as a cool cellar bar area to chill out away from the hot sun.
The Tube is an English Pub which incorporates a tube design based on the styles of the London Underground, its known best for being an active sports bar which plays football around the clock and all through the week on many of its large TV screens.
A mysterious garden awaits you as the Secret Garden unfolds, its entrance shrouded; it features a variety of comfortable sofas and chairs in an open setting environment and cool drinks all around to help you enjoy the night atmosphere.
Money
Up until recently, Luxembourg used the Luxembourgish Franc which used the currency code LUF, however, today it uses the Euro like many of its other European neighbours. The Euro uses the currency code EUR. 1 Euro is worth about £1.38 or £0.82 and can be subdivided down into 100 Euro Cents.
Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent variants as well as 1 and 2 Euro variants.
Bank notes are available in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euro variants.
Economy
Luxembourg’s economy is built almost solely on the banking, steel, industrial and tourist sectors. Banking has been an especially strong suit and has led to the stereotype of Luxembourg being a tax haven. Today, its total assets in the banking sector are valued at around EUR 1 Trillion (around $1.4 Trillion or £820 Billion).
During the late 19th Century, English metallurgy was introduced into the country and it rapidly became a common practice in the country, especially after the forming of the Arbed Company in the early 20th Century. Today, Steel makes up around 29% of all exports, 22% of industrial employment, 3.9% of the work force and 1.8% of GDP.
Tourism is also a large source of income for the country and makes up around 8.3% of GDP annually whilst incorporating around 11.7% of the workforce. Additional sources of income in the country include the Telecommunications and Agricultural industries.
Banking
Luxembourg behaves identically to its European neighbours as well as the UK and US in the way its banks work. Two main types of accounts are provided to the public including Current and Savings Accounts. Current Accounts allow for easy and quick withdrawal of funds but have low interest rates whilst Savings Accounts provide higher interest rates but normally restrict the amount of uncharged withdrawals allowed by an individual.
ATMs are widespread all across Luxembourg, especially in its cities, and you shouldn’t ever have trouble withdrawing cash in any urban environment.
Taxes
Luxembourg incorporates standard western-style taxes, these include Income Tax, Social Security, Net Worth Tax and Inheritance & Gift Taxes.
All residents of Luxembourg are subject to Income Tax on their worldwide income. Individuals are considered to be residents if their accommodation exceeds six months. It should be mentioned that married individuals are jointly taxable. This can be broken down into Employment Income (scales based on income), Self-Employment & Business Income (scales based on income), Investment Income (taxed at up to 35%), Movable Property (taxed at up to 21.8%), Real Estate (taxed at up to 21.8%). Income Tax rates are as follows:
Luxembourg’s cuisine style is strongly founded in Germanic and Latin origins but has recently seen influences from both Portugal and Italy come in, but also sees some French dishes integrated into its traditional day-to-day dishes. Due to its geographical location as a landlocked country, seafood is rare at best and instead the dishes tend to use meat sourced from mountainous regions of the country (such as Oesling Ham), agriculturally grown vegetables (such as potatoes, carrots, broad beans, green beans and horse radish), mushrooms, chicken, pork, hare and some fruit (mainly apples). Cheese is also common in the country, as is wheat for bread products and freshwater fish and crustaceans (such as trout, pike and crayfish).
Common dishes incorporating many of these ingredients include Judd Mat Gaardebounen (soaked and smoked pork boiled with broad beans and spices), F’rell Am Reisleck (trout in Riesling sauce), Kriibsen Am Reisleck (crayfish in Riesling sauce), Fritur (small fried fish accompanied by white wine), Coq Au Riesling (chicken simmered in white wine with vegetables, spices and mushroons, served with Riesling sauce), Civet De Lievre (jugged hare), Quenelle (liver dumplings), Traipen (black pudding, often served with apple sauce) and Bouneschlupp (sausages with mashed potatoes and horseradish).
Wine and Beer (mainly Lager) are also produced extensively in Luxembourg and these include wines Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Rivaner, Gewurztraminer, Elbling, Cramant de Luxembourg and Pinot Noir as well as beers Battin, Bofferding, Diekirch and Mousel.
