Contern

Contern () is a commune in Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Luxembourg. As of 2021, 3,968 people in the commune of Contern but the town itself in the middle of the commune is home to 1743 people as of 2022. The other villages in Contern are Moutfort, Oetrange, Medingen and Milbech. Contern also has various hamlets
History
Early History
The Romans settled the country of Luxembourg in the BC era and at some point a road was constructed between Luxembourg City and Dalheim. This road passed through what is today within the borders of the commune of Contern and also through the settlement of Faerschthaff. The Construction of this road saw a bridge of the Trudlerbaach River constructed, which still remains today. There is no proof that the settlement of Contern was founded during roman times, although it is widely believed so. The name Contern was first seen in a charter in 879/880/903/904 AD, although its first official listing was in 1128 and it is almost certain Contern dated back to the Celtic Era. In the 14th century it was wirtten as Guntrein. Contern in the 13th century got a lot of influence from Christianity and Chivalry. At this time Contern became a parish and has its church built. From 1945 onwards, Contern's municipal structure was made up of Contern, Oetrange, Moutfort and Medingen. The Commune of Contern has existed since the 19th century
Medieval History
Formation of the Commune
Contern was formed as a parish in 1621. Later in 1684, neighbouring Oetrange became a parish and in 1707, Moutfort followed. At the time, the parish of Contern had no Lieu-dits although Oetrange was home to the settlement of Kackerterhaff. Moutfort was home to the setlements of Medingen and Millbech as well as the Moulin the Millbech and the farmstead of Pleitrange. By 1796 Contern was founded as an Arrondissement, this was home to several localities:
Contern remained as an Arrondissement in the sense that it was formed in, in 1796 up until 1912, The exact time the commune as it is called today was formed is unknown, however the first census data from the commune dates back to 1821, so the commune is older than that. The parish of Oetrange was absorbed into the parish of Moutfort in 1946, shortly after in 1948, the parishes of Contern and Moutfort were effectively dissolved.
Early mentions of Commune and settlements
Early mentions in newspapers of Contern can be traced back to 1842, where it was mentioned in a long list of communes, although both the settlement and name have been seen far further back. Further mentions happened in 1844, following the death of John the Blind, signatures were collected from many communes, some came from Contern, it was document across multiple lists.
Recent Growth and Expansion
By 2001, the commune of Contern had a population of 3082, with the town itself having just 1065, the second largest in the commune. Also in 2001, Contern joined the Climate Alliance of European cities.
Archaeology
Although no prominent archaeological sites or artifacts date back to the Celtic times, plenty has been left over since the Romans including some housing and remnants of an aqueduct. The most prominent thing from the Romans however is the Gallo-Roman villa, it stood on the current site of the town and there are still remains of it to this day.
Etymology
Following World War II, the Luxembourgers had strong distaste for their former German overseers. This was why almost every place in the country was renamed from its original Luxembourgish name of German origin, to that of French origin without changing too much. Contern's name would have stayed Conter if it weren't for the French pronunciation of "er" being far too strong, thus an "n" was added on the end. It could have been possible to have followed what places like Hesperange did, but in the end it stuck to the name Contern. In the modern era, to encourage more Luxembougish in the commune, many documents and signs use "Conter" instead of Contern.
Pilgrimages
Conter has long been a target of many pilgrimages. In Contern, the sacred Walburga was offered to heal "evil eyes" or to do something against the "evil gaze". The Luxembourgish dialect poet Jakob Diedenhoven describes the course of these pilgrimages in an ironic way in 1830 in his prayer for Conter:
Zoo aalen Zeiten
Vun alle Seiten,
Zur Walburga,
Der heel'ger Fra
Gongen d'from Kreschten
Den Aelter reschten
Mat enger Kierz,
Engem selv'ren Hierz
Hier Aa'n ze g'nieren
Ville' mam Schmieren
Hoid se d'Gnood gin
'Rem ze gesin.
Hei an der Scheier,
D'Marre mam Freier,
D'Ketche ma'm Franz
Sti'schon am Danz
...
He'r we se sangen,
Kuck we se sprangen,
Daat weist de Kne,
Daat eppes me.Settlements
Geography
Overview
Settlements
Villages
Lieu-dits
Settlements
Suburbs
Industrial Zones
Demographics
In 2020 the commune of Contern had a population of 3939, with a population density of around 188 people per square kilometer. The town itself had a population of 1743 which is far higher than what it had in the 2001 census of 1065.
Population of the entire commune 1821-2021
Transportation
The E29 runs from Contern through Moutfort to Luxembourg City. Other smaller roads link Moutfort with the rest of the commune. Contern is served by many different bus routes. Many other towns within the commune are also served by these routes. CFL Line 30 provided train access to Contern. It runs through the commune with 2 stations in Sandweiler-Contern and Oetrange. There is also a freight railway which connects Oetrange with Berchem avoiding Luxembourg City.
References
Communes of Luxembourg