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Luxembourg

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Europe Luxembourg 520,672 inhabitants 2,586 sq km 201.34 inhabitants/sq km euros (EUR) population evolution

Famous people from Luxembourg

Here is a list of famous people from Luxembourg. Curious if anybody from Luxembourg made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.

Andy Schleck

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team RadioShack-Leopard. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He has also been the runner-up at the Tour twice; in 2009 and 2011. He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who previously rode for RadioShack-Leopard. Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974.

Fränk Schleck

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI ProTeam RadioShack-Nissan. Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, Johny Schleck, was a professional road bicycle racer between 1965 and 1974, as was their grandfather, Gustave Schleck, who contested events in the 1930s. Fränk's greatest achievements include winning a blue riband mountain stage in the 2006 Tour de France which finished on the Alpe d'Huez, the 2006 edition of the Amstel Gold Race classic, and an alpine stage of the 2009 Tour de France, finishing in the sole company of his brother Andy and Alberto Contador. On 30 January 2013, Schleck was suspended for 12 months following a positive test for xipamide at the 2012 Tour de France. The ban, backdated to the date of the positive test, expired on 13 July 2013.

Mandy Minella

Tennis Player

Mandy Minella is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. Her highest singles ranking to date is world number 66 on 17 September 2012, and world number 47 in doubles on 29 April 2013. Minella has not won a WTA singles title, but has won two doubles titles on the WTA circuit, as well as seven singles and five doubles titles on the ITF tour. Minella currently resides in Paris and in her city of birth, Esch-sur-Alzette, in Luxembourg. Her parents are Mario and Anna Minella, and she is coached by Norbert Palmier.

Robert Schuman

Politician

Robert Schuman was a noted Luxembourgish-born French statesman. Schuman was a Christian Democrat and an independent political thinker and activist. Twice Prime Minister of France, a reformist Minister of Finance and a Foreign Minister, he was instrumental in building post-war European and trans-Atlantic institutions and is regarded as one of the founders of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO. The 1964–1965 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour.

Jean-Claude Juncker

Politician

Jean-Claude Juncker is a Luxembourgish politician who has been the 23rd Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 20 January 1995. He is the longest-serving head of government of any European Union state, and one of the longest-serving democratically elected leaders in the world. He was President of the Eurogroup from the creation of the semi-permanent position in 2005 until 2013. Elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the Christian Social People's Party in 1984, Juncker was immediately promoted to Jacques Santer's cabinet as Minister for Work. He was Luxembourg's Minister for Finances from 1989 to 2009, and became Prime Minister when Santer became President of the European Commission in 1995. In his capacity of Prime Minister, he also served two six-month terms as President of the European Council, in 1997 and 2005. In July 2013, Juncker's coalition government was brought down by a scandal involving the country's intelligence agency. As a result, a snap election was held in October in which Juncker sought a fifth term.

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Noble person

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg OIH is the head of state of Luxembourg. He is the eldest son of Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, and a first cousin of the current King of the Belgians, Philippe.

Edward Steichen

Photographer

Edward Jean Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. Steichen was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Together Stieglitz and Steichen opened the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, which eventually became known as 291 after its address. His photos of gowns for the magazine Art et Décoration in 1911 are regarded as the first modern fashion photographs ever published. From 1923 to 1938, Steichen was a photographer for the Condé Nast magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair while also working for many advertising agencies including J. Walter Thompson. During these years, Steichen was regarded as the best known and highest paid photographer in the world. In 1944, he directed the war documentary The Fighting Lady, which won the 1945 Academy Award for Best Documentary. After World War II, Steichen was Director of the Department of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art until 1962. While at MoMA, he curated and assembled the exhibit The Family of Man, which was seen by nine million people.

Viviane Reding

Politician

Viviane Reding is a Luxembourg politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. Before starting a professional career as a journalist for the leading newspaper in Luxembourg, the Luxemburger Wort, she obtained a doctorate in human sciences at the Sorbonne. From 1986 to 1998, she was President of the Luxembourg Union of Journalists. On 27 November 2009, she was upgraded in the "Barroso II Commission" to Vice-President responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. She is affiliated with the European People's Party. She is divorced and has three children.

Charly Gaul

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Charly Gaul was a professional cyclist. He was a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and a better climber. His ability earned him the nickname of The Angel of the Mountains in the 1958 Tour de France, which he won with four stage victories. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1956 and 1959. Gaul rode best in cold, wet weather. In later life he became a recluse and lost much of his memory.

Gilles Müller

Tennis Player

Gilles Müller is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. He was a US Open junior champion and is the most successful male tennis player in the history of his country. He was born and raised in Schifflange and he resides in Leudelange. His career-high ATP singles ranking is World No. 42.

Anne Fontaine

Film Director

Anne Fontaine is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and former actress. She lives and works in France.

Hugo Gernsback

Author

Hugo Gernsback, born Hugo Gernsbacher, was a Luxembourgian American inventor, writer, editor, and magazine publisher, best known for publications including the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publisher were so significant that, along with the novelists H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, he is one person sometimes called "The Father of Science Fiction". In his honor, annual awards presented at the World Science Fiction Convention are named the "Hugos".

