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Luxembourg Stamps
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Luxembourg Stamps
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C.M. Spoo (1837-1914) was a great supporter of the Luxembourg language. With André Duchscher he developed the orthography of Luxembourgish in 1865-6 and in 1912 he succeeded in having Luxembourgish included on the syllabus of primary schools.
The Bookworkers' Federation was first formed in 1864 and was the first trade union in Luxembourg.
The Luxembourg Red Cross was founded in 1914 to cope with havoc caused by World War I. The stamp shows Henri Dunant (1828-1910), the founder of the Red Cross movement.
Luxembourg considers 1839 as the year in which it became independent -- this was the year that the western portion of Luxembourg was ceded to Belgium by the King of The Netherlands as part of the Belgium independence agreement. Luxembourg was granted independence as compensation for the loss, although it was still ruled by the King of The Netherlands until 1890. Shown on this stamp is one of the lion statues in front of Luxembourg City Hall.
Société Européenne des Satellites (SES) was formed in March 1985 to develop and deploy television satellites. The project involved using a medium-powered satellite capable of distributing TV signals across most of Europe. The first Astra satellite, Astra 1A, was launched on December 10, 1988, and began tranmission in February 1989.
The Europa theme of "children playing" is represented by the paintings on these two stamps. They are "Three Children in a Park" (early 19th century) and "Child with Drum" (17th century). Both artists are unknown.
The Interparliamentary Union was formed in 1889 when a conference of legislators from nine countries was held in Paris. The IPU goal is to foster personal contacts between members of all the Parliaments and to unite them in common action.
The Council of Europe has had its headquarters in Strasbourg since it was founded in 1949. The objectives of this international organization are the development of a closer European union, the defense of democracy and human rights, and the improvement of the living conditions of Europeans.
This stamp publicizes the third election to the European Parliament, the only multinational parliament in the world elected by universal franchise at the same time in 12 different countries: Belgium, Denmark, West Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The 518 members of the European Parliament represent more than 310 million people.
This stamp promotes the start in Luxembourg of the 1989 Tour de France cycling race.
The Tour de France has been won by Luxembourg nationals on four occasions -- François Faber (1909), Nicolas Frantz (1927, 1928), and Charly Gaul (1958).
Jean has ruled Luxembourg since November 12, 1964 when his mother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, abdicated in his favor. These stamps were issued in booklets.
Pictured on these stamps are former rulers of Luxembourg -- Charles IV (1316-1378), Jean l'Aveugle (1296-1346), and Wenceslas II (1361-1419). They depict details of the large stained glass windows of the Grand Ducal loggia in the cathedral of Luxembourg.
Clervaux, in the north of Luxembourg, is renowned for its medieval castle and its abbey. The plateau of Titelberg, near the southern border, is a former Roman settlement which survived for almost 500 years (100 BC - 400 AD). Thousands of ancient coins and other Roman artifacts have been unearthed there by archaeologists.
These stamps depict watercolor paintings of four restored chapels in Luxembourg: