Viroinval (; wa, Virwinvå) 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 ...
of
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 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 ...
,
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 ...
.
On January 1, 2006, Viroinval had a total population of 5,680. The total area is 120.90 km
2 which gives a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
of 47 inhabitants per km
2.
The municipality consists of the following districts:
Dourbes,
Mazée,
Le Mesnil, Nismes,
Oignies-en-Thiérache,
Olloy-sur-Viroin,
Treignes,
Vierves-sur-Viroin
Vierves-sur-Viroin ( wa, Viêpe) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Viroinval, located in the province of Namur, Belgium.
The village surrounds the castle, which was erected during the Middle Ages. Its present appearan ...
.
The name Viroinval, ''Viroin (River) Valley'', was chosen for the municipality that was formed by fusing eight villages, in 1977.
Attractions
*From 1995 to 2004, Viroinval was the location of the
geographical centre of the European Union
The location of the geographical centre of Europe depends on the definition of the borders of Europe, mainly whether remote islands are included to define the extreme points of Europe, and on the method of calculating the final result. Thus, sev ...
, at coordinates in Oignies-en-Thiérache, and a monument there records that finding. On May 1, 2004, the EU expanded from fifteen states to twenty-five, and the geographical centre of the union moved eastwards to the village of
Kleinmaischeid
Kleinmaischeid is a municipality in the Neuwied (district), district of Neuwied, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Between 1 May 2004 and 31 December 2006, it was the centre point of the European Union. South of Kleinmaischeid lies Großmaischei ...
,
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. On 1 January 2007 it shifted even further south-eastwards.
*The tourist steam train line Mariembourg–Treignes has most of its stations in villages of Viroinval: Nismes, Olloy-sur-Viroin, Vierves-sur-Viroin, and Treignes.
The latter village has a relevant museum.
References
External links
Official Website of the municipality
Municipalities of Namur (province)
{{Namur-geo-stub