Hotton (; ) is a

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

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

located in the

province of Luxembourg Luxembourg (; ; ; ; ; ), also called Belgian Luxembourg or West Luxembourg, is the southernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium, province of Wallonia within Belgium. It borders the country of Luxembourg to the east, the France, French depart ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The municipality lies 12 kilometers from

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

in the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

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. River It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. The Ourthe is formed at the confluence of the ''Ourthe Occidentale'' (Western Ourthe) and the '' ...

crosses Hotton. The municipality consists of the following districts:

Hampteau Hampteau ()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 lies at the ...

, 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 of Belgium, arrondissements in the Wallonia, Walloon Provinces of Belgium, province of Luxembourg (Belgium), Luxembourg, Belgium. It is both an Arrondis ...

. In the west it borders the

province of Namur Namur (; ; ) 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 department of Ardennes. Its ...

History

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

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

. 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 triangula ...

, 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 (; ), formed part of the larger Battle of France, an Military offensive, offensive campaign by Nazi Germany, Germany during ...

. 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 or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

, 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 The 560th Volksgrenadier Division was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. The division was formed on 10 August 1944 in Norway, by redesignating the 560th Grenadier Division, itself ...

) reached here the most western point of their advance, 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 Parli ...

is home to British

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

war dead.

Tourism

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

speleothem A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation made 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, depen ...

caves Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock ...

, 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 (, 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 Guillaume-Joseph de Harlez, and hi ...

, the Virgin of Werpin, the

Faber Mill The Faber Mill () 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: one level for the th ...

, 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