National symbols

The following symbols are noteworthy as regards the Luxembourg State:

• the State coat of arms;
• the Luxembourg flag;
• the national anthem.

The coat of arms, the Luxembourg flag and the national anthem are all protected by Law.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Luxembourg, modified many times, was devised in the years between 1235 and 1239 by Henri V, count of Luxembourg.

The now official version contains the following essential elements: barruly of argent and azure in ten parts and a lion rampant gules, crowned, armed and langued in gold with a forked tail crossed in saltire

There are three grades of the Grand Duchy's coat of arms: the small, the medium and the great coat of arms.

Luxembourg flag

The first known flag was carried by Count William of Luxembourg in 1123. It was barred, i.e. horizontally striped, probably yellow and red.

The current Luxembourg flag is made u of three horizontal bands of red white and sky blue

In order to tell the Luxembourg and Dutch flags apart, a pragmatic solution was adopted: the Dutch blue is ultramarine and the Grand Duchy's blue is sky blue (Pantone colour code 299C).

National anthem

The National Anthem (Mpeg, 1.84 Mb) consists of the first and last verses of the song Ons Heemecht ('Our Homeland') dating from 1859, with words by the poet Michel Lentz set to music by Jean-Antoine Zinnen.

The national anthem, which was given its first public performance at a grand ceremony in Ettelbruck in 1864, issues a vibrant appeal for peace and freedom.

It expresses the country’s great joy at having achieved independence in 1839 in an atmosphere of peace and prosperity.