Advanced culture

[Newton]

Originally posted by Evil Chris@Jul 7 2005, 09:16 AM
Sweden? Luxembourg?

Why?

Luxembourg is a stable, high-income economy in between France, Belgium, and Germany which features solid growth, low inflation, low unemployment and an extraordinarily high standard of living.

It has 227 banks in the main Luxembourg City at the last count, which is a very small city, plus it has tax haven status.

Only 82km (51mi) long and 58km (36mi) wide, Luxembourg is slightly smaller than the US state of Rhode Island and not much larger than metropolitan London.

Multilingualism is universal among Luxembourgers, and both the German and French languages are used in the press, in politics and in daily life. French is most common in government and schools, though Luxembourgish is the language you'll hear most frequently on the street. English is widely understood in tourist areas.

There is a 42-kilometre strip along the country's southeastern flank, known as the AC Moselle Luxembourgoise, where 1,300 hectares of vines grow on the left-bank of the Moselle river. Vines are not allowed to be planted anywhere else, thus this is Luxembourg's one and only appellation (Crémant de Luxembourg being a designation within AC Moselle Luxembourgoise). The vineyards are scattered around 28 towns and villages, from Wasserbillig in the north, to Schengen in the south. This viticultural area is the mirror image of the German Bereiche of Obermosel and Moseltor, which are situated on the right bank.

Its almost a fairytale area, with the capital being built on the ruins of castle, leading up from the 'Grund', where the peasants used to live within the castle walls. Intensely beautiful and a stunning mix of cultures.