Echternach (, ; or locally ) is a commune with town status in the canton 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 eastern

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 ...

. Echternach lies near the border with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg.

History

The town grew around the

Abbey of Echternach The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The abbey was founded in the 7th century by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg. For three hundred years, it benefited from the pat ...

, which was founded in 698 by

St Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and missionary. He became the first Bishop of Utrecht in what is now the Netherlands, dying at Echternach in Luxembourg, and is known as the "Apostle to the Frisians". Ea ...

, an English monk from

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

(in present-day

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

), who became the first bishop of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

and worked to Christianize the

Frisia Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...

ns. As bishop, he was the Echternach

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

until his death in 739. It is in his honour that the notable

Dancing procession of Echternach The dancing procession of Echternach is an annual Roman Catholic dancing procession held at Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach's is the last traditional dancing procession in Europe. The procession is held every Whit Tuesday. It hon ...

takes place annually on

Whit Tuesday Whit Tuesday (syn. ''Whittuesday'', ''Whitsun Tuesday'') is the Christian holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost Monday, the third day of the week beginning on Pentecost. Pentecost is a movable feast in the Christian calendar dependent up ...

. The river

Sauer The Sauer ( German and Luxembourgish, , ) or Sûre ( French, ) is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the Moselle, its total length is . Rising near Vaux-sur-Sûre in the Ardennes in southeastern Belgium, the Sauer f ...

that flows past the town now forms the border between Luxembourg and Germany; in the later Roman Empire and under the

Merovingians The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

by contrast, the Sauer did not form a border or

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

in this area. The Roman villa at Echternach (traces of which were rediscovered in 1975) was reputed to be the largest north of the Alps. Echternach was later part of the

Electorate of Trier The Electorate of Trier ( or '; ) was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the end of the 9th to the early 19th century. It was the temporal possession of the prince-archbishop of Trier (') wh ...

(present-day Germany) and was presented to

Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and missionary. He became the first Diocese of Utrecht (695–1580), Bishop of Utrecht in what is now the Netherlands, dying at Echternach in Luxembourg, and ...

by Irmina (Irmine), daughter of

Dagobert II Dagobert II (; ; died 679) was a Merovingian king of the Franks, ruling in Austrasia from 675 or 676 until his death. He is one of the more obscure Merovingians. He has been considered a martyr since at least the ninth century. None of the narrati ...

, king of the Franks. Other parts of the Merovingians' Roman inheritance were presented to the Abbey by king of the Franks

Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...

. Echternach continued to have royal patronage from the house of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. Though the monks were displaced by the canons of the bishop of

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 ...

between 859 and 971, and although Willibrord's buildings burned down in 1017, the Romanesque

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

, with its symmetrical towers, to this day houses Willibrord's tomb in its crypt. The abbey's library and

scriptorium A scriptorium () was a writing room in medieval European monasteries for the copying and illuminating of manuscripts by scribes. The term has perhaps been over-used—only some monasteries had special rooms set aside for scribes. Often they ...

had a European reputation. As it flourished, the town of Echternach grew around the abbey's outer walls and was granted a

city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...

in 1236. The abbey was rebuilt in a handsome

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style in 1737. In 1794 the church was sacked and the abbey used as a porcelain factory. In 1797, in the wake of the French Revolution, the monks were dispersed and the abbey's contents and its famous library were auctioned off. Some of the library's early manuscripts, such as the famous

Echternach Gospels The Echternach Gospels (Paris, Bib. N., MS. lat. 9389) were produced, presumably, at Lindisfarne Abbey in Northumbria around the year 690. This location was very significant for the production of Insular manuscripts, such as the Durham Gospel ...

, are now in the

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a p ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In the 19th century, a porcelain factory was established in the abbey and the town declined, until the advent of the railroad brought renewed life and an influx of tourists. During the concluding months of World War II in Europe, on 16 December 1944, Echternach served as the southernmost point on the battlefront for the attempt of the German Wehrmacht forces attacking the Allies to retake

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, 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 ...

. The town was badly damaged in World War II but was thoroughly restored.

