Gibraltar of the North
Encyclopedia
The 'Gibraltar of the North' is an historical nickname
for Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg
. It refers to the city's coveted former fortification
s, and the fortress' importance to the control of the Left Bank of the Rhine and the approaches between France
and Germany
. This domination was thought to be comparable to the dominance of the western Mediterranean Sea
that the United Kingdom
gained from the fortress of Gibraltar
, and the unbowed resistance that the Gibraltar garrison offered to Spanish
attempts to reclaim it.
The fortifications were built gradually over nine centuries, from soon after the city's foundation in the tenth century until 1867. By the end of the Renaissance
, Luxembourg was one of Europe's strongest fortifications, but it was a period of great construction activity in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that gave Luxembourg its fearsome reputation. In this period, successive Spanish, French, and Austrian
occupations gave way to further augmentations.
In the French Revolutionary Wars
, the city held out against French blockade and siege
for seven months, before the garrison surrendered, with the walls unbreached, on 7 June 1795. This led the French
politician and engineer Lazare Carnot
to call Luxembourg "the best [fortress] in the world, except Gibraltar".
The city's paramount importance to the Franco-German frontier led to the 1866 Luxembourg Crisis
, almost leading to France and Prussia
going to war over possession of the German Confederation
's main western fortress
. The 1867 Treaty of London demanded the demolition of Luxembourg's fortress, and the placement of Luxembourg in perpetual neutrality
.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
for Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
. It refers to the city's coveted former fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s, and the fortress' importance to the control of the Left Bank of the Rhine and the approaches between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. This domination was thought to be comparable to the dominance of the western Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
that the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
gained from the fortress of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, and the unbowed resistance that the Gibraltar garrison offered to Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
attempts to reclaim it.
The fortifications were built gradually over nine centuries, from soon after the city's foundation in the tenth century until 1867. By the end of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, Luxembourg was one of Europe's strongest fortifications, but it was a period of great construction activity in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that gave Luxembourg its fearsome reputation. In this period, successive Spanish, French, and Austrian
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
occupations gave way to further augmentations.
In the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, the city held out against French blockade and siege
Siege of Luxembourg (1794-1795)
The siege of Luxembourg was a siege by France of the Habsburg-held fortress of Luxembourg City that lasted from 1794 until 7 June 1795, during the French Revolutionary Wars...
for seven months, before the garrison surrendered, with the walls unbreached, on 7 June 1795. This led the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
politician and engineer Lazare Carnot
Lazare Carnot
Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Comte Carnot , the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, was a French politician, engineer, and mathematician.-Education and early life:...
to call Luxembourg "the best [fortress] in the world, except Gibraltar".
The city's paramount importance to the Franco-German frontier led to the 1866 Luxembourg Crisis
Luxembourg Crisis
The Luxembourg Crisis was a diplomatic dispute and confrontation in 1867 between France and Prussia over the political status of Luxembourg. The confrontation almost led to war between the two parties, but was peacefully resolved by the Treaty of London....
, almost leading to France and Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
going to war over possession of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
's main western fortress
Fortresses of the German Confederation
Under the term of the 1815 Peace of Paris, France was obliged to pay for the construction of a line of fortresses to protect the German Confederation against any future aggression by France.Section C...
. The 1867 Treaty of London demanded the demolition of Luxembourg's fortress, and the placement of Luxembourg in perpetual neutrality
Neutral country
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
.