The first writers in Luxembourgish: Meyer, Lentz, Dicks and Rodange

For centuries Luxembourgish was spoken, not written. Then, in the 19th century, four men started writing it down — a book of poems, a first play, an anthem and a fox epic. Here is how Luxembourgish became a written language.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 4 min read

Before 1829, almost everything written in Luxembourg was in Latin, French or German. The 19th century changed that — the century in which Luxembourg also became an independent state. The story of the language’s status is in is Luxembourgish a language or a dialect? and a small language that is growing.

1829: Antoine Meyer and the first book

The first book printed in Luxembourgish is a small collection of poems by Antoine Meyer, E Schrek ob de Lezeburger Parnassus (“A step up the Luxembourg Parnassus”), published in 1829. Meyer was a mathematician who later taught in Liège, and the spelling of his poems shows a language nobody had yet agreed how to write.

1855: Dicks and the first play

Edmond de la Fontaine (1823–1891), known by his pen name Dicks, wrote De Scholtschäin (1855), the first play performed in Luxembourgish, and followed it with comedies and operettas in everyday speech. A monument to Dicks and Lentz stands in the centre of Luxembourg City.

1859: Michel Lentz, the anthem and the motto

Michel Lentz (1820–1893) wrote the poem that became Ons Heemecht, the national anthem and, the same year, De Feierwon for the first railway — whose last line, Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn, became the national motto (the story of the motto).

1872: Michel Rodange and Renert

Michel Rodange (1827–1876) published Renert in 1872 — Renert oder de Fuuß am Frack an a Ma’nsgrëßt, a verse epic about a fox, inspired by Goethe’s Reineke Fuchs and the medieval tales of Reynard. Behind the animals are the people and politicians of Rodange’s Luxembourg, and the government’s own literature guide calls it the Luxembourgish national epic par excellence. Its 150th anniversary in 2022 was marked by a new edition and an English translation.

Animals carry wisdom in Luxembourgish to this day — see animal idioms and proverbs and the animal words, with audio.

Writing it down: spelling and dictionaries

Writers had to invent their own spelling, so each spelt differently. Dictionaries followed — Gangler’s in 1847, a larger one in 1906, the great Luxemburger Wörterbuch between 1950 and 1977 — and an official spelling in 1975, reformed in 1999 and 2019. Today the Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire (LOD) sets the standard, with native recordings. The full story is in where Luxembourgish proverbs come from and Luxembourgish spelling.

Reading them today

• Start small: short poems and songs are easier than Renert, which uses 19th-century spelling.
• Learn the core verbs first: liesen (to read), schreiwen (to write), erzielen (to tell), verstoen (to understand) and léieren (to learn).
• Know the grammar first: old texts tell stories in the past — revise the past tense and irregular verbs.
• Check your level: the free Luxembourgish level test tells you whether literature is the next step or a later one.

Where to go next: the writers’ world lives on in the sayings — 16 proverbs everyone knows and 30 everyday idioms — and in school, where children read these authors (school and education words). If you are still building the basics, how to learn Luxembourgish online and free resources show the routes; the verb sangen will take you straight to Dicks’s and Lentz’s songs.

Reading and talking about a text with a teacher is one of the fastest ways to progress. On Edluxio you can book 1-to-1 online lessons with independent teachers — native speakers for languages and literature among them. Book a trial lesson; if your first lesson isn’t right for you, you get a full refund.

Keep learning

• Ons Heemecht: the national anthem, words and history
• Where Luxembourg’s motto comes from
• Luxembourg’s traditions and their words
• Where Luxembourgish proverbs come from
• Village life in Luxembourgish sayings
• 20 expressions every newcomer hears
• Is Luxembourgish a language or a dialect?
• The languages of Luxembourg
• A small language that is growing
• 100 common Luxembourgish verbs
• How to say hello · thank you · how are you
• Cheers in Luxembourgish · good luck
• How to learn Luxembourgish online
• Is Luxembourgish hard to learn?
• Every Luxembourgish verb table, with audio
• All free Luxembourgish resources
• Free Luxembourgish level test