LU - Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a western European state bordering Belgium to the west, Germany to the east and France to the south.

To know:
Extremely small in size (roughly like the province of Piacenza), the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg still boasts the enviable record of the highest per capita income in the world according to the estimates of the International Monetary Fund of 2011. It is configured as a parliamentary Principality. It is part of the European Union, of which it is one of the founding countries (1957).
Despite its size, Luxembourg has several tourist attractions: from the Moselle vineyards to the feudal houses of the Middle Ages through the steel control sites.

When to go:
The best time to visit the Grand Duchy is in summer: the national holiday is celebrated on June 23rd. In the streets of the capital and other cities there are concerts and open-air parties. But spring is also an ideal period, on April 9 in Luxembourg city and in Nospelt the traditional Emaischen is held, an open-air market where every merchant sells ceramic birds in which you can blow through holes, creating verses similar to those of birds.

Territories and tourist destinations:
Luxembourg is divided into 3 administrative districts, which are further divided into 12 cantons and then into 106 municipalities.

Luxembourg is officially divided into three districts
      Diekirch district – Includes Diekirch, Clervaux, Ettelbruck and Vianden.
      Grevenmacher district – Includes Grevenmacher, Echternach, Mertert, Remich and Schengen.
      Luxembourg District – Includes Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette and Mersch.
Despite being a small state, Luxembourg has a great variety of landscapes, and the following territories can be distinguished:

Gutland
Gutland (“Bon Pays” in French) – Territory which occupies the south and center of the Grand Duchy. The Gutland consists largely of a plateau strewn with rounded hills not exceeding 400 m and crossed by rivers that form narrow valleys. Luxembourg City, the small capital of the Grand Duchy is located in the center of the plateau.

The following regions are also considered part of Gutland:

Moselle Valley – The Moselle River originates from the Vosges mountains in Alsace and after crossing Lorraine enters Luxembourg territory marking for a good stretch the southern border between Luxembourg and Germany before flowing into the Rhine at the German city of Koblenz. The region presents tourist interest thanks to its rural landscapes dominated by vineyards from which excellent white wines are made. The wine route (Route du Vin) passes through the villages of Wasserbillig, Grevenmacher, Machtum, Wormeldange, Ehnen, Remich and Wellenstein.
Valley of the Seven Castles – Corresponds to the valley of the Eisch River which extends to the borders with Belgium (City of Arlon). The route is short and can be done in less than an hour. The castles that meet along the way are Mersch, Schoenfels, Hollenfels, Ansembourg, Septfontaines and Koerich.
Little Luxembourgish Switzerland (Mullerthal, Kleine Luxemburger Schweiz, “Kleng Lëtzebuerger Schwäiz” in Luxembourgish, “Petite Suisse luxembourgeoise” in French) – The name given to the territory of the town of Echternach (4,877 inhabitants in 2009). The landscapes of the Mullerthal are characterized by woods and an infinity of streams that often form waterfalls. Unlike Switzerland, the altitude of the Mullerthal is very modest (400 m a.s.l.).
Terre Rosse (Luxembourg: Minett, German: Rote Erde, French: Terres Rouges) – Corresponding to the cantonal territory of Esch-sur-Alzette on the border with France, the Terre Rosse owe their characteristic coloring to the underground iron deposits exploited by the ArcelorMittal company, for a long time the first steel producer in the world. Today the mines are mostly abandoned and the local economy has turned to building materials and chemicals. The Terre Rosse remain the most densely populated area of ​​the Grand Duchy with several centers of more than 7 000 inhabitants such as Bettembourg, Differdange, Dudelange, Pétange and Schifflange.