Hotton (; wa, Houton) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

located in the

province of Luxembourg Luxembourg (french: Luxembourg ; nl, Luxemburg ; german: Luxemburg ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; wa, Lussimbork), also called Belgian Luxembourg, is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the country of Luxembourg to the ea ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The municipality lies 12 kilometers from

Marche-en-Famenne Marche-en-Famenne (, literally ''Marche in Famenne''; wa, Måtche-el-Fåmene, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The municipality consists of the following districts: Aye, Hargimont, Humain ...

in the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

and has more than 5,400 inhabitants. The river

Ourthe The Ourthe (; Walloon: ''Aiwe d' Oûte'') is a long river in the Ardennes in Wallonia (Belgium). It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. The Ourthe is formed at the confluence of the ''Ourthe Occidentale'' (Western Ourthe) and the ''Ourthe ...

crosses Hotton. The municipality consists of the following districts:

Hampteau Hampteau ( wa, Hamtea)Dictionnaire des noms de lieux en Wallonie et à Bruxelles, Jean Jacques Jespers, page 309. is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Hotton, located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. The village ...

, Hotton, Marenne and Fronville. There are also several hamlets: Bourdon, Deulin, Ménil-Favay, Monville, Monteuville, Melreux, Ny and Werpin. The municipality lies in the

Arrondissement of Marche-en-Famenne The Arrondissement of Marche-en-Famenne (; ) is one of the five administrative arrondissements in the Walloon province of Luxembourg, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement. However, the Judicial Arrondissement of Ma ...

. In the west it borders the

province of Namur Namur (; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the West) on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and the French depart ...

History

The first history of Hotton dates from Roman times, when Hotton was an

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

. Multiple Roman excavations have been found at

Ti-Château Ti-Château is an old Roman oppidum (currently only ruins and a rebuilt watch tower) located near the Belgian village of Hotton. It defended an ancient city/village at the current location of Hotton. The old oppidum and its ruins lie at a triangular ...

, a strengthened Roman encampment. The village of Hotton was first mentioned in medieval documents as ''Hottine'' in 1187. Hotton was part of the medieval county of La Roche till the 16th century, when it was taken over by the lords of Montaigu. In 1791, Hotton became a free village. In the afternoon of 11 May 1940, Hotton was captured and occupied by the 5th Panzer Division during the

Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...

. Allied forces tried in vain to blow up the steel bridge over the Ourthe in an attempt to slow down German forces. Hotton played an important role during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

, as German troops (

116th Panzer Division The 116th ''Panzer'' Division, also known as the "Windhund (Greyhound) Division", was a German armoured formation that saw combat during World War II. History Formation The 116th Division was constituted in the Rhineland and Westphalia areas ...

''Der Windhund'' and the 560th Volksgrenadier Division) reached here the most western point of their advance here, being stopped by the American 84th Infantry Division ''Railsplitters''. Dutch Wikipedia, ''Hotton'', consulted 5 April 2013 The current municipality was founded in 1977, when the municipalities of Hampteau, Fronville and Marenne were added to the municipality of Hotton. The

Hotton War Cemetery Hotton War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground near Hotton in Belgium. Most of the British troops who died in the battle for the Ardennes are buried here. Notable burials * Ronald Cartland, British Member of Parlia ...

is home to British

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

war dead.

Tourism

Hotton is a very popular place with tourists and is known for its

speleothem A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

, known as the

Caves of Hotton The Caves of Hotton are speleothem caves located in Wallonia near Hotton in Belgium, which were discovered in 1958 and are around 5 or 6 km long and 70 metres deep. A stream called ''Syphon'' runs at the bottom of the caves. Gallery Image:Ho ...

. A small Commonwealth war cemetery with 660 graves is also situated just outside Hotton,

. Other tourist attractions are

Deulin Castle Deulin Castle (french: Château de Deulin, also ''Château de Harlez'') is a château in the village of Deulin, which forms part of the commune of Hotton, in the province of Luxembourg, Wallonia, Belgium. It was built from 1758 to 1770 by Guillaum ...

, the

Virgin of Werpin The Virgin of Werpin (french: La Vierge de Werpin) is an tall statue of the Virgin Mary in Werpin, Hotton municipality in Belgium. The statue itself is tall and stands on a pedestal of . In front of the statue stands a small prayer house. The ...

, the

Faber Mill The Faber Mill (french: Moulin Faber) is a watermill in Hotton (in the ''Rue Haute'') built in 1729. The mill is a listed building and is built from limestone with a pegged roof and is nowadays a museum. There are four levels inside the building: ...

, St. Peter's Church, Melreux and Riveo Centre. The well-known annual hot air balloon festival ''Hottolfiades'' is held in August. The annual fair (also held in August) claims to be the largest fair of the arrondissement.

Politics

Verkiezingsuitslagen Hotton 1976-2012 nieuw

Former mayor Phillipe Courard (MAYEUR), who was mayor between 1995 and 2012, was beaten at the

2012 Belgian local elections The Belgian provincial, municipal and district elections of 2012 took place on 14 October. As with the previous 2006 elections, these are no longer organised by the Belgian federal state but instead by the respective regions: * Brussels with 19 ...

after being mayor for seventeen years. He was replaced by Jacques Chaplier of the Entente Communale (E.C.).

History

Tourism

Politics

Notable residents

See also

References

External links