Troisvierges (; lb, Ëlwen ; german: Ulflingen) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

and town in northern

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 ...

, in the canton of Clervaux. The two highest hills in Luxembourg, the

Kneiff Kneiff is a hill in the Ardennes, in the commune of Troisvierges, in northern Luxembourg, near the tripoint shared with Belgium and Germany. At 560 metres, it is the highest point in the country; it is 1 m taller than Buurgplaatz, which was pre ...

(560 m) and

Buurgplaatz Buurgplaatz (alternate names: Buergplaatz, Burrigplatz, Burgplatz, Buergplaz zu Huldang) is a hill in the commune of Troisvierges, in northern Luxembourg. The summit lies within the Oesling region at . In 1952 the Institut national de l'informati ...

(559 m), are located in the commune. , the town of Troisvierges, which lies in the south of the commune, has a population of 1,365. Other towns within the commune include Basbellain, Drinklange, Hautbellain,

Huldange Huldange (, ) is a small town in the commune of Troisvierges, in far northern Luxembourg. , the town has a population of 353. Nearby is the source of the Clerve The Clerve ( lb, Klierf) is a river flowing through Luxembourg, joining the Wiltz ...

, and

Wilwerdange Wilwerdange (, ) is a small town in the commune of Troisvierges, in northern Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no ...

. Until 28 December 1908, the commune was known as "Basbellain", after its former administrative centre. On that date, the administrative centre was moved from Basbellain to Troisvierges. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

granted to Troisvierges in 1982 shows three virgins, representing Faith, Hope and Charity; a mountain, for the

Oesling The Oesling or Ösling () is a region covering the northern part of both the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, within the greater Ardennes area that also covers parts of Belgium and France. The Oesling covers 32% of the terri ...

region; a stylised

papal cross The papal cross is a Christian cross, which serves as an emblem for the office of the Pope in ecclesiastical heraldry. It is depicted as a staff with three horizontal bars near the top, in diminishing order of length as the top is approached. ...

from the oldest known document naming the place; and a railway and wheel, for the importance of the railway in the town's development.

History

The first known reference to the place was made in 1353 under its German name Ulflingen. The French name Troisvierges was adopted in the 17th century when Walloon pilgrims started using it to refer to the three virgins Saint Fides, Saint Spes and Saint Caritas. The Franciscan church of Troisvierges was built in 1658. By 1900, most of the local population were railway and customs employees. There were some 1,550 inhabitants in 1910. Troisvierges is known for being the site of the start of hostilities on the Western Front in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On 1 August 1914, German soldiers of the 69th Infantry Regiment disembarked at the town's

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, violating the terms of Germany's use of the railways and hence violating Luxembourg's neutrality. This began a four-year occupation of Luxembourg by German forces.

Population

Twin towns — sister cities

Troisvierges is a member of the ''Charter of European Rural Communities'', a

town twinning A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

association across the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, alongside with: * Bienvenida, Spain * Bièvre, Belgium *

Bucine Bucine is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about west of Arezzo. Subdivision Bucine borders the following municipalities: Castelnuovo Berardenga, Civit ...

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Desborough Desborough is a town in Northamptonshire, England, lying in the Ise Valley between Market Harborough and Kettering. It was an industrial centre for weaving and shoe-making in the 19th century and had a long association with the Co-operative ...

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Kandava Kandava (; german: Kandau; liv, Kāndav) is a town in Tukums Municipality, in the Courland region of Latvia. It had a population of 3,656 people as of January 2020. History Livonian Crusade Territory of the modern Kandava was inhabited by Finn ...

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Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

, Portugal *

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Images

Image:Troisvierges, stadhuis foto2 2011-06-03 13.17.JPG, Troisvierges townhall File:Eglise Saint-André Troisvierges 01.JPG, St Andrew's church File:Eglise Saint-André Troisvierges 03.JPG, Interior of St Andrew's church File:Eglise Saint-André Troisvierges 06.JPG, Altar of the Three Virgins, St Andrew's church

References

External links

* {{Authority control Communes in Clervaux (canton) Towns in Luxembourg