Walferdange

Walferdange
Walfer
Commune

View from Sonnebierg

Coat of arms

Map of Luxembourg with Walferdange highlighted in orange, and the canton in dark red
Coordinates: 49°39′00″N 6°08′00″E / 49.65°N 6.1333°E / 49.65; 6.1333Coordinates: 49°39′00″N 6°08′00″E / 49.65°N 6.1333°E / 49.65; 6.1333
Country  Luxembourg
Canton Luxembourg
Government
 • Mayor Guy Arendt
Area
 • Total 7.06 km2 (2.73 sq mi)
Area rank 103rd of 105
Highest elevation 405 m (1,329 ft)
 • Rank 46th of 105
Lowest elevation 228 m (748 ft)
 • Rank 42nd of 105
Population (2014)
 • Total 7,715
 • Rank 16th of 105
 • Density 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
 • Density rank 5th of 105
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
LAU 2 LU00011010
Website walferdange.lu

Walferdange (Luxembourgish: Walfer, German: Walferdingen) is a commune and small town in central Luxembourg. It is located north of Luxembourg City.

As of 2001, the town of Walferdange, which lies in the centre of the commune, has a population of 728. Other towns within the commune include Helmsange and Bereldange.

The commune of Walferdange was formed on 1 January 1851, when it was detached from the commune of Steinsel. The law forming Walferdange was passed on 25 November 1850.[1]

History

Although the commune first came into existence in 1851, there is evidence of prehistoric settlement as well as remains of a very large Roman villa. The Raschpëtzer Qanat, an underground aqueduct near Helmsange was built in the 1st century AD during the Roman occupation. It is said to be the longest qanat north of the Alps.[2] Walferdange church was built between 1845 and 1852; the main features of its classical facade are two large statues of Père Kolbe and Thérèse de Lisieux, added at a later date. Before official unification of the commune, and even before this church was built, it was religion that pulled the villages of Heisdorf, Helmsange, Bereldange, and Walferdange together.

Recognition of Walferdange as an important town came in 1850, when Prince Henry, brother of Grand Duke William III, chose Walferdange as his seat of residence.

Walferdange today

Sights include the Roman villa and the underground aqueduct, and Walferdange Castle, which was assigned to Grand Duke Adolphe according to the constitution. As an engaged winemaker, he enthusiastically served his guests wine from his own production. The palace was later vacated by the Grand Ducal family. The residential palace now houses the Faculty of Languages and Literature, Humanities, Art and Behavioral Sciences of the University of Luxembourg.

Population

According to the website of the municipality,[3] Walferdange has about 8 030 inhabitants at the beginning of 2016. More than 51% are foreigners of about 90 different nationalities.

Official statistics 1821 - 2015

Population by canton and municipality 1821 - 2015 filtered for Walferdange[4]
Specification 1821 1851 1871 1880 1890 1900 1910 1922 1930 1935 1947 1960 1970 1981 1990 2000 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 134082 194719 204028 210507 211481 236125 259027 261643 299872 296913 290992 314889 339841 364597 379300 435479 502066 512353 524853 537039 549680 562958
Walferdange 594 854 1020 885 892 941 1015 1121 1500 1726 2132 3008 4279 5300 5853 6459 7291 7240 7404 7563 7715 7819

Transport in Walferdange

Walferdange is connected to the outside world by means of Walferdange railway station, national highway N7, and several buslines, including the city of Luxembourg busline 11.

The commune also has its own mini-bus service known as "Walfy".

Twinning

Footnotes

  1. ↑ (French)/(German) "Mémorial A, 1850, No. 108" (PDF). Service central de législation. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
  2. ↑ Roman aqueducts: Walferdange. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  3. ↑ (French) "La commune - Commune de Walferdange". Administration communale de Walferdange. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  4. ↑ Source:Statec; Publication date: 08/04/2015; Periodicity: yearly.
 Steinsel
Kopstal Steinsel
   Walferdange  
Luxembourg City
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