Gëlle Fra

The siege of Luxembourg, in which Louis XIV of France (husband of Maria Theresa of Spain) laid siege to the Spanish-controlled Fortress of Luxembourg from 27 April to 7 June 1684, was the most significant confrontation of the War of the Reunions between France and Spain. The action caused alarm among France's neighbours and resulted in the formation of the League of Augsburg in 1686. In the ensuing war France was forced to give up the duchy, which was returned to the Habsburgs by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697.

The Fortress of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Festung Lëtzebuerg; French: Forteresse de Luxembourg; German: Festung Luxemburg) is the former fortifications of Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which were mostly dismantled beginning in 1867. The fortress was of great strategic importance for the control of the Left Bank of the Rhine, the Low Countries, and the border area between France and Germany. The fortifications were built gradually over nine centuries, from soon after the city's foundation in the tenth century until 1867. By the end of the Renaissance, Luxembourg was already one of Europe's strongest fortresses, but it was the period of great construction in the 17th and 18th centuries that gave it its fearsome reputation. Due to its strategic location, it became caught up in Europe-wide conflicts between the major powers such as the Habsburg–Valois wars, the War of the Reunions, and the French Revolutionary Wars, and underwent changes in ownership, sieges, and major alterations, as each new occupier—the Burgundians, French, Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs, and Prussians—made their own improvements and additions. Luxembourg took pride in the flattering historical epithet of the "Gibraltar of the North" as a result of its alleged impregnability. By 1443 it had only been taken by surprise by Philip the Good. In 1795, the city, expecting imminent defeat and for fear of the following pillages and massacres, surrendered after a seven-month blockade and siege by the French, with most of its walls still unbreached. On this occasion, advocating to extend the revolutionary wars across the French borders, the French politician and engineer Lazare Carnot explained to the French House of Representatives, that in taking Luxembourg, France had deprived its enemies of "...the best fortress in Europe after Gibraltar, and the most dangerous for France", which had put any French movement across the border at a risk. Thus, the surrender of Luxembourg made it possible for France to take control of the southern parts of the Low Countries and to annex them to her territory. The city's great significance for the frontier between the Second French Empire and the German Confederation led to the 1866 Luxembourg Crisis, almost resulting in a war between France and Prussia over possession of the German Confederation's main western fortress. The 1867 Treaty of London required Luxembourg's fortress to be torn down and for Luxembourg to be placed in perpetual neutrality, signalling the end of the city's use as a military site. Since then, the remains of the fortifications have become a major tourist attraction for the city. In 1994, the fortress remains and the city's old quarter were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Duchy of Luxembourg (Dutch: Luxemburg; French: Luxembourg; German: Luxemburg; Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg. The House of Luxembourg became one of the most important political forces in the 14th century, competing against the House of Habsburg for supremacy in Central Europe. They would be the heirs to the Přemyslid dynasty in the Kingdom of Bohemia, succeeding the Kingdom of Hungary and contributing four Holy Roman Emperors until their own line of male heirs came to an end and the House of Habsburg received the territories that the two Houses had originally agreed upon in the Treaty of Brünn in 1364. In 1443, the duchy passed to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy of the French House of Valois, and, in 1477, by marriage to Archduke Maximilian I of Austria of the House of Habsburg. The Seventeen Provinces of the former Burgundian Netherlands were formed into an integral union by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549. In 1795, French revolutionaries ended this situation.

The Place d'Armes (Luxembourgish: Plëss d'Arem, or simply Plëss) is a square in Luxembourg City in the south of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Centrally placed in the old town, it attracts large numbers of locals and visitors, especially in the summer months. It originally served as a parade ground for the troops defending the city.

Luxembourg City Hall (Luxembourgish: Stadhaus Stad Lëtzebuerg; French: Hôtel de ville de Luxembourg) is the city hall of Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The city hall is the centre of local government, including being used as the private office of the Mayor of Luxembourg City. Because of its position in Luxembourg's capital, it regularly hosts foreign dignitaries. It is located on the southwestern part of Place Guillaume II (nicknamed Knuedler), the main square in the centre of the city. The two-storey building is built in neoclassical style.

The Casino Luxembourg is a forum for contemporary art which was adapted and renovated in 1995 to fit its new role of housing temporary exhibitions of Luxembourg art. It opened in 1882 as the Casino Bourgeois, and was a centre for cultural and social events in addition to its gaming functions.