Bertrand Gachot

Racing driver

Bertrand Gachot is a French former racing driver.

Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Noble person

Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg has been heir apparent to the crown of Luxembourg since his father's accession in 2000. If he succeeds as expected, he will be known as Guillaume V.

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Monarch

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg ruled Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000. He is the father of the current ruler, Grand Duke Henri, and the son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. Among his godparents was Pope Benedict XV, who gave him his second name.

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Noble person

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, reigned from 1919 to 1964.

Jules A. Hoffmann

Academic

Jules A. Hoffmann is a Luxembourgish-born French biologist. He is a research director and member of the board of administrators of the National Center of Scientific Research in Strasbourg, France. In 2007, he became President of the French Academy of Sciences. Together with Bruce Beutler, Hoffmann received one-quarter of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity," although Lemaitre claims he did all the work alone. Hoffmann and Bruno Lemaitre discovered the function of the fruit fly Toll gene in innate immunity. Its mammalian homologs, the Toll-like receptors, were discovered by Beutler. Toll-like receptors identify constituents of other organisms like fungi and bacteria, and trigger an immune response, explaining e.g. how septic shock can be triggered by bacterial remains. The plant homologs were discovered by Pamela Ronald in 1995 and Thomas Boller in 2000.

Prince Félix of Luxembourg

Noble person

Prince Félix Léopold Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg is the second son Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. He is currently second in the line of succession.

Kim Kirchen

Professional Cyclist

Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.

Anne Kremer

Tennis Player

Anne Kremer is a professional female tennis player from Luxembourg. Her highest WTA Ranking has been World No. 18, a ranking she achieved on July 29, 2002. Anne completed her schooling at the Athénée de Luxembourg and subsequently studied English as well as History at Stanford University in Stanford, California. Kremer is a member of the Democratic and Liberal Youth in Luxembourg, and has recently entered politics. She ran for the Democratic Party in the 2009 election to the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg. Running in Centre, she finished fifteenth on the DP list, and was thus not elected.

Gabriel Lippmann

Physicist

Jonas Ferdinand Gabriel Lippmann was a Franco-Luxembourgish physicist and inventor, and Nobel laureate in physics for his method of reproducing colours photographically based on the phenomenon of interference.

Désirée Nosbusch

Actor

Désirée Nosbusch a.k.a. Désirée Becker is a television presenter and actress. She was born in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, from Luxembourgish father and Italian mother. In the 1980s she lived in Manhattan in New York City, and from the 1990s to 2008 she lived in Los Angeles, California. Nosbusch speaks Luxembourgish, German, French, Italian and English. She has acted in both French-language and German-language films and television productions since her mid teens for example she was a member of the youth drama group of the Lycée Hubert Clément of Esch-sur-Alzette, and in at least one Italian language film. She presented the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg and hosted a kid's version of Ruck Zuck called "Kinder Ruck Zuck". Nosbusch is also a singer. In 1984 she recorded a duet with Austrian singer Falco entitled "Kann es Liebe sein?".

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg

Noble person

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg is the fourth child and only daughter of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Alexandra's godparents are Michel de Ligne, 14th Prince of Ligne, and Princess Maria-Anna Galitzine, born an Archduchess of Austria. She has three older brothers – Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Prince Félix and Prince Louis, and one younger – Prince Sébastien. Excluded from the line of succession from birth until 2011, when absolute primogeniture was adopted in respect to Grand Duke Henri's descendants, she is currently third in the line. Prince Louis gave up his place in the line of succession earlier; Princess Alexandra is the godmother to his son, Prince Gabriel of Nassau. Princess Alexandra performed her primary school at Angelsberg and finished her secondary education at the Lycée Vauban in Luxembourg. She received her baccalauréat with honors in the literature stream.

Camillo Felgen

Singer

Camillo Jean Nicolas Felgen was a Luxembourgian singer, lyricist, DJ, and television presenter.

Étienne Lenoir

Inventor

Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir also known as Jean J. Lenoir was a Belgian engineer who developed the internal combustion engine in 1858. Prior designs for such engines were patented as early as 1807, but none were commercially successful. Lenoir's engine was commercialized in sufficient quantities to be considered a success, a first for the internal combustion engine. He was born in Mussy-la-Ville. By the early 1850s he had emigrated to France, taking up residence in Paris, where he developed an interest in electroplating. His interest in the subject led him to make electrical inventions including an improved electric telegraph.

Jacques Santer

Politician

Jacques Santer is a Luxembourg politician. He was finance minister of Luxembourg from 1979 until 1989, and the 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995, as a member of the Christian Social People's Party, which has been the leading party in the Luxembourg government since 1979. As Prime Minister of Luxembourg he also led the negotiations on the Single European Act, which effectively set aside the 20-year-old Luxembourg Compromise. Santer became the ninth President of the European Commission in 1995 as a compromise choice between the United Kingdom and a Franco-German alliance, after the Franco-German nominee Jean-Luc Dehaene was vetoed by British prime minister John Major. Santer selection was barely ratified by a European Parliament upset with the process for which Commission presidents are selected. In the same year, 1995, Santer became the first recipient of the Vision for Europe Award. Allegations of corruption concerning individual EU-commissioners led to an investigation into administrative failings by an independent group of experts. Despite clearing most commissioners, the report stated that they had not found a single person showing the slightest sense of responsibility. Because the implicated commissioners refused to resign and because the President of the European Commission did not have the power to dismiss individual commissioners, Santer and his entire commission resigned on 15 March 1999, the very day of the report's publication.

Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg

Noble person

Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg is the fifth and youngest child of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. His godparents are Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Princess Astrid of Belgium. He has three brothers – Guillaume, Félix and Louis – and a sister – Alexandra. He is currently fourth in line to the throne of Luxembourg, after his two eldest brothers and elder sister. His older brother, Prince Louis, gave up his place in the line of succession. He attended St. George's International School Luxembourg, Summer Fields School, Ampleforth College and the International School of Luxembourg.

Gaston Thorn

Politician

Gaston Egmond Thorn was a Luxembourg politician who served in a number of high-profile positions, both domestically and internationally. Amongst the posts that he held were the 20th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, President of the United Nations General Assembly, and the seventh President of the European Commission. Thorn was born in Luxembourg City. While still at school he engaged in resistance activities during the German occupation, and spent several months in prison. After the war he studied law in Montpellier, Lausanne and Paris, and practised law in Luxembourg before entering politics in 1959, representing the liberal Democratic Party. He was Chairman of the Democratic Party from 1961. Thorn was Foreign Minister and Foreign Trade Minister of Luxembourg from 1969 – 1980, Prime Minister from 1974 – 1979 and Minister of Economics from 1977 to 1980. He was also a member of the European Parliament from 1959 – 1969, and President of the United Nations General Assembly from 1975 – 1976. In 1980 Thorn was chosen as President of the Commission of the European Communities, in succession to Roy Jenkins. He took office on 12 January 1981. He was seen as very close to the President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, and generally as a defender of French interests in European politics.

Josy Barthel

Olympic athlete

Joseph Barthel was a Luxembourgish athlete. He was the surprise winner of the Men's 1500 metres at the 1952 Summer Olympics, and the only athlete representing Luxembourg to have won a gold medal at the Olympics. Besides athletics, Barthel also led successful careers in both chemistry and politics. Born in Mamer, Josy Barthel's abilities as a middle-distance runner was discovered during World War II. His first fame came by winning the 800 m at the Military World Championships in Berlin in 1947. The next year at Military World Championships in Brussels he won both 800 m and 1500 m. At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Barthel finished ninth at the 1500 m final. Then he won Student World Championships in 1949 and 1951. The absolute high point of Barthel's career was the 1952 Summer Olympics, where he surprised the crowd and himself by winning the 1500 m with a very strong finish. He also participated at the 1956 Summer Olympics, after which he retired from running. He was also Luxembourg champion in 800 m and 1500 m from 1946 to 1956. In 1962 Barthel became the president of the Luxembourg Athletics Federation, then from 1973 to 1977 he was the president of the Luxembourgish Olympic and Sporting Committee. He was also member of the Luxembourg government.

Prince Louis of Luxembourg

Noble person

Prince Louis of Luxembourg is the third son of the Grand Duke Henri and the Cuban-born Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. Aside from Prince of Luxembourg, he is also Prince of Nassau. His godparents are Xavier Sanz and Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein. Prince Louis has two elder siblings: Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Prince Félix of Luxembourg; and two younger siblings: Princess Alexandra and Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg. He is married to Tessy Antony, a former NCO in the Luxembourg Army. They have two sons, Gabriel and Noah.

Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria

Noble person

Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria, is the oldest daughter and the first child of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, and the wife of Archduke Carl Christian of Austria. Her godparents are King Leopold III of Belgium, and Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Robby Langers

Soccer Forward

Robert 'Robby' Langers is a retired footballer from Luxembourg. He was voted Luxembourgian Sportsman of the Year in 1987.

Gerard Lopez

Businessperson

Gerard Lopez, born on 27 December 1971, is a Luxembourgian entrepreneur and businessman. Alongside Eric Lux, he is a founding partner of The Genii Group. He is the Chairman of the Lotus Formula One team and of its majority owner, Genii Capital. He is also the co-founder and Managing Partner of Mangrove Capital Partners, a leading venture capital firm specialising in technology.

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg

Noble person

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg born 1 May 1963 in Betzdorf Castle, is the third son and youngest child of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.

Joseph Bech

Politician

Joseph Bech was a Luxembourgian politician. He was the 15th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for eleven years, from 16 July 1926 until 5 November 1937. He returned to the position after World War II, becoming the 17th Prime Minister, serving for another four years, from 29 December 1953 until 29 March 1958. The 1982–1983 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour.

