125 Years of the Nassau-Weilburg Dynasty

Grand Duke Henri's portrait on the right, with the portraits of Grand Dukes Adolphe and Guillaume IV, Grand Duchesses Marie-Adélaïde and Charlotte, and Grand Duke Jean arranged in a circle in chronological order of accession. To the right of the design, also in a circular arrangement: the inscription "1890 – DYNASTIE NASSAUWEILBOURG". At the vertical centre: the issuing state "LUXEMBOURG" and the year "2015".

In 2015 a retrospective set was issued comprising the Luxembourg €2 commemorative coins of 2013–2015 (LU-13 G1, LU-14 G1, LU-14 G2, LU-15 G1, LU-15 G2, LU-15 G3).

The House of Nassau-Weilburg rose to the head of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1890, when, following the death of King William III of the Netherlands, the Nassau-Weilburg line succeeded to the throne. Grand Duke Adolphe, who until then had lived as the deposed Duke of Nassau in Wiesbaden, ascended the throne at age 73, founding the dynasty that still reigns today. His son Guillaume IV succeeded him in 1905 but, due to serious illness, could barely govern himself — his eldest daughter Marie-Adélaïde effectively took charge of the government and became, in 1912, the first Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. She was succeeded by her sister Charlotte, who led the country through both world wars and the occupation, and who, after returning from exile in 1945, became a central unifying figure for modern Luxembourg. Under Grand Duke Jean, who took over the regency in 1964, the country experienced its economic rise as a financial and European centre.

The dynasty's five rulers shaped Luxembourg over more than a century through fundamentally different political and social eras — from the consolidation of a sovereign small state, through policies of neutrality, occupation and liberation, to co-founding European integration. The Grand Duchy remains a constitutional monarchy to this day, in which the House of Nassau-Weilburg fulfils an essential function of state continuity. Luxembourg issued a 2-euro commemorative coin in 2015 to mark the 125th anniversary of Adolphe's accession to the throne and thus the beginning of this line of rulers.