Lëtzebuerger | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Luxembourgish diaspora in the world (includes ancestry and Luxembourger citizens from other countries). Luxembourg + 10,000 + 1,000 | |
| Total population | |
| c.300,000 (2013)[a] (Luxembourgish ancestry) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Luxembourg c. 298,000 (2013)[b][1][2](self-identified Luxembourgers) | |
| Languages | |
| Luxembourgish (L1)[3] French • German (L2) | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyRoman Catholicism[4] | |
a Upper estimate is merely a sum of all referenced figures given below. b In 2013, 55.5% of the population of Luxembourg (537,039) declared sole Luxembourgish ethnic descent and nationally, while the remaining 45.5% were either of foreign descent or foreign nationals. |
Luxembourgers (/ˈlʌksəmbɜːrɡərz/LUK-səm-bur-gərz;Luxembourgish:Lëtzebuerger[ˈlətsəbu̯əjɐ]ⓘ) are anethnic group native to theirnation state ofLuxembourg, where they make up aroundhalf of the population. They share theculture of Luxembourg and speakLuxembourgish, aWest Germanic language.
Luxembourgers were, much likeAustrians and some aspects of theSwiss historically considered to be a regional sub-group ofethnic Germans and viewed themselves as such until the collapse of theGerman Confederation. Luxembourg became independent, while remaining in personal union with theNetherlands, after the signing of theTreaty of London in 1839. The personal union proved short-lived as it was bilaterally and amicably dissolved in 1890.[5]
Legally, all citizens of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are considered to beLuxembourgers per Luxembourgish law, although a distinct Germanicethnolinguistic identification is vocally espoused and promoted. The corresponding adjective is "Luxembourgish".[6][7]
Most ethnic Luxembourgers live in theGrand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish:Lëtzebuerg), a smalllandlocked country inWestern Europe, situated betweenGermany,France, andBelgium, and are ofCeltic/Gallo-Roman andGermanic (Frankish) origin.Luxembourgish is the only native language of Luxembourgers (as taught by parents), although nearly all of them learnFrench andGerman in school and are able to communicate in these two languages as well from an early age on. Despite the rather small number of Luxembourgers, there is a relatively largediaspora of their people, both inEurope and elsewhere, most notably overseas inNorth America. Particularly, there are populations in the surrounding countries ofBelgium,France, andGermany. For the most part, this is due to historic reasons, especially the threePartitions of Luxembourg, which led to former territories of Luxembourg being incorporated into each of the three surrounding countries.[citation needed]
As previously mentioned, there are also significant populations of Luxembourgers in theAmericas, with the largest contingent being in theUnited States. Others migrated to the medievalKingdom of Hungary along with Germans during the first phase ofGerman eastward settlement (German:Ostsiedlung) in the 12th century (and, later on, during theModern Age).Transylvanian Saxons (in particular) andBanat Swabians (partly) are the descendants of these settlers.[8] Furthermore, theTransylvanian Saxon dialect is very close toLuxembourgish.[9][10][11] In addition, theZipser Germans in the historical region ofZips,Slovakia (but also their descendants inMaramureș andBukovina) are also part of the Luxembourgish diaspora given the fact that part of their ancestors stemmed from the northwestern LowerRhineland and adjacent or neighbouring areas.[12]
The explanation for the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic ties between the Saxons in Transylvania and the Luxembourgers is rather simple, namely that the first waves of Transylvanian Saxon settlers who colonised parts ofTransylvania, present-day central Romania stemmed from the Rhine-Moselle river valley region and, implicitly, from Luxembourg as well. These settlers were part of theOstsiedlung colonisation process inCentral andEastern Europe and were invited during the late 12th century, during theHigh Middle Ages, by theKing of HungaryGéza II to develop, fortify, and defend southern and south-eastern Transylvania against invading Asian peoples (e.g.Cumans,Pechenegs,Mongols, orTatars).[13] Moreover, in 2007,Luxembourg City shared the status ofEuropean Capital of Culture with the Romanian town ofSibiu (German:Hermannstadt), one of the most important historical urban centres of the Transylvanian Saxons, both in the past and present, in cultural, administrative, and religious regards as well.
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