Echternach is a commune with city status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town (current population 4,610) in Luxembourg.

It grew around the walls of the Abbey of Echternach, which was founded in 698 by St. Willibrord, an English monk of Ripon, who became the first bishop of Utrecht and worked to Christianize the Frisians. As bishop, he directed the monastery as abbot until his death in 739. It is in his honour that the dancing procession takes place annually on Whit Tuesday.

The River Sauer that flows past the town now forms the border between Luxembourg and Germany, but in the later Roman Empire and under the Merovingians this was not a marcher land at all. The Roman villa at Echternach (traces of it were rediscovered in 1975) which was part of the see of Trier (now in Germany) was presented to Willibrord by Irmina (Irmine), daughter of Dagobert II, king of the Franks. Other parts of the Merovingian’s Roman inheritance were presented to the Abbey by Pepin.

Altogether there are 10 statutory holidays:
Date Name Meaning
1st January Neijooschdag New Year
24th March 2008 Ouschterméindeg Easter Monday
1st May 1 Mee May Day
1st May 2008 Ascension Ascension Day, Thursday, 40 days after Easter
12th May 2008 Päischtméindeg Whit Monday, 50 days after Easter
23rd June Nationalefeierdag National Day, formerly anniversary of the Great Duke, are in 1964 is the date fixed, regardless of the actual birthday of the regents
15th August Léiffrawëschdag Marie Ascension, in rural areas are sent to church that day Thanksgiving celebration held
1st November Allerhellgen All Saints
25th Chrëschtdag December 1st Christmas Day
26th Stiefesdag December 2nd Christmas Day, the naming is the day of St. Stephen

The Carnival Monday (Fuesméinden), and All Souls’ Day (Allerséilen), 2nd November, are no statutory holidays, but by state governments and municipalities are closed or operate in accordance with the Public Service Day transportation, health care). In the private sector are normal working days. The same is true of town to town different, for the Monday after the Patron’s Feast (Kiirmesméinden), so eg on the first Monday in September in Luxembourg City.

The people of Luxembourg are called Luxembourgers.The native population has a Celtic base with a French and Germanic blend.The indigenous population was augmented by immigrants from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal throughout the twentieth century, with the majority coming from Portugal. In the 2001 census, there were 58,657 inhabitants with Portuguese nationality. Since the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, Luxembourg has seen many immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. Annually, over 10,000 new immigrants arrive in Luxembourg, mostly from EU states, as well and Eastern Europe. As of 2000, there were 162,000 immigrants in Luxembourg, accounting for 37% of the total population. There were an estimated 5,000 undocumented immigrants, including asylum seekers, in Luxembourg as of 1999.

Perched high on a promontory overlooking the Pétrusse and Alzette Valleys, the Grand Duchy’s capital solemnly sits like a thousand-year-old gargoyle. In 963 AD, on a rocky outcrop known as the Bock, Sigefroid, Count of Ardennes, laid the cornerstone of a fortress that would become Luxembourg City.

Springtime is a great time to be amongst the riot of wildflowers, celebrations and folk festivals nationwide. The weather from late-spring to early-autumn is also usually good for outdoors activities – so long as you don’t mind a bit of rain and battling the tourist swell. Winter is not as extreme in Luxembourg as it can be in nearby countries, so if you find yourself visiting during the colder months, you needn’t weigh yourself down with polar gear.

Luxembourg’s contribution to its defence and to NATO consists of a small army (currently consisting of around 800 people). As a landlocked country, it has no navy, and it has no air force, except for the fact that the eighteen NATO AWACS aeroplanes were registered as aircraft of Luxembourg for convenience.^[14] In a joint agreement with Belgium, both countries have put forth funding for one A400M military cargo plane, now currently on order. Luxembourg still jointly maintains three NATO Boeing 707 model TCAs for cargo and training purposes based in NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen.

Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum Luxemburg), also spelled Luxemburg, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg has a population of under half a million people in an area of approximately 2,586 square kilometres (999 sq mi).^[1]

Luxembourg is a parliamentary representative democracy with a constitutional monarchy, ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world’s only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita in the world (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 2007). Its historic and strategic importance dates back to its founding as a Roman era fortress site and Frankish count’s castle site in the Early Middle Ages. It was an important bastion along the Spanish road when Spain was the principal European power influencing the whole western hemisphere and beyond in the 14th–17th centuries.

Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, Benelux, and the Western European Union, reflecting the political consensus in favour of economic, political, and military integration. The city of Luxembourg, the capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the European Union.

Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romance Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. Luxembourg is a trilingual country; French, German, and Luxembourgish are official languages. Although a secular state, Luxembourg is predominantly Roman Catholic.