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LUXEMBOURG
The Dual Arts of Travel and Peace
by Jheri St. James
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a constitutional monarchy,
is an independent sovereign state tucked between Belgium,
France and Germany, a dot too small for its name
on most maps. In 963 A.D. when Siegfried, Count of the Ardennes and founder of
the Luxembourg Dynasty, had a castle built on the territory of the present-day
capital of Luxembourg, the written history of Lucilinburhuc (i.e., Luxembourg)
began. After a long period of foreign domination (Burgundian, Spanish, French,
Austrian), the Congress of Vienna settled the destiny of the country by raising
it to the rank of Grand Duchy and giving it as personal property to the King
of Netherlands, William I of Orange-Nassau. This lasted until 1890, a period
of democratic institutions, political independence and growing autonomy. By the
11th of May 1867, the Treaty of London reaffirmed Luxembourg’s territorial
integrity, this tiny country’s autonomy was validated, Luxembourg was declared
perpetually neutral, and the great powers of Europe agreed to guarantee and protect
this neutrality. Luxembourg has had its own Dynasty since 1890. The present ruler,
H.R.H. Grand Duke Henri, succeeded his father, grand Duke Jean, to the throne
in October 2000. Executive power is in the hands of the Grand Duke and a cabinet
of 12 ministers. Legislative power rests with a parliament elected by men and
women over 18, all of whom in Luxembourg have the right and duty to vote. The
Grand Duchy is a founder member of the EU, and has a population of 420,000, including
the highest proportion of inhabitants with foreign passports among the EU countries.
The northern part of Luxembourg boasts sylvan settings perfect for skiing and
hiking, while the Moselle Valley, just east of Luxembourg City, is one of Europe’s
most idyllic wine-producing regions. The capital is no more than an hour’s
drive from anywhere. Ryan Patrick Cawley visited Luxembourg City recently and
had a difficult time finding a plot of dirt to collect for Common Ground 191. “I
walked through the town and almost everything had been rebuilt so there wasn’t
really any soil to be found at all, but I was able to come across a house that
was deserted and had been chained off. I was able to get inside and take soil
from the garden that hadn’t been seen in years . . . they didn’t
have very many places that are still natural; everything is being built on.”
Ryan Patrick Cawley in Luxembourg
Ryan
Patrick Cawley’s soil collection story for Common
Ground 191 was reminiscent of another Ryan’s (Latimer),
who wrote for Vision Magazine in June 2005: “I worry
about the loss of the essence of travel the way that I worry
about the loss of literature. Complex Joycean novels have
been
replaced by short articles, encapsulated into bolded paragraphs and italicized
sentences, minimized into bullet points that become quotes, or mottos slipped
into insincere fortune cookies written by outsourced ghostwriters. Travel
is becoming like this too. We are beginning to see the devolution
of the traveler:
ex-patriot to backpacker, student traveler to tourist; tour-taker to cruise
ship lover. Ah yes, the cruise. Wealthy xenophobes stuffing themselves during
midnight buffets of Mac n’ Cheese and frozen yogurt with chocolate
sprinkles; traveling in air-conditioned buses to visit exotic destinations
for a mere
hour before arriving back on the ship for processed and homogenized American
entertainment. What country were you in? Does it matter?”
Ryan Patrick Cawley says, “… as soon
as I got the soil, I had to make it back to the train to go on the Frankfurt.
I was not able to ship it
until I returned to England (which is a miracle by the way). Most of the
activities there are mainly take the train to other countries for business because
for
the younger age it is hard to find jobs in Luxembourg. Also many students
travel to Germany for school.”
We at Common Ground 191 marvel at the miracles
of soil collection and shipment, and their fascinating stories. The fact
that good friends of every social strata
are willing to take time from their travels, kneel down and pack up some
soil from countries like Luxembourg moves us anew every time a soil shipment
arrives
at headquarters in Laguna Beach, California, having also cleared the U.S.
Dept. of Agriculture procedures. Surely this makes even the minimilist travel
that
Ryan Latimer describes more deep and meaningful.
The River Esch-sur-Sûre
But
more about Luxembourg: there are 12 rivers, the Moselle being
a canal which links the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
to
the large European waterways.
