Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Jean was Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1964 until his abdication in 2000. He was the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg of French agnatic descent.

Pride in household linens and curtains

Luxembourgish housewives took immense pride in their household linens, often comparing the ornate lace curtains in their windows to delicate personal undergarments.

Colourful Sunday attire for milkmaids

On Sunday mornings, young women working as milkmaids would dress in colourful outfits to leave behind their everyday work clothes.

Pilgrims danced to bagpipes and brass horns

During the 1913 Echternach dancing procession, pilgrims danced with a unique rhythm of three steps forward and two back, accompanied by instruments like bagpipes, flutes, and battered brass horns.

Street musicians collected donations during fairs

Musicians paraded through streets playing the Hämmelsmarsch, a traditional song, to invite people to fairs and collect financial donations from the public.

Bus travel to Kirchberg

A private bus service between the railway station and Kirchberg operated twice on weekdays and four times on market days or Sundays, with a journey time of 30 minutes.

Slow tram speed on steep slopes

The electric tram on the Neudorf line traveled at a slow speed of 6 km/h when navigating the 10 percent gradient of Montée de Clausen.

Lack of basic home amenities

Around 1900, many simple homes in Luxembourg lacked basic amenities like running water, gas, electricity, and indoor toilets. People often relied on outdoor latrines characterized by a simple heart-shaped cutout in the door.

Schooling and child labor exemptions

While a 1912 law established seven years of free primary schooling for all, many children were granted temporary exemptions starting at age 11 to work. Additionally, due to high class sizes, the few available schools struggled to accommodate all children.

From potatoes to rutabagas

Before the war, potatoes were a staple food for many families, but by 1916 they became unaffordable, forcing people to eat less desirable rutabagas instead.

Wartime food rationing measures

In 1915, the government set a daily ration of 250 grams of bread, 1,000 grams of potatoes, and 100 grams of meat per person. Flour for bread was increasingly stretched with ingredients like oat flour, potato starch, and barley flour.

Price of bread in 1922

In August 1922, the price of a 5-pound loaf of bread was 2.25 francs in Luxembourg City, while it cost 2.10 francs in surrounding areas like Esch-sur-Alzette.

Skyrocketing food prices in 1917

Food prices soared during the war, with a pound of lard reaching 10 francs and a dozen eggs costing 5 to 6 francs by early 1917.

Hard Labor for Laundresses

Professional laundresses often worked in freezing water by rivers or in public washhouses, especially during winter.

Miner's Work Week

Miners in the early 20th century typically worked 56 hours per week in iron ore mines.