Berg Castle

Grand Duke Henri in half-profile facing right, with Berg Castle in the right background. The year 2008, flanked by the engraver's mark and the mint mark, is engraved along the upper inner edge. The issuing state "LËTZEBUERG" runs along the lower inner edge.

In 2008 a retrospective set was issued comprising the Luxembourg €2 commemorative coins of 2004–2008 (LU-04 G1, LU-05 G2, LU-06 G2, LU-07 G1, LU-07 G2, LU-08 G1).

Berg Castle is the official residence of the Luxembourg grand ducal family, located in the municipality of Colmar-Berg in the center of the country. The castle traces back to a medieval building but was rebuilt several times over the centuries and took on its present form in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It does not serve as a ceremonial state palace but as the actual residence of the Grand Duke and his family — a status that gives it a different standing in Luxembourg than comparable buildings hold in other monarchies. Grand Duke Henri, who has held the throne since 2000, closely associates his reign with Berg: the castle is both a private home and a symbol of a tradition of rule that in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg reaches back to the early 19th century.

The Grand Dukes of Luxembourg descend from the House of Nassau-Weilburg, which has held the succession since 1890. Henri was born in 1955, studied political and military science, and took over the regency from his father Jean in 2000. His rule is regarded as unifying: Luxembourg, a small, multilingual state with a pronounced European identity, sees in the Grand Duke a connecting figure among the country's three national languages — Luxembourgish, French, and German. The occasion for Luxembourg's 2008 2-euro commemorative coin was Berg Castle and the portrait of Grand Duke Henri together — a pairing of ruling personality and historic residence.