Other important rivers are the Sûre, the Our, and the Alzette. Luxembourg
is slightly smaller than Rhode Island. The country is divided into two clearly
defined regions: It’s a shame that Ryan Patrick Cawley missed the “Eisleck” or “Oesling” in
the north, which is part of the Ardennes, on the western rim of the Eifel,
and covers one-third of the territory is a wooded country of great scenic
beauty. Maybe someday he will visit the “Good Country” in
the center and south of the country, which covers the remainder of
the territory and
is mainly
rolling farmland and woods. This area is bordered in the east by the
wine-producing valley of the Moselle, and in the extreme southwest
by a narrow strip of
red earth, which forms the Luxembourg iron-ore basin.
It was the discovery of iron ore around 1850 which marked the economic turning
point for Luxembourg. An important steel industry came into being, drawing
tens of thousands of foreign workers into the ore mines and steel factories
and bringing prosperity to the whole country. The steel exports constitute
one quarter of the value of Luxembourg export trade. The Arcelor group produces
90% of flat carbon steel and long carbon steel, and is among the world’s
leaders in stainless steel production, and is among the largest firms in Europe
for distribution, transformation and trading. Since the end of World War II,
aluminum, glass, cement, tires, magnetic tapes and computers have become other
exports of Luxembourg. Dams have been built in Esch-sur-Sure and Rosport, Vianden
is Europe’s second-largest hydro-electricity pumping station,
and ASTRA satellites are controlled from Luxembourg.
But the most famous of Luxembourg’s activities
has to be its major role as a prominent international financial center,
numbering 14,000 domiciled holding
companies, some 1300 investment funds and 220 banks which represent
the greatest banking concentration in the European Community. More recently Luxembourg
has
reaffirmed its importance as a center for Eurobonds with a big emphasis
in ECUs and the future seems likely to attract more and more investment funds
in Euros to this comparatively young, but steadily growing center.
Other
sectors
such as investment fund promotions and services, life insurance and
personal investment business thrive here as well. In close cooperation with Belgium
and the Netherlands, Luxembourg is a partner in an economic entity
called
BENELUX, which was the first step towards the current larger European union.
Tourism
also contributes significantly to the national accounts.The
people of Luxembourg (439,500) speak Letzebuergesch, which
has its own dictionary
and grammar, and is recognized as the
national language, even though French and German remain the official
languages. Letzebuergesch or Luxembourgish is taught in schools
and in language courses mostly addressed to resident foreigners.
Although of Germanic origin, this maverick language has sufficiently
differentiated itself from its parent language so as no longer
to be understood by many a German, as well as incorporating many
French and English words. French is the official language of
the administration, jurisdiction, parliament, educators, and
some literary circles. This peculiar language situation is a
direct result of the size of the country, and its historic associations
with both France and Germany. So one can see that most folks
in Luxembourg must speak four languages to navigate their world.
The Bourscheid Castle in the Ardennes
The Bourscheid Castle in the Luxembourg Ardennes is located
on an isolated promontory above the river Sûre. Even today
the ruins testify to an impressive fortification covering a surface
of 12,000 square meters and surrounded by a massive ring wall
with 121 watchtowers, an excellent example of the medieval castle
tradition, much visited by tourists today. Geological excavations
have yielded traces of Ottonian, Carolingian, Merovingian and
even Roman artifacts. Behind the gateway, a ditch protected by
four towers barred the access to the upper and lower castle.
The square in front of the exterior gate was protected by palisades,
and justice was pronounced under a lime tree. Imagine a time
when one could stand under a lime tree and declare justice, or
feel secure behind watchtowers and walled fortifications. This
castle was about more than fairy tales; it was about fighting—victory
and defeat—war.
Luxembourg’s army is all volunteers; 17 the age of joining
up; soldiers under 18 not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping
missions. These young soldiers likely travel, like our two Ryans.
Spiritual writer, speaker, and master of the art of travel Deepok
Chopra has something to say about travel from the peacekeeping
point of view. “I have traveled the globe many, many times.
My journeys have absolutely influenced my views on world peace.
My experiences of observing poverty, violence, waste, ecological
ignorance, and acts of war have reinforced my understanding that
nationalism is unnecessary. There can be no us versus them. We
are one planet, one people. The sooner we realize this and embrace
each other with compassion and love, the sooner our planet will
begin to thrive with abundance for all people wherever they live.” (Vision,
June 2005) And isn’t this the underlying truth about our
planet? All countries, even tiny Luxembourg, rest on common ground,
in spite of the arbitrary lines drawn on the surface. But making
and keeping peace is an art, one that humanity needs to practice.
Joseph Mallord William Turner painting of Luxembourg
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