1871 Scott 20 12 1/2c carmine "Coat of Arms" "Rouletted in Color" Quick History The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the only remaining grand duchy, is a small western European country (1000 sq mi) nestled between the Belgium Walloon region, the German Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, and the French Lorraine region. The population was 260,000 in 1914. Luxembourg and its neighbors Luxembourgians speak Luxembourgish to each other, French for official business matters, while German is the first language learned in school. English is understood commonly. Being adjacent to large nation-states means small countries become even smaller The map illustrates the chunks taken out of Luxembourg: France (1659), Prussia (1815), and Belgium (1839). But the ultimate happy result was an affirmation of Luxembourg's independence by the 1839 and 1867 Treaties of London. During WW I, Germany occupied Luxembourg, but allowed the government to continue. In 1939, Luxembourg issued a specific proclamation of neutrality. But the Nazis invaded anyway on May 10, 1940. The Nazis ignored sovereignty, and treating Luxembourg as an extension of Germany, basically annexed the lands to the Rhineland-Palatinate in 1942. Luxembourg Today Luxembourg was liberated in 1944, and was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945. Today, Luxembourg's economy is closely associated with the Netherlands and Belgium (Benelux). And its GDP makes it the second richest country in the world. And it had, and still has, Grand Dukes and Duchesses! More about that in the stamp reviews. 1934 Scott 194 2fr black "View of Clervaux" Into the Deep Blue The 2011 Scott Classic Specialized catalogue has, for Luxembourg 1852-1941, 217 regular, 119 semi-postal, 6 air post, 22 postage due, 177 official, and 41 occupation category major number stamps. Total = 582. Of those, 383 are CV