A series of 12 lanthanide coordination polymers was synthesized from anhydrous LnCl(3) and 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene (dpe) under solvothermal conditions in either thiazole (thz) or pyridine (py). The reactions yielded (1)(infinity)[Ln(2)Cl(6)(dpe)(2)(thz)(4)].dpe with Ln = Ce (1), Nd (2), (1)(infinity)[LnCl(3) (dpe)(py)(2)].(dpe/py) with Ln = Gd (3), Er (4), and (1)(infinity)[LnCl(3)(dpe) (thz)(2)](dpe/thz) with Ln = Sm (5), Gd (6), Tb (7), Dy (8), Er (9), Yb (10), as well as (1)(infinity)[HoCl3(dpe)(thz)(2)].thz (11) and (2)(infinity)[La2Cl6 (dpe)(3)(py)(2)].dpe (12). One-dimensional coordination polymers (CPs) and a two-dimensional network of five different constitutions are formed by connection of LnCl(3) units via dpe molecules. As free ligand, dpe shows an excimer effect that is reduced in the coordination polymers. In addition, dipyridylethylene proves to be a suitable sensitizer for the photoluminescence of lanthanides in the near-infrared region (NIR) only. Thereby, dpe differs from the related ligand 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethane. For the compounds presented, four different luminescence effects were detected: luminescence based on fluorescence of the linker dpe is observed in the visible region, whereas ligand-sensitized 4f-4f NIR emission is dominating for trivalent Nd, Er, and Yb. The Er-containing CPs show an inner-filter effect of Er3+, which is based on reabsorption of emission of dpe triggering the erbium NIR emission.