Echternach

Coordinates: 49°48′42″N 6°25′18″E / 49.8116667°N 6.4216667°E / 49.8116667; 6.4216667
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Echternach
Iechternach, Eechternoach
Commune
Echternach
Government
 • MayorCarole Hartmann
Area
 • Total20.49 km2 (7.91 sq mi)
 • Rank55th of 100
Highest elevation
393 m (1,289 ft)
 • Rank56th of 100
Lowest elevation
154 m (505 ft)
 • Rank9th of 100
Population
 (2023)
 • Total5,870
 • Rank
LAU 2
LU0001005

Echternach (

Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany
, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg.

History

The town grew around the

Utrecht and worked to Christianize the Frisians. As bishop, he was the Echternach monastery's abbot until his death in 739. It is in his honour that the notable Dancing procession of Echternach takes place annually on Whit Tuesday
.

The river Sauer that flows past the town now forms the border between Luxembourg and Germany; in the later Roman Empire and under the Merovingians by contrast, the Sauer did not form a border or march in this area. The Roman villa at Echternach (traces of which were rediscovered in 1975) was reputed to be the largest north of the Alps. Echternach was later part of the Electorate of Trier (present-day Germany) and was presented to Willibrord by Irmina (Irmine), daughter of Dagobert II, king of the Franks. Other parts of the Merovingians' Roman inheritance were presented to the Abbey by king of the Franks Pepin the Short.

Echternach continued to have royal patronage from the house of

Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris
. In the 19th century, a porcelain factory was established in the abbey and the town declined, until the advent of the railroad brought renewed life and an influx of tourists.

During the concluding months of World War II in Europe, on 16 December 1944, Echternach served as the southernmost point on the battlefront for the attempt of the German Wehrmacht forces attacking the Allies to retake Antwerp, during the Battle of the Bulge. The town was badly damaged in World War II but was thoroughly restored.

Culture

There are two main churches in Echternach. The larger is the Abbey's Basilica of St Willibrord, which survives from the original abbey and is a fair monument of Romano-Gothic architecture.[1] The basilica is now surrounded by the eighteenth-century abbey (today a high school) and is located in the heart of the town's historical centre. The other is the parish church of St Peter and Paul, under whose altar lie the remains of St Willibrord.[2] The nearby Prehistory Museum traces mankind's history over the past one million years.[3]

Close to Echternach lies the Echternach lake which hosts several activities every year, like the e-Lake music festival or the "Mill Man Trail" bike race. Since 1975, Echternach has been the site of an International Music Festival, held annually in May and June. The festival was discontinued in 2018.

Population

[4]

Gallery

  • Basilica (church of the former Benedictine abbey)
    Basilica (church of the former Benedictine abbey)
  • Chapel: la chapelle Notre-Dame des Douleur
    Chapel: la chapelle Notre-Dame des Douleur
  • Roman villa
    Roman villa
  • Justice cross
    Justice cross
  • Town hall
    Town hall
  • Watchtower
    Watchtower
  • Former customs office
    Former customs office
  • Southern town wall
    Southern town wall

Notable people

Jules A. Hoffmann, 2011

Politicians

References

  1. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Echternach". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 884.
  2. ^ Chisholm 1911.
  3. ^ "Musée de préhistoire" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  4. ^ "Population par canton et commune". statistiques.public.lu. Archived from the original on 2016-09-12. Retrieved 11 January 2022.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Echternach.
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