HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Vielsalm (; ) 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' ...
of
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,
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 town is part of the
Arrondissement of Bastogne The Arrondissement of Bastogne (; ; ) 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 not a Arrondissements o ...
. It is the place of origin of the House of Salm. On 1 January 2018 the municipality had 7,821 inhabitants. The total area is 139.76 km2, giving a
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
of 56 inhabitants per km2.


Etymology

The village, like Salmchâteau, takes its name from the River Salm. The region is also called the Val de Salm, and Salm region. The word "Salm" comes from the Celtic ''salwa'', meaning ''black'' or ''blurred''. Vielsalm means literally "Old Salm" because, at some point, the Lord moved his castle which became the new town centre. A different popular etymology says Salm and Vielsalm are taken from the German ''Salm'', meaning ''salmon''. The arms of the ancient house of Salm and those of the town are based on this interpretation.


Geography

Vielsalm is located 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 ...
mountain range and the highest point within the municipal boundary is the Baraque de Fraiture, high and is the highest peak of the Benelux. The town is surrounded by forests and farmland. In the centre is a large lake. The municipality consists of the following
districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
: Bihain, Grand-Halleux, Petit-Thier, and Vielsalm. Other population centers include Commanster, Fraiture, Farnières, Hébronval, Ottré, Provedroux, Jubiéval, Regné, Rencheux, Ville-du-Bois, Petit-Halleux and Salmchâteau. The town is situated between two main motorways, the E25 (N30) from
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
to
Bastogne Bastogne (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardi ...
and the E42 (N62) at
St. Vith St. Vith ( ; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of East Belgium located in the Walloon province of Liège. It was named after Saint Vitus. The majority language is German, as in the rest of the German-speaking Community of Belgium. On January ...
which leads to Bitburg just across the border in
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 ...
.


History

The modern municipality is the product of the merger of the former municipalities of Vielsalm, Grand Halleux, Petit Thier and Bihain along with some parts of Lierneux, Beho Arbrefontaine. There is evidence of habitation from neolithic times in the form of stone polishers. There is a Celtic enclosure and traces of gold mining. There are some evidence of a Middle Age castle near the church in Vielsalm, and the remains of a 14th-century castle near Salmchâteau consisting of two towers with a narrow entrance. In
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 ...
, the 75th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, 575th Signal Co., maintained its command post in the town from January 19–22, 1945, as it counterattacked against the German Army.


Economy

The city has significant mining operations of
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
, and a local whetstone, called ''coticule''. The extracted coticule in Vielsalm owes its very fine abrasive properties to
spessartine Spessartine is a nesosilicate, manganese aluminium garnet species, Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3. Gemological Institute of America, ''GIA Gem Reference Guide'' 1995, This mineral is sometimes mistakenly referred to as ''spessartite''. Spessartine's name is ...
, which is a particular variety of
garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet minerals, while sharing similar physical and crystallographic properties, exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions, de ...
. The coticule is a metamorphic microcristalin
schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...
, very fine grained, 35 to 40% of it small crystals of spessartine, of about 5 to 20  μm in diameter. These quarries, which are now almost exhausted, have been operating since the beginning of the 16th century to make razor stones prized for their longevity. The town currently has an industrial zone in Burtonville, in which are located small and medium-sized enterprises.


Culture

There is an annual ''Fête de la Myrtille'', or ''Feast of the Blueberries'', which started on July 21, 1951. The local Traders Association wanted a way to attract visitors to stop in the town. So they had local people in traditional costume invite visitors stop and handed them a small dish of local fruit including
blueberries Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...
. The parade features, amongst others, local folklore such as ''Les Macralles'', or
witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
es in Walloon.


Sights

* Parish Church Saint-Gengoux * Chapel of Our Lady of Luxembourg * The "Petit Croix" * Maison Lambert * Ancient Maison Ruth * Villa des Effats * Town hall


Governance

The municipality is operated in a two-tier system. Daily administration, by way implementing council resolutions, is the duty of the College of Aldermen, led by a mayor, acting as an executive body. The aldermen are elected for six years by the council from among its members, their number varying from two to ten according to population of the municipality (e.g. in 2012 there were the college mayor, four aldermen and the president of the Council of Social Action). The council is directly elected by the people to determine tax collection and expenditure, decide education issues, maintenance of the buildings, roads and green areas etc. The exact number depends upon the population of the municipality.


Education

There are seven schools in the municipality covering pre-school, primary and secondary education in the town. They are the École communale de Goronne, École communale primaire d'Hébronval, École communale de Petit-Thier, École communale primaire de Regné, École communale maternelle de Regné, École communale de Rencheux, École communale de Salmchâteau and École communale primaire de Ville-du-Bois. There are also three Nursery and Primary, as well as one Secondary, schools that are designated as free.


Notable residents

* Nicholas, Count of Salm, (1459-1530), German military commander * Olivier Werner (born April 16, 1985), football player of RAEC Mons


Twinning

Vielsalm is twinned with: * Bruyères, a town in the
Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...
of
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
.


References


External links


Official website
(in French) {{Authority control Municipalities of Luxembourg (Belgium)