Culture of Luxembourg

Theculture of Luxembourgrefers to the cultural life and traditions ofLuxembourg. Most citizens are trilingual, speakingFrenchandGermanin addition to theGermanicnational languageofLuxembourgish. Although its contributions to the arts are not largely known outside its borders, Luxembourg has a rich cultural history, especially in music, painting and photography. Its evolving museums, concert halls, theatres and galleries testify to its citizens' growing appreciation of culture.
Jean-Baptiste FresezandNicolas Liezwho both painted theCity of Luxembourgand its surroundings were the country's most important 19th-century artists.Jean Jacoby, who was awarded two Olympic Gold medals for his artwork and, above all,Joseph Kutterwith his Expressionist landscapes and portraits, were notable during the first half of the 20th century. Kutter's brightly coloured painting of "Luxembourg", commissioned for the1937 World Exposition in Parisreveals his mature Expressionist style, of which there is more than natural emphasis on how the houses appear to be stacked up one behind the other, how the buildings take on almost cubic contours and how the fortifications tower powerfully above the valley.
Other celebrated painters of the periods were the ImpressionistDominique Lang;Nico Klopp, who painted striking post-impressionist landscapes of theMoselle; andSosthène Weis, whose innumerable watercolours ofLuxembourg Cityand its surroundings are reminiscent of the style ofJ. M. W. Turner.Major contributors to the art scene afterWorld War IIwereEmile Kirscht,Michel Stoffel,Foni Tissen, andGust Graas.Closely associated with the post-war artists was the sculptorLucien Wercollierwhose impressive abstract works in bronze and marble can be found not just in public places in Luxembourg but in the surrounding countries too.
The sculptorClaus Cito(1882–1965) is remembered above all for theGëlle Fra(Golden Woman) sculpture crowning the Monument of Remembrance obelisk (1923), raised in memory of the Luxembourg soldiers who died for their country in theFirst World War.
One of the country's most successful contemporary artists isSu-Mei Tsewho, in 2003, won the Golden Lion, a prize awarded to the best national participant at theVenice International Exhibition of Contemporary Art.
Considering the country's small size, thephotography in Luxembourghas made an important contribution to local culture. Although he grew up and worked all his life in theUnited States, the influential photographer and painterEdward Steichenwas of Luxembourg descent, and after theSecond World Waras manager of the photography department at theMuseum of Modern ArtinNew York City, he arranged two important donations for Luxembourg. First in 1964, he provided a permanent home inClervaux, Luxembourg for his famous exhibition "The Family of Man"; and then in 1967, the USA sent another treasure to Luxembourg, the exhibition "The Bitter Years". Similarly,Gabriel Lippmannwho was also born in Luxembourg but moved to France when only three, was awarded theNobel Prizefor his pioneering work in colour photography.Charles Bernhoeft(1859-1933) was a successful portrait and landscape photographer, publishing a number of luxurious albums, illustrated maps and several series of postcards.
Contemporary photographers include the photojournalistsPatrick Galbats,Yvon LambertandThierry Frisch.
Little is known of Luxembourg literature beyond the country's borders, partly because three languages are used, partly because many works assume a local readership. Furthermore, it was not until the 19th century that the literature of Luxembourg began to develop.
In 1829,Antoine Meyerpublished the very first book inLëtzebuerger Däitsch, the local Germanic dialect later calledLuxembourgish, a collection of poems titled "E' Schrek op de' Lezeburger Parnassus" (A Step up Luxembourg's Parnassus).
Edmond de la Fontaine(1823–1891), better known by his pen-nameDicks, is considered thenational poetof Luxembourg. Along withMichel LentzandMichel Rodange, he is an outstanding figure in the history of Luxembourg literature, writing poetry in Luxembourgish.Another influential writer wasBatty Weber(1860–1940) who worked both as a journalist and as an author of short stories, novels, plays and poems, contributing much to the development of Luxembourg culture.Anise Koltz(born in 1928), first writing mainly in German and Luxembourgish but later in French, is the country's most important contemporary author. Another successful contemporary novelist and poet isJean Portante(born in 1950).
Luxembourgish literature was long confined to poetry and the theatre, but in the 1980s, as a result of the movement to make Luxembourgish an official language,Guy Rewenig(born in 1947) andRoger Manderscheid(1933–2010) both wrote novels in Luxembourgish. Rewenig'sHannert dem Atlantikappeared in 1985 and Manderscheid's childhood trilogySchacko klak, De papagei um kâschtebamandFeier a flamin 1988.
Thecity of Luxembourgis on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List.
The architecture of Luxembourg extends back to theTreveri, a Celtic tribe that prospered in the 1st century BC. A few ruins remain from the Roman occupation but the most significant contributions over the centuries have been the country's castles and churches. Notable examples are theVianden Castleand theEchternach Basilica. Today there is a veritable architectural boom as Luxembourg's economic prosperity provides a basis for developments in the financial,EUand cultural sectors with a number of world-class buildings. These include thePhilharmonie Concert Hall, theMuseum of Modern Artand the newEuropean Investment Bankbuilding.
The wide general interest in music and musical activities in Luxembourg can be seen from the membership of theUnion Grand-Duc Adolphe, the national music federation for choral societies, brass bands, music schools, theatrical societies, folklore associations and instrumental groups. Some 340 societies with over 17,000 individual members are currently represented by the organization.
The two main venues forclassical musicin Luxembourg are thePhilharmonieconcert hall, home to thePhilharmonie de Luxembourgorchestra, and theGrand Théâtre de Luxembourgwith frequent performances of opera and ballet. Luxembourg's internationally recognized soloists include violinistSandrine Cantoreggi, cellistFrançoise Groben, pianistsFrancesco Tristano SchliméandJean Muller, and singerMariette Kemmer. Among its contemporary composers areCamille Kerger,Claude Lenners,Georges Lentz(although he lives mainly inAustralia),Alexander MullenbachandMarcel Wengler.
