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 102
Highest elevation 405 m (1,329 ft)
 • Rank 46th of 102
Lowest elevation 228 m (748 ft)
 • Rank 42nd of 102
Population (2014)
 • Total 7,715
 • Rank 16th of 102
 • Density 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
 • Density rank 5th of 102
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
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.

Cricket

Walferdange is also home to the Pierre Werner Cricket Ground, also known as the Walferdange Cricket Ground. It's a cricket ground in Walferdange, in central Luxembourg and the premier cricket venue in Luxembourg, being the home ground of the country's top club, the Optimists Cricket Club (OCC). It's named after the late Pierre Werner, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1959–74, 1979–84). Werner had fallen in love with cricket when living in London in 1930, and went on to become the Honorary President of the OCC, which had been established when he was Prime Minister. Werner opened the OCC's new ground when it was opened in 1992.[3]

Population

According to the website of the municipality,[4] 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[5]
Specification1821185118711880189019001910192219301935194719601970198119902000201020112012201320142015
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 134082194719204028210507211481236125259027261643299872296913290992314889339841364597379300435479502066512353524853537039549680562958
Walferdange 59485410208858929411015112115001726213230084279530058536459729172407404756377157819

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 buslines 11 and 10.

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

Twinning

Footnotes

  1. ↑ (in French)/(in German) "Mémorial A, 1850, No. 108" (PDF). Service central de législation. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
  2. ↑ Roman aqueducts: Walferdange. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  3. ↑ "Pierre Werner". Optimists Cricket Club. 2002. Archived from the original on October 15, 2004. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  4. ↑ (in French) "La commune - Commune de Walferdange". Administration communale de Walferdange. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  5. ↑ Source:Statec; Publication date: 08/04/2015; Periodicity: yearly.
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