Claudine Schaul

Tennis Player

Claudine Schaul is a professional tennis player from Luxembourg. Her career-high singles ranking as of 15 June 2009 was World Number 41, which was achieved on 24 May 2004, and World Number 71 for doubles achieved on 8 November 2004. Schaul first played for the Luxembourg Federation Cup team in 1998, and has played 30 singles and 16 doubles matches up to and including 2008.

Léon Krier

Urban planner

Léon Krier is an architect, architectural theorist and urban planner. From the late 1970s onwards Krier has been one of the most influential neo-traditional architects and planners. He is best known for his on going development of Poundbury, an urban extension to Dorchester, UK for the Duchy of Cornwall under the guidance of Prince of Wales and his Masterplan for Cayalá, an extension of Guatemala City. He is one of the first and most prominent critics of the architectural modernism, mainly of its functional zoning and the ensuing suburbanism, campaigning for the reconstruction of the traditional European city model. These ideas had a great influence on the New Urbanism movement, both in the USA and Europe. The most complete compilation of them is published in his book "The Architecture of Community". Léon Krier is the younger brother of architect Rob Krier. Krier acts as architectural consultant on urban planning projects but only designs buildings of his personal choice. Amongst his best known realizations are the temporary façade at the 1980 Venice Biennale; the Krier house in the resort village of Seaside, Florida, USA; the Arqueological Museum of Sintra, Portugal; the Windsor Village Hall Florida; the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center on the campus of the University of Miami in Miami, Florida; and the new Neighbourhood Center Città Nuova in Alessandria, Italy. Currently Leon Krier is involved in the planning for the reconstruction of Tor Bella Monaca, a degraded suburb of Rome.

Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Noble person

Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, reigned from 1912 to 1919. She was the first grand duchess regnant of Luxembourg, and its first female monarch since Maria Theresa, and the first Luxembourgish monarch to be born within the territory since John the Blind. Named as heir presumptive by her father William IV in 1907 to prevent a succession crisis due to his lack of a son, Marie-Adélaïde became grand duchess in 1912. She ruled through the First World War, and her perceived support for the German occupation led to unpopularity in Luxembourg as well as neighbouring France and Belgium. In 1919, on the advice of Parliament, she abdicated in favour of her younger sister Charlotte. After abdicating, Marie-Adélaïde became a nun in Italy, before leaving due to ill health. She died of influenza in Germany in 1924.

Laurent Didier

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Laurent Didier is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for RadioShack-Leopard. Didier has also ridden for Danish Team Designa Køkken and Team Saxo Bank over his career. Didier is from Dippach, Luxembourg and his ancestors are no strangers to the world of cycling. His father and his grandfather both won stages in Tour de France and Giro d'Italia and his father, Lucien even wore the leader's jersey in the French stage race. Laurent is good in various terrains which makes him useful in different kinds of races. From October 2008 to early February 2009, Didier rode for Danish Team CSC, and then moved home to Designa Køkken, also in Denmark. In 2010, he finished second at the Luxembourg road championship behind Andy Schleck and was also runner-up in the time trial behind Kim Kirchen. To most cyclist experts it was a huge surprise Didier was selected for the Tour 2013 to the demise of Belgian champion Stijn Devolder.

Bob Jungels

Athlete

Bob Jungels is a Luxembourgish road bicycle racer. He is part of the UCI World Tour team RadioShack-Leopard.

Princess Tessy of Luxembourg

Noble person

Princess Tessy of Luxembourg is the wife of Prince Louis and daughter-in-law of Grand Duke Henri.

Jeff Strasser

Soccer Defender

Jeff Strasser is a retired Luxembourgian footballer, who currently manages CS Fola Esch.

Jean Asselborn

Politician

Jean Asselborn is a Luxembourgish politician. Since 31 July 2004, he has been the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration in the government led by Jean-Claude Juncker. Jean Asselborn obtained a "diplôme de fin d’études secondaires" from the Athénée de Luxembourg in 1976. In October 1981, Jean was awarded a master’s degree in private judicial law from the University Nancy II. He became Mayor of Steinfort in 1982 and served in that position until 2004. He was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg in 1984, and in 1989 he became head of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party parliamentary group. He was Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1999 to 2004. He was also the President of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party, the second-largest political party in the Grand Duchy, from 1997 to 2004.

Jean-Claude Biver

Man

Jean-Claude Biver is CEO, board member, and minority shareholder of Hublot, a Swiss luxury watchmaker. Biver has been extremely successful at Hublot, and was previously successful in rejuvenating the Blancpain and Omega brands, both currently owned by Swatch Group. Biver is also known for his own exclusive cheese. Biver's leadership in the Swiss watch industry has been credited as "single handedly [sic] ... saving [the industry] from the quartz movement." In 1980, even prestigious Swiss watch brands had "a proportion of 70% more or less quartz movements in their collection;" since then, the Swiss watch industry has staged a "remarkable recovery", with 2008 exports valued at CHF17 billion.

Louis Pilot

Soccer Midfielder

Louis Pilot is a former Luxembourgian football player and manager. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's jubilee, he was selected by the Luxembourg Football Federation as the country's Golden Player - the greatest player of the last 50 years.

