Luxembourg · 50 years of the Volunteer Army in Luxembourg

Issue date2 Jan 2017

Total mintage316,000

EU maximum500,000

Editions5

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

Inscription50 Joer Fräiwëllegen-Arméi / 2017 / LËTZEBUERG

DesignerGestaltungskonzept BCL

mintKoninklijke Nederlandse Munt, Utrecht

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 50th anniversary of the voluntary status of the Luxembourg Army. The design shows, on the right, the portrait of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri in right profile and, on the left, the inscription “50 Joer Fräiwëllegen-Arméi” designed as a logo. “LËTZEBUERG” appears at the bottom.

The design

The coin’s design features, on the right, the portrait of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri in right profile, and, on the left, the inscription “50 Joer Fräiwëllegen-Arméi” depicted as a logo. Above this, the issue year “2017” is shown between the mintmark and the mint master’s initials. The name of the issuing country, “LËTZEBUERG”, can be read in the lower part.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

After the liberation of Luxembourg in the Second World War, the Grand Duchy introduced general conscription. This decision was connected with the experience of the German occupation and the country’s subsequent integration into the Western security order. In 1949, Luxembourg was one of NATO’s founding members and thereby undertook, despite its small size, to make its own contribution to collective defence.

Conscription was abolished in 1967. Since then, the Luxembourg Army has relied on people who voluntarily decide to enter military service, as well as on professional soldiers and civilian employees. “Volunteer army” does not mean that service is unpaid or voluntary in the honorary sense, but that no one is conscripted on the basis of a general service obligation. The change corresponded to the country’s limited human resources and resulted in a smaller, permanently available armed force.

The Army’s tasks are not limited to defending its own territory. Within its capabilities, Luxembourg participates in joint operations and structures of NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. These include contributions to peacekeeping missions, multinational formations, logistical support and humanitarian aid. In this context, the country often works closely with the armed forces of allied states, particularly Belgium.

Grand Duke Henri has been Luxembourg’s head of state since 2000. At the time of the coin’s issue, he also held a constitutional position in relation to the armed forces. His portrait thus establishes a connection between the Army and the state. At the same time, it reflects the Luxembourg practice of depicting the reigning Grand Duke on the national sides of euro coins.

The anniversary provided an opportunity to commemorate a lasting change in Luxembourg’s defence policy: the transition from an army based on conscription to armed forces on a voluntary basis. The coin therefore does not refer to a single military operation, but to the organisational structure in place since 1967.