VISA Requirements
Being a part of the European Union, Luxembourg follows most of the same policies that apply to the other members of the EU, EEA and Schengen Area, prospective members of the Schengen Area, members of the following countries may enter with no visa for an undisclosed amount of time:
Phone Lines
Luxembourg has over 315,000 main telephone lines in use and over 216,000 mobile phones in use, it uses a highly developed completely automated system of buried cables to carry communications across the country and into neighbouring European countries Germany, France and Belgium but also uses 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cables to carry communications internationally from Europe to North America and beyond.
Internet
Over 100,000 people use the internet in Luxembourg and there are a large number of ISPs that use the top level country code .lu. Additionally, it should be mentioned that large-scale internet integration projects are being utilized throughout the country, for example, Hotcity, a city-wide WiFi bubble, is being fitted in some of the busiest districts in the country.
Communications
There are few TV Broadcast stations in the country but there are over 300,000 Televisions owned across the country. Additionally, the country owns over 300,000 Radios and Radio Broadcast stations are operated on AM 2, FM 9 and Shortwave 2.
Weather & Climate
Luxembourg is known to have an Oceanic climate which typically has warm summers and cool winters, a temperate climate of sorts, with no particularly hot or sharply cold peaks or dips. Precipitation is fairly evenly spread out throughout the year but in Luxembourg specifically it’s known that at the end of its summer months of June to August there’s a higher amount of rainfall, due to this higher amount of rainfall as well as the even distribution throughout the year, there’s no dry season as is atypical in other Oceanic climatic countries. Luxembourg is known to share this climate with most of Europe.
Holidays
Known for its high-speed internet access and quick routes to all the nearby attractions, including the Modern Art Museum and Philharmonic, the Melia in Luxembourg City has huge rooms with a modern style and a warm welcome by staff.
Le Place d’Aremes Hotel entails a cooler and sleeker design but keeps to its traditional routes as an amalgamation of seven houses. Staff are reported to be incredibly attentive and the hotel hosts a one-star restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Seven Hotel in Esch-sur-Alzette features an incredibly modernistic style to each of its rooms and incorporates bright colours into bland spaces for a balanced yet vibrant feel, guests report that this hotel caters for their guests needs and is located away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a more scenic and relaxed arrangement.
A little further out still, the Ibis, like many of its chain-hotels across Europe, provides high-quality rooms for affordable prices and welcomes guests warmly into a chilled out environment, perfect for that swift getaway.
Featuring a traditional Luxembourgish breakfast, Le Petit Poete provides quick access to the city of Echternach through its brilliant location directly in the city centre; this of course also provides a brilliant view across the city and allows its residents a choice of several different restaurants.
The Hotel Au Vieux Moulin in Echternach is a large-scale Victorian villa built in the beautiful countryside, almost on the corner of the city. The rooms are furnished with beautiful interior décor and feature breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for any time of the day.
Bringing Children into Luxembourg require no more effort to be taken than would be taken with an Adult and Children will be susceptible to the same requirements required of adults to enter the country.
To bring a Cat or Dog into Luxembourg you will require several documents:
Public schools in Luxembourg are free and run by the government, beginning as early as age 3, children enter Enseignement Fondamentale (Fundamental Education) which consists of pre-school and primary school. However, only when a child reaches age four do they enter primary school, which is compulsory.
Upon passing through Primary school at age 11, the student enters secondary school which lasts between six and seven years. Although it is only compulsory for the child to be in full-time education up until 16. Schools typically are broken down into two main types, the Enseignement Secondaire (Secondary Education) and Enseignement Secondaire Technique (Technical Secondary Education). The former uses a system not dissimilar from those in the UK and US to prepare the student for college and university-level further education courses, whilst the latter normally incorporates a certificate or diploma course and allows students to develop a more focused skillset. There are also specialized schools for Sports, Languages, Adult Education and Post-Primary (for those who could not complete the primary level of education).
Being the only fully-fledged University in Luxembourg, the University of Luxembourg dominates the Higher Education scene in the country. However, several smaller universities do exist in the country and there are numerous campuses across the region for all of these universities, as well as incorporating sister branches from the US, UK and other nations.
