Banque de Luxembourg and the publishing house Maison Moderne have produced a book tracing the history of ten Luxembourg business families. While there are already many books about Luxembourg's history, none have so far painted a contemporary picture through the history of its entrepreneurs' families.

'Histoires de Familles’ traces the history of ten eminent Luxembourg families – Clasen (Bernard-Massard), Lentz (Brasserie Nationale), Grosbusch (Grosbusch), Ehlinger (Groupe Schuler), Krombach-Meyer (Heintz Van Landewyck), Hentgen (Lalux), Ernster (Librairie Ernster), Muller (Moulins de Kleinbettingen), Weber-Heinisch (Voyages Emile Weber) and Giorgetti (Giorgetti) – with personal accounts of significant events in their lives within the historic and social context of Luxembourg during the last century through to the present day.

Interview with Philippe Depoorter, Member of the Management Committee and Head of Services for Businesses and Entrepreneurs. In this book you plunge the reader into the heart of the grand history and the personal stories of these family businesses to paint a unique picture of Luxembourg. Can you tell us what prompted this book?

This collection of the histories of Luxembourg business families stems from several overlapping ideas. First there is the younger generation’s fascination to know more about the people who preceded them: their quest for knowledge and understanding is a prelude to an entrepreneurial adventure in which they are often aware that they are (or will be) a link in the chain. It will also appeal to people who are preparing for a new chapter or are interested in chronicling how these businesses evolved. Rather than simply assessing achievements, it puts a perspective on a slice of life within a continuum of heritage and succession. I've always been struck by the way people’s faces light up when they start telling their story. This is what we wanted to share through this book.

In these case histories, the people running the business talk about significant events in the life of their business and their family against the backdrop of Luxembourg’s own narrative. What light do their lives shine on Luxembourg's development?

Beyond the often close relationships I’ve been privileged to forge with business families in the course of the support provided by the Bank, this book is also intended to shine a light on another facet in the history of our country. We started from the premise that the sum of the histories of the businesses that have contributed a cornerstone to the country’s development has been an integral part in writing Luxembourg’s “glorious history”. Reading the ten histories shows how much – in a mutual interplay – the history of the country has influenced the course of these businesses, and how they, in their turn and in their own field at least, have shaped the life and evolution of the Grand Duchy.

A video portrait of each of the businesses featured in the book will be posted on this blog.
‘Histoires de Familles’, published by Maison Moderne in collaboration with Banque de Luxembourg.
172 pages, 49 euros.

For more information, contact

Laura Giallombardo
Next Gen Adviser
laura.giallombardo@bdl.lu
Tel: (+352) 499 24 3974