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Arlon

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Overview

Arlon (French pronunciation: [aʁlɔ̃] ; Walloon: Årlon; Dutch: Aarlen [ˈaːrlə(n)] ; Luxembourgish: Arel [ˈaːʀəl] ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Luxembourg in Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it is the smallest provincial capital in Belgium.

Arlon is also the capital of its cultural region: the Arelerland (Land of Arlon in Luxembourgish).

The municipality consists of the following sub-municipalities: Arlon proper, Autelbas, Bonnert, Guirsch, Heinsch, and Toernich. Other population centers include: Autelhaut, Clairefontaine, Fouches, Frassem, Freylange, Hachy, Heckbous, Rosenberg, Sampont, Schoppach, Sesselich, Seymerich, Stehnen, Sterpenich, Stockem, Udange, Viville, Waltzing, Weyler, and Wolberg.

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia1,580 words

WBP editorial3

Cross‑border rhythm

Arlon sits at the hinge of three nations, and its daily life feels more like a tri‑national market than a single Belgian town. French shoppers drift across the Rue de la Toison for fresh produce that arrives by truck from Lille, while Luxembourgish commuters fill the cafés during the morning rush, drawn by the city’s lower parking fees. This fluidity breeds a linguistic kale‑mix: French dominates the street signs, but you’ll hear German‑tinged Walloon in the local bakery and a few Dutch greetings from tourists passing through. For travellers, embracing this border‑fluid identity means swapping a single currency for a quick mental conversion, and letting the multilingual chatter guide you to the best street food stalls that rarely appear in guidebooks.

A museum beyond walls

While Arlon’s municipal museum houses Roman artefacts, the city itself is an open‑air exhibition of layered history. The remnants of a Roman fort nest beneath the current market square, and centuries‑old townhouses retain original timber beams hidden behind modern façades. A short walk north leads to the “Croix Saint‑Jacques”, a medieval cross that locals still use as a quiet waypoint for morning prayers. Visitors with an eye for subtlety can trace the evolution of civic power by following the line of stone benches that once marked the boundary of the old civic wall—now a popular promenade. This “museum without walls” rewards those who linger, allowing a tactile sense of continuity absent from any catalogue.

Seasonal market strategies

The weekly market in Arlon is more than a shopping trip; it reflects the agricultural calendar of the surrounding plateau. In early autumn, stalls overflow with freshly harvested apples and beetroot, signalling the end of the harvest season, while winter brings an influx of preserved cheeses from the Ardennes. Savvy travellers can time their visit to coincide with the ‘Fête de la Saint‑Omer’, when local producers showcase rare heirloom vegetables not found elsewhere in Belgium. Even outside market days, small boutique grocers rotate their stock based on regional supply chains, so a midday stop at a corner shop can reveal a surprise seasonal jam or a locally distilled fruit brandy that rarely makes the tourist radar.

Introduction

Capital of Luxembourg province, Wallonia, Belgium For the asteroid, see 1717 Arlon. This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Arlon" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Chinese.  (June 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must follow the LLM translation guideline, revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Chinese Wikipedia article at [[:zh:阿爾隆]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|zh|阿爾隆}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation. (Learn how and when to remove this message) City and municipality in French Community, BelgiumArlon Arel (Luxembourgish) Aarlen (Dutch) City and municipalityArlon centre with bell tower of St. Martin's Church FlagCoat of armsLocation of Arlon in Luxembourg provinceInteractive map of ArlonArlonLocation in BelgiumCoordinates: 49°41′N 05°49′E / 49.683°N 5.817°E / 49.683; 5.817CountryBelgiumCommunityFrench CommunityRegionWalloniaProvinceLuxembourgArrondissementArlonGovernment • MayorVincent Magnus (cdH, ARLON 2030) • Governing partyMR-ARLON 2030Area • Total119.06 km2 (45.97 sq mi)Population (2022-01-01) • Total30,818 • Density258.84/km2 (670.40/sq mi)Postal codes6700, 6704, 6706NIS code81001Area codes063Websitewww.arlon.be (in French) Arlon (French pronunciation: [aʁlɔ̃] ⓘ; Walloon: Årlon; Dutch: Aarlen [ˈaːrlə(n)] ⓘ; Luxembourgish: Arel [ˈaːʀəl] ⓘ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Luxembourg in Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it is the smallest provincial capital in Belgium. Arlon is also the capital of its cultural region: the Arelerland (Land of Arlon in Luxembourgish). The municipality consists of the following sub-municipalities: Arlon proper, Autelbas, Bonnert, Guirsch, Heinsch, and Toernich. Other population centers include: Autelhaut, Clairefontaine, Fouches, Frassem, Freylange, Hachy, Heckbous, Rosenberg, Sampont, Schoppach, Sesselich, Seymerich, Stehnen, Sterpenich, Stockem, Udange, Viville, Waltzing, Weyler, and Wolberg.

