Differdange ( lb, Déifferdeng or (locally) ; german: Differdingen) is a commune with town status 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 land ...

, west from the country's capital. It lies near the borders with

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and it is located in the

canton of Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette is a canton in southwestern Luxembourg. Its capital is Esch-sur-Alzette. Administrative divisions Esch-sur-Alzette Canton consists of the following fourteen communes: * Bettembourg * Differdange * Dudelange * Esch-sur ...

. With a population of around 26,000, Differdange is the country's third largest city. It is also the main town of the commune, and other towns within the commune include

Lasauvage Lasauvage ( lb, Zowaasch) ( German: — notionally only — Rohrbach) is a small town in the commune of Differdange, in south-western Luxembourg. Lasauvage was known as one of the few French-speaking towns in an otherwise Luxembourgish-speakin ...

Niederkorn Niederkorn () is a town in the commune of Differdange, in south-western Luxembourg, on the Chiers river (), from which it takes its name. As of March 31, 2020, the town has a population of 7,272. Niederkorn is home to FC Progrès Niederkorn, a fo ...

, Fousbann, and

Oberkorn Oberkorn (, fr: Obercorn de: Oberkorn ) is a town in the commune of Differdange in south-western Luxembourg. , the town had a population of 4,584. Etymology Both the towns of Oberkorn and Niederkorn get their names from the river D'Kuer ...

. Differdange is an industrial town that was home to much of Luxembourg's steel production, much of its development occurred during its heyday. Today, Differdange still remains an important industrial center, with

ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourgian multinational steel manufacturing corporation headquartered in Luxembourg City. It was formed in 2006 from the takeover and merger of Arcelor by Indian-owned Mittal Steel. ArcelorMittal is the second la ...

, the world's largest steel producer, retaining the ARBED steel plant in the town. Notable landmarks in Differdange include the

Maison de Soins de Differdange Maison (French for "house") may refer to: People * Edna Maison (1892–1946), American silent-film actress * Jérémy Maison (born 1993), French cyclist * Leonard Maison, New York state senator 1834–1837 * Nicolas Joseph Maison (1771–1840), Ma ...

, an ancient

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

dating back to 1235 and the

Differdange Castle Differdange Castle (french: Château de Differdange), located on a hill in the centre of Differdange in southern Luxembourg, was built in 1577 although an earlier fortified castle of Differdange dates from around 1310. Today's residential château ...

, located on a hill in the centre of the town, which dates from 1577 and is now used by

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 1 ...

. As such, Differdange is home to Miami University's Dolibois European Center, the University's European campus branch where students study abroad. Differdange is also home to football team

FC Differdange 03 Foussballclub Differdange 03 is a football club based in Differdange, Luxembourg. History Differdange 03 was formed in 2003 as an amalgam of two clubs from the city of Differdange: FA Red Boys Differdange and AS Differdange. When the clubs m ...

Populated places

*Differdange (commune seat) *

* Fousbann

History

The Cistercian Era

The era of the

cathedrals and abbeys was in full swing during the thirteenth century and Differdange did not deviate from this pattern. In 1235, Alexandre de Soleuvre founded the abbey of Differdange, which he donated to the order of Cîteaux. Initially, the Cistercian abbey welcomed only sisters from the nobility of Luxembourg. Subsequently, women from the

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of G ...

region of France and the present

province of Luxembourg Luxembourg (french: Luxembourg ; nl, Luxemburg ; german: Luxemburg ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; wa, Lussimbork), also called Belgian Luxembourg, is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the country of Luxembourg to the ea ...

in Wallonia also made their vows at Differdange. In 1552, the abbey was plundered and sacked by French soldiers. However, it was during the French invasion of Luxembourg that the abbey and the town experienced real raids and innumerable rampages. The last

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

to direct the convent was Marie-Madeleine de Gourcy, who held office until 1796. After her mandate, the Order was then formally dissolved. The Abbey of Differdange was auctioned off in 1797 and subsequently be bought by the commune of Differdange in 1929. In 1981 following its purchase by government of Luxembourg, the Differdange Abbey was transformed into a hospital and health center.

The Renaissance Era

The

is one of the only remaining landmarks from the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

period in the area. Although it has no known origin since all traced manuscripts have disappeared, squire listed was Wilhelm de Differdange, named in documents dating from 1310. The castle is probably the earliest example in Luxembourg of a château built entirely in the Renaissance style. It was intended as a residence and a fortification. Differdange's descendants were extinguished in 1400 with the death of his last grandson. In 1552, the castle underwent a disastrous fire, It was eventually restored and occupied by

Anna of Isenburg Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

. In 1794, the

French Revolutionary Army The French Revolutionary Army (french: Armée révolutionnaire française) was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipmen ...

committed atrocities in Differdange and slaughtered many unarmed civilians before pillaging and burning the city.

