Arlon
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Arlon
| ||
---|---|---|
City and municipality | ||
Location in Belgium
Location of Arlon in Luxembourg province Region Wallonia | | |
Province | Luxembourg | |
Arrondissement | Arlon | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Vincent Magnus (cdH, ARLON 2030) | |
• Governing party/ies | MR-ARLON 2030 | |
Area | ||
• Total | 119.06 km2 (45.97 sq mi) | |
Population (2022-01-01)[1] | ||
• Total | 30,818 | |
• Density | 260/km2 (670/sq mi) | |
Postal codes | 6700, 6704, 6706 | |
NIS code | 81001 | |
Area codes | 063 | |
Website | www.arlon.be (in French) |
Arlon (French pronunciation:
The municipality consists of the following sub-municipalities: Arlon proper, Autelbas, Bonnert, Guirsch, Heinsch, and Toernich. Other population centers include:
History
Roman Empire 57BCE–395
Western Roman Empire 395–480
Francia 481–843
Middle Francia 843–855
Kingdom of Lotharingia855–900
Duchy of Lorraine 900–950
County of Arlon 950–1214
County of Luxembourg 1214–1353
Duchy of Luxembourg 1353–1795
French Republic 1795–1804
French Empire 1804–1815
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg1815–1839
Kingdom of Belgium 1839–present
Roman and medieval times
Before the
During most of the Middle Ages, the population still used the earlier buildings such as the thermae. In 1060, Waleran I of Limburg, Count of Arlon, built a castle on the Knipchen hill in the centre of the town.
A dynasty of counts of Arlon began with Waleran I, Duke of Limburg. On the death of Duke Waleran III in 1226, Arlon passed to his son from the second marriage, Henry V the Fair, Count of Luxembourg, and became part of the county of Luxembourg. Thus, in the Tournament of Chauvency, his son Henry the Lion bore the title of Marquis of Arlon.
In the 13th century, the only women's Cistercian abbey known to date was built in Clairefontaine.
15th century until the French Revolution
The
Modern times
On 9 June 1793 the French Revolutionary troops opposed the Austrians just outside Arlon. The French emerged victorious and took over the city from Austrian rule. They expelled the Capuchin friars and used their convent as a hospital.
In June 1815, after the defeat of
Arlon was one of the first victims of the German invasion in 1914 as 121 inhabitants were executed on 26 August, on the orders of Colonel Richard Karl von Tessmar.
Its territory was again among the first to be invaded at the onset of World War II. Allies moved into Belgium on 10 May 1940 and Arlon was defended by French troops, but they were not able to stop the German invasion.
Arlon today
Being situated very close to the border with the
Sights
- Arlon is best known for holding one of the richest archeological museums in Belgium. It houses numerous examples of Merovingian funerary art.
- A fragment of the Gallo-Roman defensive wall that was built in the 3rd century still stands in Arlon.
- The Gaspar Museum is dedicated to the art of Jean-Marie Gaspar and Charles Gaspar , and also holds a collection of regional art including the Fisenne altarpiece , an altarpiece from the 16th century originally located in the village Fisenne.
- Saint Donat's church now stands on the Knipchen hill, where Waleran I of Limburg once built his castle and the Capuchin friars built their convent.
- Arlon cemetery has the largest Jewish section of all Walloon cemeteries.
Local customs
- The carnival of Arlon takes place at mid-Lent. It includes the traditional handing of the city keys to the carnival prince and a colourful parade composed of various folk dance groups.
- The Maitrank (German for "drink of May") is the city's most popular refreshment. It is made of white wine in which a local flower, the Asperula odorata, has macerated. Some recipes also add cognac or substitute woodruff for the Asperula. The Maitrank festivities take place in the city every fourth Sunday of May.
Climate
Climate data for Arlon(1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
5.3 (41.5) |
9.7 (49.5) |
14.1 (57.4) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.9 (73.2) |
18.7 (65.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.6 (40.3) |
13.6 (56.5) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
1.9 (35.4) |
5.2 (41.4) |
8.6 (47.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.3 (63.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
9.5 (49.1) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.2 (36.0) |
9.2 (48.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.3 (29.7) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
3.1 (37.6) |
7.1 (44.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
12.2 (54.0) |
11.8 (53.2) |
8.4 (47.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
4.9 (40.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 121.4 (4.78) |
93.5 (3.68) |
80.3 (3.16) |
63.1 (2.48) |
75.7 (2.98) |
79.4 (3.13) |
79.4 (3.13) |
82.8 (3.26) |
78.2 (3.08) |
100.5 (3.96) |
103.9 (4.09) |
146.9 (5.78) |
1,105.1 (43.51) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 14.3 | 12.6 | 11.9 | 9.7 | 10.9 | 10.2 | 10.8 | 10.5 | 10.0 | 12.2 | 14.2 | 15.8 | 143.1 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 49 | 73 | 132 | 196 | 208 | 222 | 234 | 214 | 162 | 103 | 49 | 41 | 1,683 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 6.2 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 4.6 |
Source: KMI[3] |
Demography
The town of Arlon is the most populated of the municipalities in the province of Luxembourg, ahead of Marche-en-Famenne and Aubange. On the other hand, it is the least populated of the country's ten provinces. On 31 December 2019, the city of Arlon had a total population of 30,047 inhabitants.
Politics
List of mayors :
- Pierre Hollenfeltz
- 1880–1901 : Joseph Netzer
- 1901–1921 : Numa Ensch-Tesch
- 1921–1949 : Paul Reuter
- 1949–1958 : Jules Massonnet
- 1958–1976 : Charles Simon
- 1977–1988 : Jean Goffinet
- 1989–1992 : Guy Larcier
- 1993–1994 : Jean Goffinet
- 1995–2006 : Guy Larcier
- 2007–2012 : Raymond Biren
- 2013–... : Vincent Magnus
People born in Arlon
- Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (1710–1795)
- Godefroid Kurth, historian (1847–1916)
- Jean-Marie Gaspar, sculptor (1861–1931)
- Benoît Lamy, film director (1945–2008)
- Ingrid Lempereur, swimmer (1969)
- Jeroen van Busleyden, humanist (1470–1517)
- Anthony Moris, Luxembourgish footballer (1990)
- Timothy Castagne, Belgian footballer (1995)
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
Arlon is
- Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France since 1962
- Luxemburg
- Bitburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany since 1965
- Sulphur, Louisiana, United States
- Hayange, France
- Alba, Italy since 1 March 2004
- UK
See also
References
- ^ "Population par lieu de résidence, nationalité (Belge/non-Belge), état civil, âge et sexe".
- ^ Larousse, Éditions. "Arlon - LAROUSSE". www.larousse.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ "Klimaatstatistieken van de Belgische gemeenten Aarlen (nis 81001)" (PDF). meteo.be (in Dutch). KMI. pp. 2, 5. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
External links
- Official site
- Alternative to official site (in French)
- Official Maitrank web site (in French)
- Official Saint-Martin parish website of Arlon city (in French)