Culture

There are two main churches in Echternach. The larger is the Abbey's Basilica of

, which survives from the original abbey and is a fair monument of

Romano-Gothic In architecture, "Romano-Gothic" is a term (rarely used in writing in English) for an architectural style, part of Early Gothic architecture, which evolved in Europe in the 12th century CE from the Romanesque style, and was an early style in Goth ...

architecture. The basilica is now surrounded by the eighteenth-century abbey (today a high school) and is located in the heart of the town's historical centre. The other is the parish church of St Peter and Paul, under whose altar lie the remains of St Willibrord. The nearby Prehistory Museum traces mankind's history over the past one million years.

Population

Gallery

Luxemburg Echternach BW 2016-08-06 17-30-05.jpg, Basilica (church of the former Benedictine abbey) Echternach, kapel aan de Rue de la Chapelle foto1 2014-06-08 21.19.jpg, Chapel: la chapelle Notre-Dame des Douleur EchternachRomanVilla.jpg, Roman villa Echternach justizkreuz.jpg, Justice cross Echternach mairie.jpg, Town hall Echternach tower east.jpg, Watchtower Echternach, voormalig douanekantoor foto3 2014-06-09 10.14.jpg, Former customs office Echternach rempart.jpg, Southern town wall

Notable people

Nobel Prize 2011-Press Conference KI-DSC 7584

* Johannes Holler (1614–1671) Roman Catholic prelate and Auxiliary Bishop of Trier 1663–1671 *

Joseph-Alexandre Müller Joseph-Alexandre Müller, often known simply as J. A. Müller, (1854–1931) was a Luxembourgish composer. Biography Born on 16 July 1854 in Echternach, Müller was a primary school teacher. He was also an organist and composed many folk songs, s ...

(1854–1931) Luxembourg composer. *

Artur Sirk Artur Sirk (25 September 1900 – 2 August 1937) was an Estonian political and military figure. A veteran of the country's struggle for independence, Sirk later became a leading figure within the right-wing Vaps Movement and an outspoken opponen ...

(1900 in Pruuna, Estonia – 1937 in Echternach), Estonian political and military figure. *

Léon-Henri Roth Léon-Henri Roth (29 August 1922 In addition, there was evidence from foreign labourers who had been conscripted to work there and who began providing reports from early June 1943. One of them was twenty-year old Luxembourger Leon Henri Roth. who ...

(1922–1945), a resistance fighter. * Jules A. Hoffmann (1941) a French biologist, joint winner of the

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

in 2011 * Jeannette Goergen-Philip (born 1947) Luxembourg archer, competed at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

Gaston Stronck Gaston Stronck (born 15 December 1957 in Echternach) is a retired Luxembourgish diplomat. He was the Ambassador of Luxembourg to the United States of America from 2019 to 2021. He presented his credentials to President Donald Trump on September 1 ...

(born 1957) Luxembourg diplomat *

Georges Lentz Georges Lentz is a contemporary composer and sound artist born in Luxembourg in 1965 and that country's internationally best known composer. Since 1990, he has been living in Sydney, Australia. Despite his relatively small output and his reclusi ...

(born 1965), Luxembourg composer, grew up in Echternach.

Politicians

* Caspar Mathias Spoo (1837–1914), Luxembourg industrialist and politician. * Robert Schaffner (1905–1979), Luxembourg politician, twice mayor of Echternach, 1945-1947 and 1970-1979 *

Marie-Josée Frank Marie-Josée Meyers-Frank (born 12 April 1952 in Echternach) is a Luxembourgish politician. She has been a member of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) since 1994. Frank was a member of the Chamber of Deputies, representing the Est constit ...

(born 1952 in Echternach), Luxembourg politician *

Marcel Sauber Marcel Sauber (born 3 May 1939 in Echternach) is a Luxembourgish politician. He is a deputy in the Chamber of Deputies, representing the Centre constituency for the Christian Social People's Party (CSV). He had been President of the Council of St ...

(born 1939), Luxembourg politician * Fernand Boden (born 1943), politician from Luxembourg, government minister 1979–2009

References

External links

*
Official Website of EchternachEverything about EchternachHarmonie Municipale EchternachLocal Radio Echternach 106,5 FM
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140219102313/http://www.oldpostcardsluxembourg.com/towns_echternach.html Old postcards of Echternach {{Authority control Cities in Luxembourg Communes in Echternach (canton) Towns in Luxembourg Germany–Luxembourg border crossings Roman sites in Luxembourg