Despite the considerable difference in area and population, there are several similarities between Luxembourg and Poland. Both Luxembourg and Poland were established almost simultaneously in the 960s,[1] and both are traditionally predominantly Catholic by confession. In the Late Middle Ages, the ruling houses of both states rose to great power in Europe. In 1310 John the Blind of the House of Luxembourg secured the Bohemian throne and attempted to achieve the Polish throne, however, he became only a titular King of Poland.[1] The Polish Jagiellonian dynasty soon rose to similar prominence and also managed to place its members on the throne of the Kingdom of Bohemia (in addition to Hungary).[2] At that time, Luxembourg fell under foreign rule,[1] a fate shared by Poland in the 18th century. Luxembourg eventually regained independence in 1867, and Poland in 1918,[3] although neither nation has recovered all of its former territories, lost in the Partitions of Luxembourg and Partitions of Poland, respectively. First Poles migrated to Luxembourg, mostly from the Prussian and Austrian partitions of Poland, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.[4]
In 1921, bilateral relations were established,[5] and a consulate of Poland was opened in Luxembourg City.[6] In 1922, a trade treaty was signed.[7]Immigration of Poles to Luxembourg increased, mainly those forced to leave Westphalia and Rhineland, while some came from Belgium, France and Poland.[4] In the mid-1920s, there were 5,000 Poles in Luxembourg, however, by 1939 the number dropped to 3,750.[8]
Memorials to Luxembourgish prisoners of Nazi Germany in Luboń and Lubiąż, Poland
During World War II, Poland and Luxembourg were both invaded and occupied by Germany, in 1939 and 1940, respectively. Both countries were subjected to Germanisation policies. Many Poles from Luxembourg joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West to fight against Germany, whereas some attempted to return to Poland, but many of them were captured by the Germans and sent to forced labour.[9] According to German data from December 1940, there were 1,158 Poles (including 135 Polish Jews) in Luxembourg.[9]
After the war, in September 1945, Joseph Bech, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, visited Warsaw and an agreement was signed to repatriate Poles from Luxembourg to Poland, and Luxembourgers from Poland to Luxembourg.[17] Repatriation took place in the following years.
In 1990, a cultural and scientific cooperation treaty was signed.[18] In 1995, a double tax avoidance agreement was signed between the two countries.[19]
In 2014, the total trade turnover between the two countries was €490.3 million, and by 2019 it grew to €845.4 million.[20] In 2019, the Polish-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce was founded.[20]
^Ceranka, Paweł; Szczepanik, Krzysztof (2020). Urzędy konsularne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 1918–1945. Informator archiwalny (in Polish). Warszawa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych. p. 229. ISBN978-83-65681-93-5.
^Bartkowski, Zbigniew (1972). "Obozy pracy przymusowej i obozy jenieckie na Ziemi Jeleniogróskiej w latach 1939–1945". Rocznik Jeleniogórski (in Polish). Vol. X. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. pp. 88, 103, 111.
100 years of diplomatic relations between Luxembourg and Poland from A to Z/100 lat stosunków dyplomatycznych między Luksemburgiem i Polską od A do Z (in English and Polish). Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Warsaw. 2021. ISBN978-99959-0-628-3.
Banaś, Konrad (2018). "Repatriacja Polaków z Luksemburga po II wojnie światowej". Studia Migracyjne – Przegląd Polonijny (in Polish). XLIV (1). Uniwersytet Jagielloński. ISSN2081-4488.