Léa Linster

Celebrity chef

Léa Linster is a Luxembourgian chef, and a gold medal winner of the 1989 Bocuse d'Or, the first and to date only woman to accomplish this. Having received a Michelin star in 1987, Linster owns the restaurants Restaurant Léa Linster, Au Quai de la Gare and Kaschthaus, and has been named Maître Cuisinier of Luxembourg, awarded the Gastronomic Golden Key from Gault et Millau in 1996 and the Michele Schumacher Award in 2002.

Fleur Maxwell

Professional Figure Skater

Fleur Maxwell is a Luxembourgian figure skater. She is the 2005 Karl Schäfer Memorial bronze medalist and 2005 Luxembourg national champion.

Nicolas Frantz

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Nicolas Frantz was a Luxembourgish bicycle racer with 60 professional racing victories over his 12-year career. He rode for the Thomann team in 1923 and then for Alcyon-Dunlop from 1924 to 1931. He won the Tour de France in 1927 and 1928. Nicolas Frantz was the son of a prosperous farming family. Frantz could have taken over the farm but had no interest in it. In 1914 he rode his first race. He won. That convinced him that farming was not for him. He was close to unbeatable in Luxembourg until the start of the first world war. Frantz, a well-built man weighing 80 kg, turned professional in 1923. He had immediate success, winning Paris-Lyon and the GP Faber. His advantage in stage races was his consistent health and fitness. He rode the Tour de France for the first time in 1924, won two stages and finished second just 35 minutes and 36 seconds behind Ottavio Bottecchia. In 1925 and 1926 he won another four stages and finished fourth and second respectively. Frantz then dominated the race for two successive years. He won three stages in 1927 and won overall. He was seventeen minutes behind the race-leader Hector Martin before start of the stage to Luchon but finished in yellow. His second stage win was between Toulon and Nice and the final win was at Metz. He finished an hour and forty eight minutes ahead of second placed Maurice De Waele.

Arno J. Mayer

Historian

Arno Joseph Mayer is a Luxembourg-born American Marxist historian who specializes in modern Europe, diplomatic history, and the Holocaust, and is currently Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Emeritus, at Princeton University.

Julien Darui

Soccer

Julien Darui was a French football goalkeeper, who had stints as a coach after his playing career. Born in Luxembourg during World War I, Darui was capped 25 times for France. In 1999, he was elected best French goalkeeper of the century by L'Équipe.

Eric Lux

Man

Eric Lux is a Luxembourg entrepreneur and businessman. Alongside Gerard Lopez, he is a founding partner of The Genii Group. Lux is also the CEO and Director of Genii Capital, an investment management and financial member of The Genii Group and owner of the Lotus F1 Team. He is also CEO of the real estate investment group Ikodomos and real estate developer company Ikogest.

Aurélien Joachim

Soccer Forward

Aurélien Joachim is a Luxembourgian footballer, who currently plays for RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Eredivisie. He is the younger brother of former cyclist Benoît Joachim.

Stefano Bensi

Soccer Forward

Stefano Bensi is a Luxembourger international footballer who plays club football for Fola Esch, as a striker.

Johny Schleck

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Johny Schleck is a former professional cyclist from Luxembourg. Between 1965 and 1974 Schleck was a professional cyclist. He participated in the Tour de France seven times. From 1965 until 1968, he rode in the Pelforth - Sauvage - Lejeune team, and in the Bic-team from 1969 until the end of his career. Johny rode the Tour de France at the service of 1968 winner Jan Janssen and 1973 winner Luis Ocaña, and also managed to finish in the top 20 of the general classification twice: 19th in 1970 and 20th in 1967. He won a stage in the 1970 Vuelta a España and the Luxembourg National Championships. Johnny's father, Gustav Schleck, also contested events in the 1930s. Schleck is married and has three sons, two of whom are professional cyclists: Andy and Fränk.

Xavier Bettel

Lawyer

Xavier Bettel is a Luxembourgish politician and lawyer, currently the mayor of Luxembourg City as well as a member of the Chamber of Deputies and communal council, representing the Democratic Party.

Sunnyi Melles

Actor

Sunnyi Melles is a German actress.

Victor Nurenberg

Soccer

Victor "Vic" Nurenberg was a footballer from Luxembourg. Nurenberg played in France for 13 seasons, representing four different clubs. He also represented the Luxembourg national football team.

Gabriela von Habsburg

Noble person

Gabriela von Habsburg, also known as Archduchess Gabriela of Austria, is the Ambassador of Georgia to Germany since 2009. She is best known as the granddaughter of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria. Ambassador von Habsburg is also a prolific abstract sculptor, working mainly in stainless steel as well as stone-printed lithography.

