Bertrange (; ; ) is a commune and town in south-western

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. It is located 6.5 km west of

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

. , the commune has a population of 8,668, of which just over half are Luxembourgers. People of over 102 different nationalities live in the commune. To the north of the town of Bertrange, on the other side of the route d'Arlon, is the village of Tossenberg, next to which is Luxembourg's largest shopping centre, La Belle Etoile.

History

The

Treveri The Treveri (Gaulish language, Gaulish: *''Treweroi'') were a Germanic peoples, Germanic or Celts, Celtic tribe of the Belgae group who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle (river), Moselle in modern day Germany from around 150 BCE, if not ea ...

, a Gallic tribe, inhabited the region for several hundred years until they were conquered by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

in 54 BC. During the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

era which lasted until about 450, the Romans built a number of

roads A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. The ...

in the area including the ''Kiem'' (Latin ''caminus'', road) linking

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. It passed through Strassen (''Strata'') to what is now Bertrange at Tossenberg where there was a refreshment post for travellers and continued to nearby Mamer (''Mambra''), a Roman

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

, and

Arlon Arlon (; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Luxembourg (Belgium), province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it ...

(''Orolauneum''). Another road connected Tossenberg to

Titelberg Titelberg () is the site of a large Celts, 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 telling evide ...

near Rodange. Evidence of

and indeed

inhabitants in Bertrange was found during excavations starting 1997. There was probably a feudal castle in Bertrange as its lords are mentioned in documents establishing the freedom of

Echternach Echternach (, ; or locally ) is a commune with town status in the canton of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg. History The town grew around the Abbey of Echt ...

in 1226 and of

in 1243.

Population

Politics

Like nearby Luxembourg City, Bertrange is one of the strongest communes for the Democratic Party (DP), with 51.1% of the votes cast in the 2023 communal elections being for the DP. In the communal council, the DP rules outright, with seven of the eleven councillors. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

is Monique Smit-Thijs of the DP, who heads an administration also consisting of two '' échevins''.

Twin Town — Sister City

Bertrange is twinned with: * Santa Maria Nuova, Italy

References

External links