The Iron City

Beginning in 1830, Luxembourg's steel industry evolved from and artisan stage to an industrial stage. In 1896, two blast furnaces were erected in Differdange with the name of ''"Société Anonyme des Hauts-Fourneaux de Differdange"''. Subsequently, eight other blast furnaces were built, allowing the production of steel beams known at the time as ''"Differdinger"''. On August 4, 1907, Differdange received its town status by William IV of Luxembourg. During the 20th century, the industrial boom was at its peak, and the population of Differdange rose from less than 4,000 in 1890 to almost 18,000 by 1930. In 1967, the ''"Société des Hauts-Fourneaux and Aciererie de Differdange"'' merged with several steel companies in Belgium and France to form

ARBED The Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange (French; literally "United Steelworks of Burbach-Eich-Dudelange"), better known by its acronym ARBED, was a major Luxembourg-based steel and iron producing company. Created in 1911 after the merge ...

, Luxembourg's largest steel company, which had numerous factories in Differdange.

Geography

The town is located in the plateau of the river

Chiers The Chiers (; lb, Kuer, german: Korn) is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary of the Meuse. The total length of the Chiers is aproxamately , of which in France. The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, in Lu ...

, a tributary of the river

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

which takes its source in the section of

. Differdange has an altitude of 293 meters, the highest point of the municipality being at 427,1m at ''Koufeld''. The commune spreads over 2,215

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

. Its territory borders France, through the department of

Meurthe-et-Moselle Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a department in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. It had a population of 733,760 in 2019.Longwy Longwy (; older german: Langich, ; lb, label= Luxemburgish, Lonkech) is a commune in the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, administrative region of Grand Est, northeastern France. The inhabitants are known as ''Longovicien ...

Population

Notable people

* Émile Krieps (1920–1998) a resistance leader, soldier, and politician *

Jean Portante Jean Portante (born 19 December 1950 in Differdange) is a Luxembourgish writer who resides in Paris. He has written novels, stories, plays, journalistic articles and poetry, and has been widely translated. Numerous books have been translated incl ...

(born 1950) a writer of novels, stories, plays, journalistic articles and poetry; resides in Paris *

Josiane Kartheiser Josiane Kartheiser (born November 28, 1950) is a Luxembourger journalist, novelist, and writer. She writes mainly in German but also in Luxembourgish. Biography Born in Differdange, Kartheiser matriculated from the Lycée des jeunes filles in ...

(born 1950) a journalist, novelist, and writer * Nico Helminger (born 1953) an author of poetry, novels, plays and libretti for operas * Georges Hausemer (1957–2018) a writer of short stories, novels, travelogues and non-fictional works *

Jean-Claude Hollerich Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J. (born 9 August 1958) is a Luxembourger prelate of the Catholic Church, who has served as the Archbishop of Luxembourg since 2011. He has been the president of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European ...

S.J. (born 1958) the current archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Luxembourg The Catholic Archdiocese of Luxembourg ( la, Archidioecesis Luxemburgensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, comprising the entire Grand Duchy. The diocese was founded in 1870, and it b ...

since 2011 ; Sport * Étienne Bausch (1901–1970) a footballer, competed at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

* Émile Kolb (1902–1967) a footballer, competed at the

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China h ...

and

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

Bernard Fischer Bernard Fischer (30 May 1902 – 1 January 1971) was a Luxembourgian footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games o ...

(1902–1971) a footballer, competed at the

Paul Feierstein Paul Feierstein (27 January 1903 – 5 May 1963) was a Luxembourgian footballer. He competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics and the 1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Gam ...

(1903–1963) a footballer, competed at the

and

* Michael Maurer (1904–??) a boxer who competed in the

* Metty Logelin (1907–1999), a gymnast, competed at the

and the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics ( German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi- ...

Arnold Kieffer Arnold Kieffer (30 September 1910 – 28 June 1991) was a Luxembourgian footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known ...

(1910–1991) a footballer, competed in the

* Fernand Ciatti (1912–1989) a boxer, competed at the

* Julien Darui (1916–1987) a French football goalkeeper * Gusty Kemp (1917–1948) a footballer, played 20 times for the national team and competed at the

Paul Anen Paul Anen (3 February 1918 – 29 May 1978) was a Luxembourgian épée fencer. He competed at the 1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jers ...