Alix, Dowager Princess of Ligne

Noble person

Alix Marie Anne Antoinette Charlotte Gabrielle, Dowager Princess of Ligne, Princess of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau, Princess of Bourbon-Parma is the daughter of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and Felix of Bourbon-Parma

Luc Frieden

Politician

Luc Frieden is a Luxembourgish politician for the Christian Social People's Party. He was Minister for Justice and Minister for the Treasury and Budget from 1998 to 2009, and has been Minister for Finances since 23 July 2009. In the capacity of Minister for the Treasury and Budget, Frieden was responsible for the successful introduction of the euro as replacement for the Luxembourgish franc. Since then, many of his responsibilities, as minister for both the Treasury and Justice, have related to the fall-out from the Clearstream Affair. Frieden is seen as one of the potential successors for the present Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker. In early 2007, speaking after an EU debate on violent video games, Frieden suggested that "Access to children should be cut off ... We have to ban some games".

Prince Jean of Luxembourg

Noble person

Prince Jean of Luxembourg was born on 15 May 1957 at Betzdorf Castle, the second son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He is the twin brother of Princess Margaretha. His godparents are Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Princess Margrethe of Denmark. He frequently goes by the name of Jean Nassau. On 26 September 1986, Prince Jean renounced his right of succession to the Luxembourg throne.

Josef Jakobs

Military Person

Josef Jakobs was a German spy who became the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. He was captured shortly after parachuting into the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Convicted of espionage under the Treachery Act 1940, Jakobs was shot by a military firing squad. He was not hanged because he was captured as an enemy combatant and not by the civilian police service.

Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein

Noble person

Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein is the fourth child and second daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium. As the sister of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and the sister-in-law of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, she is a princess of two current realms and a member of the Luxembourg and Liechtenstein reigning dynasties.

Rob Krier

Architect

Rob Krier is a Luxembourgian sculptor, architect, urban designer and theorist. He is former professor of architecture at Vienna University of Technology, Austria. From 1993 to mid-2010 he has worked in partnership with architect Christoph Kohl in a joint office based in Berlin, Germany. He is the older brother of fellow architect Léon Krier.

Jeff Saibene

Football player

Jeff Saibene is a retired Luxembourgian football player and currently manager.

Jeff Henckels

Olympic Archer

Jeff Henckels is an athlete from Luxembourg that competes in archery. Henckels competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's individual archery. He was defeated in the first round of elimination, placing 56th overall.

Ben Payal

Soccer Midfielder

Ben Payal is a Luxembourgian footballer who currently plays for F91 Dudelange.

David Caiado

Soccer Midfielder

David Caiado Dias, known as Caiado, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for PFC Beroe Stara Zagora in Bulgaria, as a winger.

Hermann von François

Military Person

Hermann von François was a German General der Infanterie during World War I, and is best known for his key role in several German victories on the Eastern Front in 1914.

Daniel da Mota

Soccer Forward

Daniel Alexandre da Mota Pereira is a Luxembourgian football striker of Portuguese origin, who plays in Luxembourg for F91 Dudelange.

René Deltgen

Actor

Renatus Heinrich Deltgen born 30 April 1909 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; died 29 January 1979 in Cologne, Germany) was a Luxemburgish stage and film actor, who spent most of his career in Germany.

Chris Philipps

Soccer Defender

Chris Philipps is a Luxembourgian international footballer who plays in France for Metz, as a defender.

Daniele Zoratto

Soccer Midfielder

Daniele Zoratto is an Italian association football coach and former player.

Benoît Joachim

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Benoît Joachim is a retired professional road racing cyclist from Luxembourg.

Marc Oberweis

Footballer

Marc Oberweis is a Luxembourgian footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Jeunesse Esch in Luxembourg's domestic National Division.

Ben Fayot

Politician

Ben Fayot is a Luxembourgish politician from the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party. Fayot sat in the Chamber of Deputies for five years from 1984. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 1989 until 1999, when he returned to the Chamber of Deputies. Since 2004, he has been the president of the LSAP's deputation in the Chamber of Deputies. By profession, Fayot was a political historian, specialising in the history of socialism in Luxembourg. He is also a contributor to the daily Tageblatt newspaper on the topics related to socialism.

Pierre Dupong

Politician

Pierre Dupong was a Luxembourgish politician and statesman. He was the 16th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for sixteen years, from 11 May 1937 until his death, on 23 December 1953, and was also responsible at different times for the ministries of finance, the army, agriculture, labour and social matters. He founded the Christian Social People's Party as the main conservative party after the Second World War, having been a founding member of the Party of the Right in 1914. He was one of the founding members in 1914 of the Right Party, and was elected to the legislature in 1915. From 1926 he was 1937 Director-General for Finance, and in 1936 and 1937 also Minister for Social Security and Labor. His first government was the Dupong-Krier Ministry. Between 1940 and 1944, Dupong then led the Luxembourgish government-in-exile, after Luxembourg had been occupied by Nazi Germany. He then presided over the Liberation Government, the National Union Government, and the Dupong-Schaus and the Dupong-Bodson governments. He is also notable for sending Luxembourgish soldiers as part of the UN mission during the Korean War, as part of the Belgian United Nations Command.

William Justin Kroll

Inventor

William Justin Kroll was a metallurgist from Luxembourg. He is best known for inventing the Kroll process in 1940, which is used commercially to extract metallic titanium from ore.

