Romani people in Luxembourg

According to the European Commission, Approximately 300 Romani people live in Luxembourg (0.06% of the population).^[1]

Romani people in Luxembourg were arrested and sent to Aushwitz.^[2]

The Roma community in Luxembourg was included in Heinrich Himmler’s directive regarding Auschwitz. Although no existing records from that time remain, their existence in the camp was referenced during the Eichmann trial held in Jerusalem.^[3]

The first Roma appeared in Luxembourg in the 16th century. They faced challenges from newcomers hailing from Germany and France as they sought to maintain their trading territory. In 1603, a mercenary named Jean de la Fleur was tried for unlawfully entering the country in violation of a decree that prohibited Romani people from entering the Grand Duchy.^[4]

Since the early 18th century, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has been home to the Sinti people before the Holocaust. In the early 20th century, the Luxembourg government consistently implemented policies aimed at deporting and expelling Sinti and Romani communities to other countries. Police and gendarmerie stations near the borders were instructed to escort so-called ‘Gypsy groups’ across the borders into France or Belgium and to prevent their return to Luxembourg. Despite this, some local Luxembourgish villagers welcomed Sinti people and Yenish people, who sold everyday items or provided entertainment as performers at local fairs. The authorities maintained a strict stance throughout the 1920s and 1930s, continuing to prevent Romani people from settling permanently in Luxembourg. On May 3, 1932, the country signed an agreement with France and Belgium to manage the ‘expulsion of nomads.’ In this agreement, the Luxembourg administration repeatedly referred to those affected as ‘roaming Egyptians,’ ‘outlaws,’ or ‘church thieves’—terms that had been commonly used in the country since the late 18th century. Despite ongoing harassment, evidence shows that some Roma and Sinti families lived in Luxembourg in places such as Capellen, Itzig, Clemency, and Wasserbillig. In Limpertsberg, a Romani family from Hungary unsuccessfully attempted to buy or rent homes. Only those who could conceal their Sinti or Romani identity from outsiders were able to settle successfully. Sinti and Roma, along with the Yenish, were often collectively called ‘Travellers.’ Luxembourg was occupied by the German Wehrmacht on May 10, 1940, and Sinti and Roma, along with Jews, were subjected to racial persecution.^[5]