Bertrange (; lb, Bartreng ; german: Bartringen) is a commune and town 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 ...

. It is located 6.5 km 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 Gr ...

. , the town of Bertrange, which lies in the north-east of the commune, has a population of 6,021, of which just over half are Luxembourgers. People of over 60 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 Trēverī (Gaulish: *''Trēueroi'') were a Celtic tribe of the Belgae group who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle from around 150 BCE, if not earlier, until their displacement by the Franks. Their domain lay within the southern fring ...

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

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 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 a civil war, an ...

in 54 BC. During the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

era which lasted until about 450, the Romans built a number of roads in the area including the ''Kiem'' (Latin ''caminus'', road) linking

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded b ...

. 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 Mamer () is a commune and town (strictly classified as a village) in south-western Luxembourg. It is located west of Luxembourg City. The commune includes Mamer itself, and also the smaller communities of Capellen and Holzem. Mamer is situated ...

(''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 (; lb, Arel ; nl, Aarlen ; german: Arel ; wa, Årlon; la, Orolaunum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in and capital of the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it is th ...

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

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 ...

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 ( lb, Iechternach or (locally) ) is a commune with town status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in ...

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 47% of the vote cast in the 2005 communal elections being for the DP. In the communal council, the DP rules outright, with six of the eleven councillors. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

is consequently the DP candidate, Frank Colabianchi, who heads an administration also consisting of two '' échevins''.

Twin Town — Sister City

Bertrange is twinned with: * Santa Maria Nuova, Italy

References

External links