Jacques Poos

Politician

Jacques Poos is a Luxembourgian politician. Born in 1935, in Luxembourg, Jacques F. Poos is a trained economist and became a doctor of economics in 1961, when he graduated from the University of Lausanne. He is a long-time member of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party. In 2003, he received an honorary doctor of law degree from Panteion University of Athens, Greece. Between 1964 and 1976, he was director and editor in Chief of the daily newspaper “Tageblatt” in Esch-sur-Alzette. In the same period he also became a member of the town council of Esch-sur-Alzette. In July 1976, he was appointed as Minister of Finance. As the foreign minister of Luxembourg he held Presidency of the Council of the European Union for three half-year terms in 1985, 1991 and 1997. He was Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development, first in Jacques Santer’s, then in Jean-Claude Junckers’s cabinets. In 1991, he was one of the negotiators of the Brioni Agreement that ended the ten-day war in Slovenia. In May of that year, upon disembarking from an airplane en route to beginning negotiations, he declared, "The hour of Europe has dawned."

Victor Thorn

Politician

Victor Thorn was a Luxembourgian politician. He was the 11th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for one year, from February 24, 1916 until June 19, 1917. From 1885 to 1888 he was a member of the Council of State. From 1888 to 1892 he was Director-General for Public Works in the Eyschen Ministry. In 1899 he became a Procureur général. In 1915 he was Minister for Justice and Public Works in the Mongenast Ministry. In 1916 the Loutsch Ministry, which had succeeded the Mongenast government, was forced to resign, having lost a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies. A month later, Victor Thorn formed a new government, in which the three major parties were represented. The main problem was to resolve the supply problems in the country, which had grown more and more severe due to the war. The government rationed foodstuffs, and put a cap on prices, which, however, resulted in a black market and led to tensions between the town and rural populations. In 1917 there was a strike in the Red Lands, which was suppressed by the German army. Finally the Chamber withdrew confidence in the agriculture minister Michel Welter, and the government fell with him.

Henri Tudor

Inventor

Henri Owen Tudor was a Luxembourgish engineer, inventor, and industrialist. He developed the first practical lead-acid battery in 1886. Tudor established a factory in Rosport for the purposes of manufacturing the batteries. However, the cost of manufacturing the product in Luxembourg, which had no lead industry and little domestic demand of its own, forced Tudor to expand manufacturing overseas, particularly in Belgium, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Tudor died in 1928, at the age of 68, of lead poisoning. At the time of his death, 25,000 people worked in the manufacture of Tudor batteries. In 1987, the Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, freshly founded in Luxembourg, is named in honor of Henri Owen Tudor and his devotion to research and innovation. In May 2009, the Tudor Museum with exhibits relating to his development of the lead-acid accumulator, opened in Rosport Castle where Tudor lived.

Christine Majerus

Professional Road Racing Cyclist

Christine Majerus is a Luxembourgian road bicycle racer. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women's road race, finishing 21st.

Jean Jules Linden

Deceased Person

Jean Jules Linden, was a Belgian botanist and explorer, horticulturist and businessman, specialising in orchids, on which subject he wrote a number of books. Jean Linden studied at the Athénée Royal in Luxembourg until 1834, and went on to the faculty of science at the Free University of Brussels. In 1835 Jean Linden put forward his name when the Belgian government invited applications from academic circles for an exploration of Latin America. As a result, Jean Linden, Nicolas Funck, and Auguste Ghiesbreght left Antwerp on 25 September 1835 for Rio de Janeiro and arrived in Brazil on 27 December. They remained in Brazil, collecting plants and animals, returning to Belgium in March 1837. As a result of this trip, Linden's lifelong preoccupation with orchids was born. A mere six months later, in September 1837, the same trio left Le Havre and reached Havana in December. The team explored Cuba and Mexico, collecting live animals and plants, until 1840. Linden suffered an acute attack of yellow fever when in the vicinity of Laguna de Términos. He went on several expeditions and made a detailed study of orchid growth conditions in their natural habitat. His findings revolutionised the cultivation of orchids under European conditions. Before his research, orchids were being kept at temperatures far greater than their needs, resulting in a high mortality rate. Following Linden's lead, British botanist John Lindley also made detailed observations of the habitats where he collected plants.

Alphonse Leweck

Soccer Midfielder

Alphonse "Fons" Leweck is a Luxembourgian footballer, currently playing for Etzella Ettelbruck and the Luxembourg national team. He is the elder brother of Charles Leweck and Jim Leweck.

René Peters

Soccer Midfielder

René Peters is a Luxembourgian football player who currently plays for Jeunesse Esch. He is currently the captain of the national team.

Stéphane Gillet

Soccer

Stéphane Gillet is a Luxembourgian footballer. He played in goal twenty times for Luxembourg. He has played for clubs in several countries, including Jeunesse Esch and Racing FC Union Luxembourg in Luxembourg, Chester City in England, SV Elversberg in Germany, and FC Wil in Switzerland.

Michel Majerus

Visual Artist

Michel Majerus was a Luxembourgish artist whose work combined painting with digital media. His work was featured in a number of solo and group exhibitions in Europe and North America, most notably the "Pop Reloaded" exhibition in Los Angeles.