History

[edit] Origins[edit] Gallo-Roman column of Jupiter in the Grand rue Before the Roman conquests of Gaul, the territory of Arlon and a vast area to the southeast were settled by the Treveri, a Celtic tribe. The local population adapted relatively easily to Roman culture. The number and quality of sculpted stones and monuments that have been unearthed in the area demonstrate that the vicus of Orolaunum quickly became a commercial and administrative centre of Roman civilization. The Germanic invasions of the 3rd century destroyed most of these early advances, despite the defensive walls that had been built on the Knipchen hill to protect the vicus. Middle Ages[edit] During most of the Middle Ages, the population still used the earlier buildings such as the thermae. In 1060, Waleran I of Limburg, Count of Arlon, built a castle on the Knipchen hill in the centre of the town. A dynasty of counts of Arlon began with Waleran I, Duke of Limburg. On the death of Duke Waleran III in 1226, Arlon passed to his son from the second marriage, Henry V the Fair, Count of Luxembourg, and became part of the county of Luxembourg. Thus, in the Tournament of Chauvency, his son Henry the Lion bore the title of Marquis of Arlon. In the 13th century, the only women's Cistercian abbey known to date was built in Clairefontaine. 15th–18th centuries[edit] St Donat's church, Arlon See also: Battle of Arlon (1793) and Battle of Arlon (1794) The Duchy of Luxembourg itself, of which Arlon was dependent, became part of the Burgundian Netherlands under Philip the Good in 1441. After Charles V's abdication of his empire to his son Philip II of Spain in 1556, a troubled period started for the whole region with continuous wars involving France, Spain and the Southern Netherlands. In 1558, nearly half of the city, including its castle, was destroyed by the French troops of Francis, Duke of Guise. In the 17th century, Capuchin friars built a convent on the ruins of the castle and the French strengthened the defensive walls according to Vauban's designs. An accidental fire destroyed a large part of the city again in 1785. On 9 June 1793 the French Revolutionary troops opposed the Austrians just outside Arlon. The French emerged victorious and took over the city from Austrian rule. They expelled the Capuchin friars and used their convent as a hospital. 19th and 20th centuries[edit] In June 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo, Arlon went back to government of the Duchy of Luxembourg. By the Treaty of London in 1839, the Duchy became fully sovereign as Grand Duchy and in turn the geographically larger western part of the duchy, i.e. the province de Luxembourg including Arlon city was given to newly created Kingdom of Belgium. Arlon was one of the first victims of the German invasion in 1914 as 121 inhabitants were executed on 26 August, on the orders of Colonel Richard Karl von Tessmar. Its territory was again among the first to be invaded at the onset of World War II. Allies moved into Belgium on 10 May 1940 and Arlon was defended by French troops, but they were not able to stop the German invasion. Arlon today[edit] Being situated very close to the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Arlon has continued to expand with new residential areas and commercial development zones, and many people cross the border everyday to work in the Grand Duchy. All international express trains make a stop in Arlon, as it is the last station on the main Brussels—Luxembourg City railway line.

Sights

[edit] The Jewish cemetery Arlon is best known for holding one of the richest archeological museums in Belgium. It houses numerous examples of Roman sculpture and Merovingian funerary art. A fragment of the Gallo-Roman defensive wall that was built in the 3rd century still stands in Arlon. The Gaspar Museum is dedicated to the art of Jean-Marie Gaspar and Charles Gaspar [fr], and also holds a collection of regional art including the Fisenne altarpiece [fr], an altarpiece from the 16th century originally located in the village Fisenne. Saint Donat's church now stands on the Knipchen hill, where Waleran I of Limburg once built his castle and the Capuchin friars built their convent. Arlon cemetery has the largest Jewish section of all Walloon cemeteries.

Climate

[edit] Climate data for Arlon(1991-2020) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.0(39.2) 5.3(41.5) 9.7(49.5) 14.1(57.4) 18.0(64.4) 21.2(70.2) 23.3(73.9) 22.9(73.2) 18.7(65.7) 13.4(56.1) 7.8(46.0) 4.6(40.3) 13.6(56.5) Daily mean °C (°F) 1.4(34.5) 1.9(35.4) 5.2(41.4) 8.6(47.5) 12.6(54.7) 15.8(60.4) 17.8(64.0) 17.3(63.1) 13.5(56.3) 9.5(49.1) 5.1(41.2) 2.2(36.0) 9.2(48.6) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.3(29.7) −1.5(29.3) 0.7(33.3) 3.1(37.6) 7.1(44.8) 10.4(50.7) 12.2(54.0) 11.8(53.2) 8.4(47.1) 5.6(42.1) 2.4(36.3) −0.3(31.5) 4.9(40.8) Average precipitation mm (inches) 121.4(4.78) 93.5(3.68) 80.3(3.16) 63.1(2.48) 75.7(2.98) 79.4(3.13) 79.4(3.13) 82.8(3.26) 78.2(3.08) 100.5(3.96) 103.9(4.09) 146.9(5.78) 1,105.1(43.51) Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 14.3 12.6 11.9 9.7 10.9 10.2 10.8 10.5 10.0 12.2 14.2 15.8 143.1 Mean monthly sunshine hours 49 73 132 196 208 222 234 214 162 103 49 41 1,683 Mean daily sunshine hours 1.6 2.6 4.3 6.2 6.7 7.4 7.6 6.9 5.4 3.3 1.6 1.3 4.6 Source: KMI