Walferdange

Walferdange (Luxembourgish: Walfer, German: Walferdingen) is a commune and small town in central Luxembourg.

Walferdange

Walfer  (Luxembourgish)
Commune
View from Sonnebierg
Coat of arms
Map of Luxembourg with Walferdange highlighted in orange, and the canton in dark red
Coordinates: 49.65°N 6.1333°E / 49.65; 6.1333
Country Luxembourg
CantonLuxembourg
Government
 • MayorFrançois Sauber (CSV)
Area
 • Total7.06 km2 (2.73 sq mi)
Area rank100th of 102
Highest elevation
405 m (1,329 ft)
 • Rank46th of 102
Lowest elevation
228 m (748 ft)
 • Rank41st of 102
Population
 (2018)[2]
 • Total8,169
 • Rank16th of 102
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
 • Density rank6th of 102
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
LAU 2LU0000310
Websitewalfer.lu

Geography

The commune of Walferdange is located north of Luxembourg City in the valley of the Alzette. It is part of the canton Luxembourg.

The town of Walferdange lies in the center of the commune, other towns within the commune include Helmsange and Bereldange.

History

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.[3]

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.[4]

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. After the independence of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1867, the Walferdange Castle 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.

Places of interest

Sights include the Roman villa and the underground aqueduct Raschpëtzer Qanat, as well as the Walferdange Castle. Until 2015 the residential palace housed the Faculty of Languages and Literature, Humanities, Art and Behavioral Sciences of the University of Luxembourg.

Sports

Walferdange is home for many sport clubs, including BBC Résidence (basketball), RSR Walfer (volleyball), De Renert (rugby union), FC Résidence Walfer (football), Tennis Club Résidence Walfer (tennis) and Optimists Cricket Club (cricket).

Cricket

The Pierre Werner Cricket Ground, also known as the Walferdange Cricket Ground, is situated in Helmsange next to the Alzette river. The cricket ground is the premier cricket venue in Luxembourg, being the home ground of the country's top club, the Optimists Cricket Club (OCC). It is named after the 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 in 1992.[5]

Cultur

The Harmonie Grand-Ducale Marie-Adélaïde (Walfer Musek), named after Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, has been founded in 1912.

Population

According to the website of the municipality,[6] 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[7]
Specification1821185118711880189019001910192219301935194719601970198119902000201020112012201320142015
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 134082194719204028210507211481236125259027261643299872296913290992314889339841364597379300435479502066512353524853537039549680562958
Walferdange 59485410208858929411015112115001726213230084279530058536459729172407404756377157819

Transport

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 (AVL) 11 and 10.

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

Twin towns — sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Luxembourg

Walferdange is twinned with:[8]

References
  1. "WALFERDANGE - Syvicol". www.syvicol.lu. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  2. "Table view". statistiques.public.lu. Statec. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  3. (in French and German) "Mémorial A, 1850, No. 108" (PDF). Service central de législation. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
  4. Roman aqueducts: Walferdange. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  5. "Pierre Werner". Optimists Cricket Club. 2002. Archived from the original on October 15, 2004. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  6. "La commune - Commune de Walferdange" (in French). Administration communale de Walferdange. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  7. Source:Statec; Publication date: 08/04/2015; Periodicity: yearly.
  8. "Communes jumelées". walfer.lu (in French). Walferdange. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
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