Luxembourg II

27 Dec 2011

Before returning to Brussels late this afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit two of Luxembourg's museums.

First, I went to the Luxembourg City Museum. I learned of the legend behind the creation of Luxembourg.

Long ago, Count Siegfried came to the valley where the Luxembourg City now lies. It was there that he met a beautiful woman--Melusine. They fell in love and eventually married, but with one condition. Siegfried had to promise Melusine that one day a week she would have privacy. He could not disturb her, or she would disappear forever.

However, one day, the Count--overcome by jealously--decided to check up on his wife, and what he found was a beautiful mermaid. He let out a gasp. When Melusine saw him, she disappeared.

They say that to this day Siegfried searches the river for his Melusine.

After Siegfried's time, Luxembourg has been a site of contention. Though Luxembourg has historically been neutral, it has been fought over and held by the Spanish (more than once), the French (more than once), the Austrians, and the Prussians.

After the Luxembourg City Museum, I visited the National Art History Museum.

My favorite part of this museum was comparing the prehistoric and medieval artifacts and pottery to the artifacts I've seen from the same periods in Spain. It was fascinating to see how some of the pottery displayed similar designs. However, there was that was different. Spain has historically been a place where different cultures meet and mix. This can be seen in Greek-influenced (and later Roman) influenced pottery as well as Arabic/Christian architecture.

Don't get me wrong, the collection in the Luxembourg museum was beautiful, but I really appreciate the richness of culture that has come from the mixing of different peoples in Spain.