History & Europe — practice questions

What does the medieval name “Lucilinburhuc” mean?

• Great trading town
• Little castle — Correct answer
• Valley of the three rivers

Why · “Lucilinburhuc” means “little castle”. It refers to the fortress built on the Bock promontory, on top of Roman remains. The name Luxembourg — today both the capital and the country — derives from it.

In which year did Count Siegfried acquire the Bock promontory, the founding act of Luxembourg?

• 843
• 963 — Correct answer
• 1083

Why · In 963, Siegfried obtained the Bock rock through an exchange with the Abbey of St Maximin in Trier. That date is regarded as the birth of Luxembourg: the town grew up around this fortress.

Since which year has Luxembourg held the title of Grand Duchy?

• 1354
• 1815 — Correct answer
• 1839

Why · The Congress of Vienna raised Luxembourg to a Grand Duchy in 1815. Before that the territory was a county until 1354, then a duchy. The year 1839, often confused with this one, is the Treaty of London that fixed today's borders and opened the way to independence.

Which organisation, the ancestor of the European Union, brought six states together around coal and steel in the early 1950s?

• The European Coal and Steel Community — Correct answer
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
• The Council of Europe

Why · The ECSC, created by the 1951 Treaty of Paris, was the first step of European integration. Luxembourg was a founding member and hosted its High Authority, which is why Luxembourg City sits among the European capitals.

Which agreements, signed in 1985 in a Luxembourg village, abolished checks at internal borders?

• The Schengen Agreements — Correct answer
• The Treaties of Rome
• The Maastricht Treaty

Why · The Schengen Agreements were signed on 14 June 1985 in Schengen, on the border between Luxembourg, France and Germany. They gave rise to the free-movement area that still bears the village's name.