It’s important to mention that in all public (and most private) schools that Trilingualism is featured heavily and Luxembourgish is spoken from a pre-school level onwards, then French is introduced in Primary School and German becomes the dominant language in Secondary school whilst additional languages such as Spanish, Italian and Latin are available at the same time. At a University level, English is used frequently with French and German as well. During all levels of pre-university level education, at least 50% of the hours used are used to teach languages.
Applicants looking to work in Luxembourg will require at least 2 years of experience and must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Education or a relevant Degree in their field as well as a PGCE. The applicant must also be Western-trained (US, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Scotland, Australia and South Africa).
Although TEFL, CELTA and other certificates are not considered teaching qualifications, they will definitely improve your chances of being considered if you have these in addition to all other necessary qualifications.
Make sure to check our guide on VISA and Work Permit Restrictions.
Starting with Rent, costs in Luxembourg are high and rate at similar costs to the United Kingdom and other wealthy European Economies. For instance, a one bedroom apartment in the city centre will set you back EUR 1,200 ($1700 or £990) while outside the city centre you’ll be looking at a lesser EUR 930 ($1300 or £770). Meanwhile, a three bedroom apartment inside the city centre will cost you EUR 2400 ($3300 or £2000) and outside of the city centre it’ll cost closer to EUR 1700 ($2400 or £1400).
Food is generally cheaper but still somewhat expensive. For example, a litre of water will cost you EUR 6.50 ($9 or £5.30), a meal in a restaurant will cost between EUR 15 and EUR 70 ($21 to $97 or £12 to £58), a litre of milk will set you back EUR 1.10 ($1.50 or £0.90), 500g of bread costs around EUR 1.50 ($2.10 or £1.20) and 12 eggs will cost you around EUR 1.70 ($2.40 or £1.40).
Luxuries are similarly expensive with a litre of beer costing around EUR 2.60 ($3.60 or £2.10), a packet of cigarettes costing around EUR 5 ($6.90 or £4.10) and a bottle of mid-range wine setting you back around EUR 6 ($8.30 or £4.90).
The Irish Club of Luxembourg exists to bring together those wishing to preserve Irish culture and host a variety of events for their members exclusively including a St Patrick’s Dinner Party, a Ski Trip, an Irish Clubs’ Night, Christmas and New Years’ Parties and much more!
A dedicated group of theatricals, Pirate Productions produces a range of plays, theatre productions, musicals and more and welcome new members of any skill level to join and take part in new plays.
Allowing adults of all levels of musical experience and training to join from complete newbies to masterful singers, Voices International is a choir with a focus on producing performances of all styles including rock, jazz, blues, soul, gospel, barbershop, classical and more.
Perhaps you’d like the Rotaract Club? It aims to bring peace and international understanding to the world through a community-level ability of productive thinking and individual skill development, it’s open to all those over 18.
Or maybe you’re more of a fantasy person with a focus on medieval or sci-fi culture? The Science Fiction & Fantasy Society of Luxembourg holds a variety of events all year around and attends LuxCon, the biggest comic, movie and game convention of Luxembourg, each and every year.
Are you looking for a more competitive outlook but don’t wish to strain yourself? The Curling Society of Luxembourg competes on a national and international level to push the sport to new limits each and every day through practice, theory, training and a bit of good ‘ol fashioned elbow grease.
Crime in Luxembourg is almost non-existent but does exist in two forms; Corruption and Prostitution (and Human Trafficking).
Corruption occurs primarily in politics (around 53% of surveyed households by Transparency International considered political parties to be corrupt with a further 33% holding the same view on Parliament) but it does occur to some small degree in business as well.
Luxembourg is a destination country for women trafficked for sexual exploitation and labour (often forced on both accounts) and has had women trafficked in from mainly other European countries (mainly Bulgaria and Ukraine) but also, more recently, from Africa and Latin America. However, the government has recently taken many steps in an attempt to cease this activity and has convicted and sentences six traffickers in 2007. Women caught in forced or paid prostitution are usually deported back to their country of origin. Convicted traffickers are typically sentenced for smuggling, human trafficking, procuring prostitution and often, rape.
Emergency Numbers
112 - General Emergency (Ambulance, Police & Fire)
