Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/630

* LUXEMBURG. 560 LUXEMBURG. Province on the north aiul east, German Lor- raine and France on the soutli, and Belgium on the west (Map: Germany, B 4). Area, 'J'J8 square miles. The northern and more elevated part of the country belongs to the region of the Ardennes, and reaches an altitude of about 1800 feet. The southern part belongs to the plateau of Lorraine, is perceptibly louer, and is of re- markable fertility. The district lies in the basin of the Moselle (which forms a part of the east- ern boundary), and is watered by the Sauer and its tributaries. The climate is somewhat rawer than that of Belgium and more changeable. Agriculture is the chief industry. Over one- half of the total area consists of arable land. Cereals, the vine, and fruits are grown on a large scale. Stocfcraising is also important. Lu.emburg is noted for its iron deposits, found chiefly along the southwestern frontier. In 1901 there" were 75 iron-mines, emi)loying over 4700 persons, with an output of 4,oO,000 tons, valued at over .$2,270,000. Copper, antimony, and lead also exist, but are not exploited. The output of building-stone is considerable. The chief manufacturing industries are con- nected with the mineral production. In 1901 the foundries and iron and steel mills of Luxem burg employed nearly 5000 persons, and the pro- duction of iron and steel for that year was valued at more than .$18,700,000. Of "less importance is the manufacture of woolens, gloves, pottery, paper, beer, and leather. For commercial pur- poses the grand duchy has formed a part of the German Zollverein since 1843. It exports chiefly minerals and manufactures, and imports coke, coal, and grain. The railway lines have a total length of 290 miles. Lu.xemburg is a constitutional monarchy. hereditary in the male line, and administered under the Constitution ])ronuilgated in 1848 and revised in 1850 and 1808. The legislative power is vested in a House of Kcpresentatives of 45 members, elected for six years by restricted suf- frage. The executive power is in the hands of a Minister of State, assisted by the directors of finance, justice, and interior — all nominated by the Grand Duke. There is also a nominated Council of State, whose functions are only ad- visory, and from which seven members are select- ed to form a court of administration. Luxem- burg has been a neutral territory since 1807. Military service is not obligatory. The armed force consists of less than 200 volunteers and of about 150 gendarmes. Tlic revenue and expen- ditures for 1900 amounted to $1,891,400 and $2,277,400, respectively, the deficit having been met by the surplus of the preceding years. Lux- emburg has a debt of aboiit $2,400,000. con- tracted mainly for the construction of railways, and converted in 189.3 into a single loan at 3^2 per cent. The grand duchy has no sejjarate cur- rency, with the excei)tion of fractional coins based on the franc, which is the legal unit. Ed ucation is obligatory and well provided for. Luxemburg forms a separate bishopric. Popula- tion, in 1890. 211,088; in 1900. 2.30.543, almost exclusively Catholics. The inhabitants are of German origin and generally speak a German dialect, modified by an admixture of corrupt French. Capital. Luxemburg (q.v. ). Hi-STORT. The medi;pval coimts of Luxemburg took their name from the Castle of Liitzelburg, around which the town of Luxemburg (originally called Liitzelburg) grew up. The County of Luxemburg, which formed one of the petty prin- cipalities of the Holy Roman Empire of the Germans, flrst comes into prominence in 1308, in which year the German princes elected Count Henry to fill the Imjjcrial throne. In 1310 !iis son, John the Blind, who had married the sister of Wenceslas III., of Bohemia, became King of that country. (See Bojie.mia.) John's son. Charles, King of Bohemia and German Emperor (Charles IV.). gave the countrj' to his step- brother, Wenceslas, and raised it in 1353 to the rank of a duchy. In 1443 Luxemburg fell to Bur- gundy, and with the possessions of that house came into the hands of Spain, remaining, how- ever, part of the German Empire. In the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, it was transferred to Aus- tria. By the Peace of Cam])o-Formio (q.v.) it was ceded to France in 1797. It was ele- vated by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the rank of a grand ducliy, and became a mem- ber of the German Confederation, but under the ])ersonal sovereignty of the King of the Netli erlands as indemnity for the loss of Nassau. When Belgium became an independent kingdom (1831) Luxemburg was divided between it and Holland — the latter, however, retaining little more than the city of Luxemliurg till 183!i. when, by a treaty signed in London, another part of the territory was taken from Belgium ami added to the city, forming the present Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, which renuiined subject to the King of the Xetherlands. After the dissolu- tion of the Germanic Confederation in 18GG. the King of Holland wished to sell Luxemburg, wliieh had been garrisoned since 1815 l)y Prussian troops, to France; but the sununary action of Bismarck, who guided the policy of Prussia, pre- vented this barter, and in 1807 an international conference at London made Luxemburg a neutral sovereign State, under a guarantee of the Powers. In 1S90 the death of William III. of Holland rendered the House of Orange extinct in the direct line of succession, and Luxemburg passed to the nearest collateral male line, represented by Adolphus, Duke of Xassau, who in December of that year assumed the title of Grand Duke of Luxeiiiljurg. thus ending the personal union that had previously made Luxemburg an appanage of the Xethei'Iands. Consult: Bonnardot, Les archires de Vital de Luxcmhoury. vol. xli. of the publication of the History Section of the LiLxemi)urg Institute (1890)"; Coster. Geschichte der I-'cfstiiiiri LiiJcem- iyif/( Luxemburg, I8G9) ; also bibliography under Belgilm; P^ais-ce; Germany; Netherlands. LUXEMBURG. The capital of the Grand- Duchy of Luxemburg, picturesquely situated on the Alsette, 42 miles north of Metz by rail (ilap: Belgium, E 5). The city consists of two parts, the Oberstadt, or upper town, crowning a rocky height, 200 feet above the Unterstlidte. or lower town, which lies in the encircling ravine, the two parts coniniunicating by flights of steps and winding streets. Lofty viaducts span the valley and connect the Oberstadt with the sur- rounding country. Public gardens occupy the site of the fortifications constructed under the direc- tion of Vauhan, after the plans of a Spanish engineer, which gained for Luxemburg the ap- pellation of 'the Northern Gibraltar,' and which were dismantled in 1872. A few remains of these works include the Spanish towers and the tun-