Composers such asAlexander Mullenbachprovide key insights into the uniqueness of the cultural perspective of Luxembourgers: "One of the most important qualities of being a Luxembourger abroad is the fact that we have an affinity, linguistically and culturally, with both the German and French (and also Anglo-Saxon) culture. This allows us as Luxembourgers to have a different approach and access to these cultures, especially when working in the arts or cultural scene."
Opera is frequently performed inLuxembourg Cityat theGrand Théâtreand inEsch-sur-Alzetteat theThéâtre d'Eschas well as at the annual Wiltz festival.
Brian Molko, singer/guitarist of rock bandPlacebolived in Luxembourg for most of his life, where he learned to play various instruments such asguitar,pianoandsaxophone. BassistStefan Olsdalalso lived there, the two of them met at school in Luxembourg but lost touch until they met again years later in London.  One of the most influential Luxembourg bands of the last decades isCool Feet, which performs old Luxembourgish songs.
Luxembourg was a founding participant of theEurovision Song Contest, and participated every year between1956and before it was relegated after the1993, with the exception of 1959. Although Luxembourg was free to participate again in1995, it chose not to return to the competition before2024. It has won the competition a total of five times,1961,1965,1972,1973and1983and hosted the contest in1962,1966,1973, and1984. Only nine of its 38 entries before 2024, and none of its five winning entries, were performed byLuxembourgishartists.On its2024return, this was, however, with a particular emphasis on promoting music and artists from Luxembourg.
For modern popular music concerts, the neighborhood ofBelvalinEsch-Sur-Alzettehosts the venue ofRockhal,one of the largest venues for international Pop/Rock acts. For outdoor festivals, the city ofEchternachhas hosted thee-Lake Music Festivalof electronic music the second week of every August since 1997.
The major museums are:
Luxembourg's cuisine has been influenced over the years by neighboringFrance,Germany, andBelgium.More recently, it has had influence from its manyItalianandPortugueseimmigrants.
Luxembourg has many delicacies including itspastries,cheese, and fresh fish (brown trout,pike, andcrayfish). Other delicacies include theArdenneshamsmoked insaltpeter, game during hunting season (such ashareandwild boar), smallplumtarts in September (Quetsch), smoked neck ofporkwithbroad beans(Judd mat Gaardebounen), fried small river fish (such asbream,chub,gudgeon,roach, andrudd),liverdumplings(Quenelle) withsauerkrautand boiled potatoes,black pudding(Träipen), sausages withmashed potatoesandhorseradish, andgreen beansoup (Bouneschlupp). French cuisine is prominent on many menus, and to a lesser extent so are German and Belgian cuisines.
A number of white and sparkling wines are produced in Luxembourg, on the north bank of theMoselle, which has a winemaking history dating back to the Romans. Luxembourg is known for making several different kinds of wine includingRiesling,Pinot gris,Pinot noir,Pinot blanc,Auxerrois,Rivaner,Elbling,Gewürztraminer, andCrémant de Luxembourg. Authentic Luxembourg wine can be identified by the National Mark.
Luxembourg has a fair number ofbreweries, given its tiny size. Importedbeer, however, is increasingly gaining control of the beer market in Luxembourg. During the 1970s and 1980s, over 600,000hectoliters(almost 16 million US gallons) of beer were brewed each year. The peak was reached in 1976 when over 800,000 hectoliters of beer were brewed, and since then the amount has been decreasing. In 2001, production dropped below 400,000 hectoliters for the first time since 1950. Some beers are currently made in Luxembourg, includingBattin Edelpils,Battin Extra,Brasserie Battin,Bière Blondeand others at theRestaurant Beierhaascht,Bofferding Lager,Brasserie Bofferding,Héngeschter,Cornelyshaff,Diekirch Premium,InBev-ownedBrasserie de Luxembourg Mousel-Diekirch SA,Simon Dinkeland others at theBrasserie Simon. TheBrasserie de Redangalso brewed beer for five years, but closed in 2005.
These are some specialties of Luxembourg:
Footballis the most popular sport in Luxembourg. Football in Luxembourg is governed by theLuxembourg Football Federation(FLF), which is a member ofFIFAandUEFA. The FLF organises themen's,women's, andfutsalnational teams.
TheLuxembourg National Divisionis the premier domestic sports League in the country. Luxembourg was amongst the first countries in the world to be introduced to football, with the National Division being established in 1913, and thenational teamplaying its first match in 1911.
The game of football is the most popular sport in the whole country of Luxembourg (especially in the south), having developed earliest in the industrialRed LandsandLuxembourg City. Only once has the National Division been won by a team not from south of the country. Historically,Jeunesse Eschhas been Luxembourg's most successful domestic club, having won the National Division on 27 occasions out of 93. Since 2000, the league has been dominated byF91 Dudelange, which has won the league on six of the past eight occasions.
The national team, nicknamedD'Roud Léiwen('The Red Lions'), ranked among the weakest in the world in the 2000s and early 2010s. As of February 2024, the team has never qualified for either aWorld Cupor aEuropean Championship. Under trainerLuc Holtz, the Red Lions have gained more prominence, attaining their highest everFIFA rankingat 82nd in 2018, and achieving results that have included a1-0 victoryoverIrelandin 2021, and a relatively successfulqualifying campaignfor the2024 European Championship. Luxembourg's most famous past players includeLouis PilotandGuy Hellers, both of whom also coached the national team after ending their playing careers.