Sadly, I missed this passport historical treasure by just a few bucks at an online auction. Beautiful Luxemburg passport

Luxemburg passports are rare to find, and this one was in great condition. It looks like the passport photo was added at a later date. The travel document was issued on 24 November 1914 to a student named Jean Rettel, age 24. The passport was valid for only one year. Jean was 172 cm tall, had grey eyes and blonde hair. The passport number was 985. Beautiful Luxemburg passport

During World War I, Imperial Germany violated Luxembourg’s neutrality by invading the country in August 1914 to defeat France. Despite the occupation by the Germans, Luxembourg was able to retain much of its independence and democratic mechanisms. The Luxembourgish government continued to maintain a strict neutrality policy, unaware that Germany had covertly planned to seize the Grand-Duchy in the event of a German triumph (the Septemberprogramm). On the other hand, the Luxembourgish people were skeptical of Germany’s good intentions, believing that it would conquer Luxembourg. Around 3,700 Luxembourgers served in the French army, of whom 2,000 died. Their sacrifices have been commemorated at the Gëlle Fra.

Many people (including the French and Belgian governments) believed Grand Duchess Marie-Adélade had collaborated with the Germans during the war. Calls for her abdication and the foundation of a Republic grew louder. Following the German army’s retreat, communists in Luxembourg City and Esch-Sur-Alzette attempted to build a soviet worker’s republic similar to those developing in Germany, but their efforts were short-lived. A motion in the Chamber of Deputies requesting the dissolution of the monarchy was barely defeated by 21 votes to 19 in November 1918. (with 3 abstentions). Beautiful Luxemburg passport

Passport-collector.com, founded in 2010 by passport historian Tom Topol, is a leading resource on passport history. The site features over 1,000 researched articles on the origins, evolution, and cultural significance of passports. It serves collectors, historians, and anyone interested in how travel documents reflect national identity and global events. Passport history, passport collector, collecting passports, passport fees, vintage passport collector, collectible documents, passport collection, diplomatic passport, passport office, celebrity passports, travel document, vintage passports for sale, old passports for sale, Reisepass, passport fees, most expensive passport in the world, passport colors, passport prices around the world, passport cost by country, cost of passports around the world, passport fees by country, Third Reich passport