(1918–1978) a fencer, competed at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics *

Jean-Fernand Leischen Jean-Fernand Leischen (21 August 1919 – 20 April 2017) was a Luxembourgian fencer who competed in three Summer Olympic Games, competing in the men's individual and team épée events at each one. His best was result was fourth at the team � ...

(1919–2017) a fencer, competed in three

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

Nicolas May Nicolas May (30 September 1927 – 12 January 2006) was a Luxembourgian footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as L ...

(1927–2006) a footballer, competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics * Josy Stoffel (born 1928) a retired gymnast, competed in five consecutive

in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 & 1964 *

Rudy Kugeler Rudy Kugeler (born 11 August 1928) is a Luxembourgian fencer. He competed in the team épée event at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ...

(born 1928) a fencer, competed in the team épée at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Ferd Lahure Fernand "Ferd" Lahure (28 March 1929 – 23 March 2019) was a Luxembourgian football goalkeeper. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarsp ...

(born 1929) a footballer, competed in 1952 Summer Olympics *

Fernand Backes Fernand Backes (born January 30, 1930, in Differdange) was a boxer from Luxembourg. Backes was member of the Luxembourgish Olympic team at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capi ...

(born 1930) a boxer, competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics *

François Konter François "Bitzi" Konter (20 February 1934 – 29 August 2018) was a Luxembourgian professional footballer. Club career Konter started his career at local team Chiers Rodange but played much of his club football in Belgium, for RSC Anderlech ...

(1934–2018) a footballer, played 77 games for the national side *

Roger Menghi Roger Menghi (born 13 August 1935) is a Luxembourgian fencer. He competed in the individual épée event at the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights en ...

(born 1935) a fencer, competed in the individual épée event at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

* Roby Hentges (born 1940) a former cyclist, competed in the individual road race at the

Alain Anen Alain Anen (born 24 May 1950) is a Luxembourgian fencer. He competed in the individual and team épée events at the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as ...

(born 1950) a fencer, competed in the individual and team épée events at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972 ...

; Politics * Nicholas Muller (1836–1917) a United States Representative from New York *

Yvonne Useldinger Yvonne Useldinger (née Hostert; 6 November 1921 – 11 February 2009) was a Luxembourgian politician. Life Yvonne Hostert was born in Differdange, and became in 1937 a member of the Young Socialists. In 1938 she joined the Communist Party of Lux ...

(1921–2009) a politician *

Marcelle Lentz-Cornette Marcelle Lentz-Cornette (2 March 1927 – 29 January 2008) was a Luxembourgish politician for the Christian Social People's Party (CSV). Outside politics, she was a schoolteacher. Political career Marcelle Lentz-Cornette was born in Niederkorn, ...

(1927–2008) a politician *

Fred Sunnen Fred Sunnen (11 April 1939 in Differdange – 22 February 2014) was a Luxembourgian politician for the Christian Social People's Party (CSV). He was a member of the national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies, having been first elected in the ...

(1939–2014) a politician *

Johny Lahure Johny Lahure (24 March 1942 – 23 November 2003) was a Luxembourgish politician. He served as the Minister for the Environment from 1994 until 1998, under both Jacques Santer and Jean-Claude Juncker. In this capacity, as Luxembourg was chairi ...

(1942–2003) a politician. *

Félix Braz Félix Braz (born 16 March 1966) is a Luxembourgish politician who served as Second Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2018 to 2019. A member of the Greens, Braz also served as Minister of Justice in the Bettel-Schneider coalition governm ...

(born 1966) a politician, the current Minister of Justice

Twin towns — sister cities

Differdange is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Ahlen Ahlen (; Westphalian: ''Aulen'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 30 km southeast of Münster. Ahlen is part of the District of Warendorf and is economically the most important town in that district. Ahlen is part of the larger ...

, Germany * Chaves, Portugal * Fiuminata, Italy *

Longwy Longwy (; older german: Langich, ; lb, label= Luxemburgish, Lonkech) is a commune in the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, administrative region of Grand Est, northeastern France. The inhabitants are known as ''Longovicien ...

, France *

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, United States * Waterloo, Belgium

References

External links

*
Commune of Differdange official website
Cities in Luxembourg Communes in Esch-sur-Alzette (canton) Towns in Luxembourg Miami University {{Esch-geo-stub