Luxembourg · 175th anniversary of the Chamber of Deputies and the first Constitution

Issue date24 Apr 2023

Total mintage133,500

EU maximum500,000

Editions5

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

Inscription1848 / Chambre des Députés / LUXEMBOURG / 2023

DesignerChiara Principe

mintMonnaie de Paris (unc) Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt, Utrecht (BU) Mincovna Kremnica, š.p., Kremnica / Slovakia (PP)

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 175th anniversary of the existence of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies. The design shows a portrait of Grand Duke Henri on the left and the building of the Chamber of Deputies on the right. Above it and to its right are the year “1848” and the inscription “Chambre des Députés”; at the bottom center are “LUXEMBOURG” and “2023”.

The design

Depicted on the left is a portrait of Grand Duke Henri, and on the right is the building of the Chamber of Deputies. Above and to the right of the building, respectively, appear the year “1848” and the inscription “Chambre des Députés”. At the bottom center are the name of the issuing country “LUXEMBOURG” and the year of issue “2023”.

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

Background on the topic

The origins of the Chamber of Deputies (Abgeordnetenkammer) are connected with the political reorganization of Luxembourg in the 19th century. The Grand Duchy had been created in 1815 and was initially linked in personal union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Following the territorial division of 1839, the remaining Luxembourg received an estate-based representative body in 1841. The European revolutionary movement of 1848 subsequently led to a more liberal constitution and the establishment of an elected “Chambre des Députés”. This body was granted more extensive powers in legislation, taxation and the state budget.

At that time, however, the representative body was still based on restricted suffrage, which was tied in particular to gender and property. Universal suffrage for women and men was not introduced until 1919. In today’s parliamentary system, the Chamber passes laws, approves the budget and oversees the government. It consists of 60 deputies elected in four constituencies by proportional representation.

The parliament building is located in the historic centre of Luxembourg City, directly next to the Palais. It was built in the 19th century specifically as the seat of the representative body and has been used for parliamentary work since 1860. The physical proximity of the Chamber and the Palais also makes the coexistence of the two constitutional organs visible.

Grand Duke Henri has been Luxembourg’s head of state since 2000. His duties are limited by the constitution; political responsibility lies with the government, which must be accountable to Parliament. The pairing of his portrait with the seat of Parliament thus refers to Luxembourg’s system of government as a parliamentary monarchy.

The choice of this theme is explained by the role of 1848 as the starting point of today’s parliamentary institution. It therefore commemorates not a single resolution, but the development of representative legislation and the constitutional participation of the population over a long period.