Viroinval (; ) 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 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 ...
,
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 ...
.
On January 1, 2006, Viroinval had a total population of 5,680. The total area is 120.90 km
2 which gives 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 47 inhabitants per km
2.
The municipality consists of the following districts:
Dourbes,
Mazée,
Le Mesnil, Nismes,
Oignies-en-Thiérache,
Olloy-sur-Viroin,
Treignes,
Vierves-sur-Viroin.
The name Viroinval, ''Viroin (River) Valley'', was chosen for the municipality that was formed by fusing eight villages, in 1977.
Attractions
*From 1995 to 2004, Viroinval was the location of the
geographical centre of the European Union, at coordinates in Oignies-en-Thiérache, and a monument there records that finding. On May 1, 2004, the EU expanded from fifteen states to twenty-five, and the geographical centre of the union moved eastwards to the village of
Kleinmaischeid,
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
,
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 ...
. On 1 January 2007 it shifted even further south-eastwards.
*The tourist steam train line Mariembourg–Treignes has most of its stations in villages of Viroinval: Nismes, Olloy-sur-Viroin, Vierves-sur-Viroin, and Treignes.
The latter village has a relevant museum.
See also
*
List of protected heritage sites in Viroinval
References
External links
Official Website of the municipality
Municipalities of Namur (province)
{{Namur-geo-stub