The Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek – A Voice of the Luxembourg Working Class
The first issue of the Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek was published on July 1, 1946.
Just as at the time of its founding, it still defines itself today as a Marxist newspaper, working alongside the Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL) in the interests of workers and creative people, for the abolition of capitalist exploitation and the building of socialism.
The beginnings of the communist press in Luxembourg date back to the weekly Der Kampf, published from November 18, 1920, to January 28, 1922.
Starting on July 1, 1930, the KPL published the irregular weekly Arbeiterstimme, which was renamed Volksstimme in June 1935.
After the invasion of Luxembourg by Hitler’s German armies on May 10, 1940, the Volksstimme was banned by the occupying forces.
Also outlawed by the Nazis, the Communist Party published 15 issues of the illegal newspaper Die Wahrheit from February 1941 until the major communist raid of August 5, 1942, during which much of the KPL’s underground structure was destroyed. The paper was produced using a duplicating machine.
After the liberation, the communist weekly was once again published under the name Volksstimme (first post-war issue on September 28, 1944), before being renamed Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek and becoming a daily newspaper.
Due to major financial difficulties — aggravated by the Cold War and strong anti-communist agitation — the daily became a weekly in April 1953.
However, as of January 1, 1954, the Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek was again published as a daily newspaper.
When the communist printing house COPE lost much of its printing work overnight in 1990, following the annexation of the GDR by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Monday edition was discontinued for financial reasons.
Since then, the Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek has been published from Tuesday to Saturday, consisting of 12 pages.