The Old City of Luxembourg (officially City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications) is located mainly in Ville Haute (Uewerstad) in Luxembourg City, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1994. The origin of the city was a fort built in the 10th century and was mostly demolished on purpose in the 19th century (the casemattes, the bastion and some walls still exist partly). The early town (which is now the historical city) has been established in the 12th century. Highlights are Grand Ducal Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Adolphe Bridge, Dräi Tierm, Pont du Château, Chemin de la Corniche, and Bock casemattes. The Ministry of Culture, Department of National Sites and Monuments is responsible for the preservation of the sites (with a partnership of the Luxembourg Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO which was founded in 1949).

The Codex Mariendalenis is a manuscript on vellum containing the epic poem Yolanda vu Veianen or Yolanda of Vianden. It is believed to be the work of Brother Hermann von Veldenz who probably wrote the story of Yolanda's life in 1290 after her death in 1283. The work consists of 5,963 lines of rhyming couplets in Moselle Franconian which bears close similarities to today's Luxembourgish. It is therefore of particular interest to those tracing the history of the Luxembourgish language.

Place Guillaume II is a town square in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The square lies to the west of Krautmaart and to the north of Boulevard Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the heart of Luxembourg's historic Ville Haute quarter. It is colloquially known as Knuedler, from the Luxembourgish language's word for 'knot', referring to the knot in the belt worn by Franciscan friars.The western half of the square is dominated by Luxembourg City Hall in the southwest, whilst the equestrian statue to former Grand Duke William II, after whom the square is named, is the prominent feature of the eastern half. Much of the square is ringed with trees, narrowing the open area (particularly around the statue). The square was originally the site of a Franciscan monastery, hence the colloquial name. However, in 1797, during the French Revolutionary Wars, the monastery was dispossessed by occupying French soldiers. In 1804, the visiting Napoleon presented Place Guillaume II to the city as a gift. In 1829, plans were put in place to build a new town hall on the square, based upon the plans of Belgian architect Justin Remont. That same year, the deconstruction of the former monastery was completed, the material from which was used in the new building.The town hall was completed in 1838, and first used by the city council, chaired by long-time Mayor François Scheffer. However, due to the ongoing Belgian Revolution, the official unveiling could not be held at the time. Instead, the town hall was officially unveiled on 15 July 1844 by Grand Duke William II, as was the statue in his likeness in Place Guillaume II.Place Guillaume II is used as an open air music venue, hosting the Rock um Knuedler rock concert each year since 1991. The Rock um Kneudler concerts are free to the public, and have been watched by audiences of up to 10,000. Since 1995, the concerts have been headlined by international acts, with the South African Johnny Clegg and the Italian Gianna Nannini topping the bill for the 2007 concert.

The Palais du Mobilier Bonn Frères (in English: Bonn Frères Furniture Showroom) is an Art Deco-style building in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, designed by the architect Léon Bouvart (1883–1933) and built in 1925–26 by the contractor Achille Giorgetti for the Bonn family.

The Cercle Municipal or Cercle Cité is a building in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg, It is located at the eastern end of the Place d'Armes, in the historic central Ville Haute quarter of the city.

The Adolphe Bridge (Luxembourgish: Adolphe-Bréck, French: Pont Adolphe, German: Adolphe-Brücke) is a double-decked arch bridge in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The bridge provides a one-way route for road traffic across the Pétrusse, from Boulevard Royal, in Ville Haute, to Avenue de la Liberté, on the Bourbon Plateau in Gare. Its upper deck is 153 m in length and carries two lanes of road traffic, and two pedestrian footpaths. Its lower deck, opened in 2018, suspended beneath the upper deck, is 154 m in length, and carries a dedicated bidirectional bicycle path, with access provided for pedestrian use. As of 13 December 2020, following the completion of the second phase of the construction of the city's new tramline, the bridge carries bidirectional tram traffic on its upper deck.The Adolphe Bridge has become an unofficial national symbol of sorts, representing Luxembourg's independence, and has become one of Luxembourg City's main tourist attractions. The bridge was designed by Paul Séjourné, a Frenchman, and Albert Rodange, a Luxembourger, and was built between 1900 and 1903. Its design was copied in the construction of Walnut Lane Bridge in Philadelphia, the United States.The bridge was named after Grand Duke Adolphe, who reigned Luxembourg from 1890 until 1905, and was the first monarch to hold the title not in personal union with another. Although it is now over 100 years old, it is also known as the New Bridge (Luxembourgish: Nei Bréck, French: Nouveau pont, German: Neue Brücke) by people from Luxembourg City. The 'old bridge' in this comparison is the Passerelle, which was built between 1859 and 1861.