Grand Duchy of Luxembourg - Expo Antwerp 1930
Luxembourg's participation in the Antwerp exhibition was necessarily limited - the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had concentrated most of its efforts on the Liège exhibition, where its enormous industries found an appropriate place.
Nevertheless, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, as an economic ally of Belgium, was keen to participate in the Antwerp exhibition, in the form of an attractive pavilion set up along one of the widest avenues of the world's fair. We gladly pay tribute to the urgent and ultimately decisive steps taken by the distinguished consul of the Grand Duchy in Antwerp, Dr. Damman, to obtain his country's membership.
The Luxembourg pavilion was a delightful chalet reminiscent of the most picturesque country houses in the Grand Duchy. In this setting, the Luxembourgers wanted to sum up their magnificent wine-growing effort in a lively manner. And it was the wines of the country that were exhibited.
This was a remarkable and discreet display of the wines of the Moselle, which had been cultivated for centuries by the Grand Dukes. Luxembourgers have always been proud of the cultivation of vines, the only plant capable of thriving on the sunny, rocky hills of the Moselle. These vines, which have been cultivated for more than a thousand years, cover an area of 1600 hectares and produce an average of 80,000 hectolitres of wine per year. The rational cultivation of the vine is the subject of a scientific study in the Grand Duchy, carried out by a government viticultural station. The wines of the Moselle, which are light, fresh and acidic, have remarkable anti-gout and anti-rheumatic qualities, which they derive from their low alcohol content and their high organic acid content.
These exquisite wines, as well as the sparkling wines prepared according to the Champagne method, were exhibited and tasted in the Grand Duchy's pavilion. The large audience made this initiative a great success. It was under the auspices of Mr. Servais, the distinguished commissioner general of the Luxembourg government at the Antwerp and Liège exhibitions, that this intelligent participation - a marvellous propaganda for the export of these excellent wines - was organised. It led to tangible results. The Belgian public has become increasingly interested in these Luxembourg wines and has developed a taste for them. It is undeniable that the Luxembourg Moselle pavilion at the Antwerp exhibition made a significant contribution to making the good wines of our neighbours known.
Luxembourg's participation in the Antwerp exhibition gave rise to various manifestations of Belgian-Luxembourgish sympathy.
The inauguration of the Moselle pavilion, which took place on 21 June, was attended by numerous personalities, including Count Gaston d'Ansembourg, Luxembourg's minister in Brussels; Messrs Servais, the general commissioner; Altwies de Maringh, president of the Luxembourg winegrowing committees; the exhibition authorities, representatives of Luxembourg winegrowing, etc. In his inaugural speech, Count d'Ansembourg emphasised the bonds of friendship between Belgium and the Grand Duchy, which are born of the common origin and similar fate of the two countries over the centuries. The Luxembourg minister expressed his joy at seeing the fruitful results of the Belgian-Luxembourg economic agreement, and declared that "it is through the great Belgian national port" - to which the Grand Duchy sends one and a half million tonnes of steel per year - "that Luxembourg breathes".
The Luxembourg celebrations included, in addition to the inauguration, a banquet hosted by the Commissioner General of Luxembourg, as well as a series of Luxembourg days. During the latter, an official Luxembourg delegation visited the Antwerp exhibition on 8 and 9 October, on the initiative of the "Union Belge" society of Luxembourg, chaired by General Keuker de Watlet.
This delegation included Mr. Bech, Minister of State and President of the Government; Mr. Reuter, President of the Chamber; Mr. Dide-rich, Burgomaster of the City of Luxembourg; several members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Council of Aldermen of Luxembourg; representatives of Luxembourg trade and industry. Banquets were offered by the Commissioner General of the Belgian government, the executive committee of the exhibition, the college of burgomasters and aldermen of the city of Antwerp, the governor of the province of Antwerp. These receptions, marked by the most sincere cordiality, left the Luxembourg delegation with an indelible memory.
In addition, on 4 October, the official prizes awarded by the exhibition jury were announced.
The Luxembourg exhibitors were awarded a diploma of honour for their wines and two gold medals for their sparkling wines.
In short, Luxembourg's participation in the Antwerp exhibition was very significant, and we cannot sufficiently appreciate the great effort made on this occasion by our friends from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg who, despite their country's important industrial participation in the Liège exhibition, did not hesitate to make any sacrifice to ensure that Luxembourg was brilliantly represented in Antwerp.
©Le livre d'or de l'Exposition Internationale Coloniale, Maritime et d'Art Flamand - Anvers 1930