This photo proved quite challenging. It definitely looks European, mostly non-descript, but with one main clue, namely the fortified walls seen on the right side of the river. Only one person came forward with an answer and fortunately that was the correct one. Chris Christiensen, founder and host of the best travel podcast out there, the Amateur Traveler, correctly identified this as Luxembourg.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a country that’s easy not to visit. It’s the second smallest European Union country so you have to make a point of going there (you’ll never just be passing through). It’s wedged between much more popular and populated France, Germany and Belgium. The country has less than 500,000 residents and only one major city, Luxembourg City, which we found charming and beautiful and well worth our time, even for just a short visit. Luxembourg City was founded in 963 AD and is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its fortifications and historic city center.
While small, the country has had a tumultuous history because of it’s strategic “cross-roads” geography, including numerous rulers and wars. It was because of its frequent wars that the massive fortified walls and promontories were constructed, the city’s most distinctive feature. Luxembourg was one of the major battlefields in the famous Battle of the Bulge conflict towards the end of WWII.
The country has a successful economy, especially in finance and high tech. Because of its favorable tax structure it’s a magnet for wealthy Europeans, making it one of Europe’s richest (and most expensive) countries on a per capita basis. It was a European Capital of Culture in 2007. I’ll be posting more on this city soon.