Gilles Bettmer

Soccer Midfielder

Gilles Bettmer is a Luxembourgian football player, who currently plays for AS Differdange.

Lars Krogh Gerson

Soccer Midfielder

Lars Christian Krogh Gerson is a Luxembourgian-Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Allsvenskan side IFK Norrköping.

Emil Hirsch

Rabbi

Emil Gustav Hirsch was a major Reform movement rabbi in the United States.

Michel Rodange

Author

Michel Rodange was a Luxembourgian writer and poet, best known for writing Luxembourg's national epic, Rénert the Fox. Rodange was born in Waldbillig. He was a schoolteacher by profession, teaching in Steinsel and Larochette, although he later became a city worker in Echternach. His most notable work was Rénert the Fox, published in 1872. An epic satirical work, an adaptation of the traditional Dutch language/Low German fox epic to a setting in Luxembourg, it is known for its insightful analysis of the unique characteristics of the people of Luxembourg, using regional and sub regional dialects to depict the fox and his companions. The Lycée Michel-Rodange school in Luxembourg City is named after him. He has been featured on two postage stamps.

Alessio Vinci

Journalist

Alessio Vinci is an Italian journalist, working for CNN since 1989. He has served as CNN's bureau chief in Belgrade from 1999 to 2000 and in Rome from 2001 up to the present. He was the host of Matrix, a news and debate television program on Mediaset's Canale 5, from 2009 and 2012.

Ben Gastauer

Athlete

Ben Gastauer is a professional Luxembourger road cyclist, currently riding for Ag2r-La Mondiale.

Scott Gardner

Soccer Defender

Scott Andrew Gardner is an English footballer, he most recently played for Conference National side Mansfield Town, where he played as a defender. He has previously played for the England national team at Under-16 and Under-17 level.

Léon Kauffman

Politician

Léon Kauffman was a Luxembourgish politician. He was the 12th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for one year, from June 19, 1917 until September 28, 1918. After studying law, in 1893 Kauffman was appointed an Attaché of the Parquet Général, and then was a justice of the peace in Echternach from 1898 to 1900. Then he was a senior civil servant from 1902 to 1910. In 1910 he became director of the tax administration and president of the Assurances sociales. In 1916 he became Director-General of Finance, until 1918. In 1917 there was a crisis within the Thorn Ministry, as the Chamber of Deputies had withdrawn confidence from agriculture minister Michel Welter. On 19 June 1917 Kauffman put together a Right-Liberal government, in which he was prime minister, as well as the Foreign and Finance Minister. Under this government, changes to the constitution were put into motion which were to introduce universal suffrage. There were disagreements, however, as the government refused, as the Chamber demanded, to establish the oirigins of sovereign power "in the nation," instead of "in the person of the Grand Duke", as hitherto. When it became known that the prime minister had been present at a private visit of the German chancellor to Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, the government was reformed. Léon Kauffman resigned as prime minister on 28 September 1918. From 1915 to 1945 he was a member, and from 1945 to 1952 he was president of the Council of State. From 1923 to 1952, he was president of the executive board of the Banque internationale à Luxembourg.

Astrid Lulling

Politician

Astrid Lulling is a politician in Luxembourg, and a Member of the European Parliament for the Christian Social People's Party, part of the European People's Party.

Marc Fischbach

Politician

Marc Fischbach is a Luxembourgish politician belonging to the Christian Social People's Party. From 1979 until 1984, Fischbach was a Member of the European Parliament. He served as Minister for Defence and Minister for the Police Force between 20 July 1984 and 14 July 1989, before transferring to become Minister for Justice until 30 January 1998, when he resigned from the government. He is the son of fellow CSV politician Marcel Fischbach, who had also served as Minister for Defence.

Georges Lentz

Composer

Georges Lentz is a contemporary composer and sound artist, born in Luxembourg in 1965, and is that country's internationally best known composer. Since 1990, he has been living in Sydney, Australia. Despite his relatively small output, he is also considered one of Australia's leading composers.

Michel Wolter

Politician

Michel Wolter is a Luxembourgian politician. He was the youngest-ever member of the Chamber of Deputies when elected in 1984, and served as Minister for the Interior from 1995 to 2004. He is also a businessman and a former international table tennis player. Michel Wolter grew up in Esch-sur-Alzette, second largest city of the country. He studied economics at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne from 1981 to 1985. Wolter was an international table tennis player from 1980 to 1984. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies at the 1984 election, on the Christian Social People's Party ticket. Aged 21 at that time, he is today still the youngest ever elected member. He was directly reelected in 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009. From 1985 to 1990, Wolter was chairman of the youth organisation of his party. In 1987, he became President of the Luxembourg Tennis Federation, in which capacity he served until 1994. From January 1988 to July 1992, he was a member of Esch-sur-Alzette communal council, and, after a change of residence, from January 1994 to January 1995, member of the communal council of Bascharage. On 26 January 1995, Wolter was nominated as a cabinet member in the new government as Minister of the Interior and Minister for the Civil Service and Administrative Reform.