Nospelt ( lb, Nouspelt) is a village in the commune of Kehlen, in south-western

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. , the village had a population of 754. It is known above all for its potters who were particularly successful during the 19th century.

Location

Nospelt lies 15 km north west of

Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...

at a height of 320 m on a plateau between the Mamer and Eisch rivers. It is a quiet rural village with pleasant houses and streets.

History

With the recent discovery of Celtic tombs in the area, it appears that the history of Nospelt stretches back until before the Roman conquest. The finds at ''Scheierheck'' near neighbouring

Goeblange Goeblange ( lb, Giewel, german: Göblingen) is a village in the commune of Koerich, in southern Luxembourg about 13 km west of Luxembourg City. , the village had a population of 425. Location Goeblange lies 321 m above sea level on the CR 10 ...

and at ''Kreckelbierg'', just north-west of the village of Nospelt, contain a range of articles including wine flagons, articles of pottery, spurs, knives, lances and a lantern testifying to the nobility of those buried. It is thought the tombs might belong to chieftains from the

Titelberg Titelberg ( lb, Tëtelbierg) is the site of a large Celtic settlement or oppidum in the extreme south west of Luxembourg. In the 1st century BCE, this thriving community was probably the capital of the Treveri people. The site thus provides t ...

settlement near

Pétange Pétange (; lb, Péiteng, ; german: Petingen) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune and town in south-western Luxembourg. It is part of the Esch-sur-Alzette (canton), canton of Esch-sur-Alzette. Pétange lies on the borders with both Belgium and F ...

. Some of the artefacts including a tall

amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

came from as far away as the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, showing the extent of trade with other regions at the time.

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

tombs from the 7th century have been found at ''Telpescholtz'' between Nospelt and

Dondelange Dondelange (, ) is a village in the Communes of Luxembourg, commune of Kehlen, in south-western Luxembourg. The village has a historic chapel, and a large historic mansion. , the village has a population of 143. The surnames Dondlinger, Dondeling ...

. The area thus seems to have been inhabited over the centuries without interruption. The origins of Nospelt's

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

production go back to 1458. By the early 19th century, there were 17 different potters shops in the village. Nospelt was recognized as the centre of Luxembourg's

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

s industry until 1914 when Nicolas Schneider (1868-1941), after whom a street is named, lit his kiln for the last time. Today a museum in his old workshop commemorates the history of the art with exhibits from Echternach and elsewhere in

. There is also a road called "rue des potiers", "Potters' Road".

The church

Today's church stands on the site of the former chapel, dedicated to St Thomas, of which the oldest record dates back to 1685. The new church, completed in 1852, was built in the Empire style with rounded windows and a bell tower above the porch. The 17th century

pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

on the altar comes from the original chapel. Renovation work was carried out in 1986.

Emaischen festival

Every year on

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...

, Nospelt celebrates its former potteries with an open-air ''

Emaischen The Emaischen festival is celebrated every Easter Monday in the village of Nospelt in the south of Luxembourg as well as in the Fish Market in the City of Luxembourg. Little earthenware whistles shaped like birds and known as ''peckvillercher'' are ...

'' festival where amateur potters demonstrate their art and wares. A special attraction is the ''Peckvillercher'', a bird-shaped whistle associated with pottery manufacture in various parts of Europe.The whistles of Luxembourg
Retrieved 24 November 2007. According to tradition, every child received a whistle from his parents on Easter Monday each year.

Footnotes

{{coord, 49, 41, N, 6, 01, E, region:LU_type:city, display=title Kehlen Villages in Luxembourg