In Luxembourg: Why workers are deprived of a public holiday on November 11

Traffic bans for heavy goods vehicles and smoother traffic than usual. This Monday marks a particularity in the calendar. Like May 8 and July 14, November 11 is a public holiday in France, but not in Luxembourg.

What’s more, Armistice Day this year is synonymous with a long weekend on the other side of the border, which has prompted many French border workers to take time off. For others, waking up must have been more frustrating than usual. Those less motivated can spend the rest of the day ranting about the history of Luxembourg and the forces present during the First World War.

Unlike France, the Grand Duchy was not part of the allies, but was officially a neutral country, which explains the absence of a public holiday on the occasion of the Armistice. In fact, the Great War, which was particularly deadly with 18.6 million victims, nevertheless led to a great period of unrest in Luxembourg.

From August 1, 1914, Luxembourg was occupied by the German army, which prompted the Luxembourg government to protest against this violation of the neutrality of the Grand Duchy. The country was hit by food shortages, forcing the government of the day to use special powers and impose restrictions and rationing. In the spring of 1917, a strike in the steel industry was violently suppressed by German troops.

On the military level, at least 3,000 Luxembourg soldiers have joined the allied troops, either in the foreign legion contingent or by affiliating with their country of origin. The Gëlle Fra is erected on Place de la Constitution to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on the battlefield. A British spy network was also created in Luxembourg, which would play an important role in the defeat of the last major German offensive in 1918.

During this period, Luxembourg also faltered politically, notably due to the friendly relations between Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde and German Emperor Wilhelm II. Before the sovereign’s abdication in 1919, a coup d’état aimed at establishing a republic was prevented by French troops and negotiations were carried out to incorporate Luxembourg into Belgium. But the referendum of 1919, the first vote in which women participated, made it possible to save the country in its current form.

Despite all these historical twists and turns, the idea of ​​a public holiday has not really caught on in Luxembourg. The choice to establish an additional non-working day fell on May 9, to celebrate Europe, from 2019. November 11 nonetheless remains a date to mark on the calendar for the Luxembourg army , since it is the patronal feast of Saint Martin. The celebrations took place this Monday at the military center in Diekirch, in the presence of Minister Yuriko Backes.

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