Contern (Luxembourgish: Conter [ˈkontɐ] ) is a commune and town in southern Luxembourg. It is located east of Luxembourg City.[1] As of 2024 the commune has a population of 4513 whereas the town itself, which lies in the south-west of the commune, has a population of 1,876.[2][3]

Contern
Conter (Luxembourgish)
Conton
St. Walpurga's church
St. Walpurga's church
Coat of arms of Contern
Map of Luxembourg with Contern highlighted in orange, and the canton in dark red
Map of Luxembourg with Contern highlighted in orange, and the canton in dark red
Coordinates: 49°35′05″N 6°13′35″E / 49.5847°N 6.2264°E / 49.5847; 6.2264
Country Luxembourg
CantonLuxembourg
First Settlement builtapprox. 2nd Century
Area
 • Total20.55 km2 (7.93 sq mi)
 • Land20.55 km2 (7.93 sq mi)
 • Rank54th of 100
Highest elevation
356 m (1,168 ft)
 • Rank81st of 100
Lowest elevation
237 m (778 ft)
 • Rank45th of 100
Population
 (2023)
 • Total4,374
 • Rank44th of 100
 • Density210/km2 (550/sq mi)
  • Rank43rd of 100
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
LAU 2LU0000302
Websitecontern.lu

The main towns are Contern, Moutfort, Oetrange and Medingen and Milbech. Additionally the commune contains the Lieu-dits of Bricherhaff, Brichermillen, Kréintgeshaff, Kackerterhaff, Marxeknupp and Pleitrange.[4][1] The commune also contains the industrial zones of Chaux de Contern, and Rosswenkel, as well as the activity zone of Weiergewan.

The town dates back to around the 9th Century and was initially economically focussed on farming. Having gone through various changes in governance over the centuries, the commune as it exists today was formed around the 19th Century. In recent years Contern has industrialised however mainly functions as a commuter town into Luxembourg City, as do most of the other settlements in the commune. As a result Contern boasts the 10th highest median average salary out of all 102 communes in Luxembourg as of 2022.[5]

History

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The Romans settled Luxembourg in the 1st Century BC, it has been speculated whether or not the settlement of Contern was founded by them or even previously however there it hasn't been proven despite the presence of remnants of Roman infrastructure within the boundaries of the modern day commune. This includes a crossing over the Trudlerbaach which exists as a part of the Roman road which once linked Luxembourg and Dalheim, remnants of the road pass through the farmstead of Faerschthaff.[6] The name Contern first appeared 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 recorded in writing as Guntrein.[7] 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.

Contern was formed as a parish in 1621. Later in 1684, neighbouring Oetrange also became a parish followed by Moutfort in 1707. 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 settlements of Medingen and Millbech as well as the Moulin the Millbech and the farmstead of Pleitrange.[8][9] By 1796 Contern was founded as an Arrondissement, which was home to several localities:

Localities within the Arrondissement of Contern c.1800s[8][9]
Locality (French) Locality (German) Locality (Luxembourgish) Parish
Brücherhof Brücherhof Bricherhaff None
Brüchermühle Brichermillen None
Contern Contern Conter or Konter Contern
Contern-Barriére None
Conterweyer None
Kackerterhof Kackerterhaff Oetrange
Kroentgeshof or Croentgeshof Kroentgeshof or Kröntgeshof Kréintgeshaff None
Marxeknupp Marxeknupp None
Medingen Medingen Méideng or Méidéng Moutfort
Moutfort Mutfort Mutfert Moutfort
Mühlbach Mühlbach Millbech or Milbech Moutfort
Mühlbach-Moulin or

Moulin de Millbech

Millbechermillen or

Milbechermillen

Moutfort
Oetrange Oetringen Éiter Oetrange
Oetrange-Moulin Éitermillen None
Pleitrange Pleitringen Pläitreng Moutfort

Contern remained an Arrondissement officially up until 1912 but prior to it being dissolved, the modern day commune was formed. The exact time period of its formation is unknown but the earliest Census data which is applicable to Contern with its current boundaries dates back to 1821 and the oldest archived mention of Contern dates back to 1842 with a mention in a newspaper.[10][11]

From 1945 onwards, Contern's municipal structure was made up of Contern, Oetrange, Moutfort and Medingen. 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.[8][9]

Archaeology

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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.[12] 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.[13]

Etymology

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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.

Geography

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The Commune of Contern is located within the Canton of Luxembourg itself within Luxembourg District.

Boundaries

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Contern is bordered by the communes of Sandweiler and Schuttrange to the North, Lenningen and Bous-Waldbredimus to the east, Dalheim to the south, Weiler-la-Tour to the southwest and Hesperange to the west. The borders of Contern aren't largely defineddefined by any major roads of rivers. The only exception to this is between Eitermillen and the border with Sandweiler wherein the Kackeshbaach marks as the border between Contern and Schuttrange.[1][14]

Topography

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Contern covers an area of 20.55 square kilometres, making it, As of 2022[needs update] the 54th largest commune in Luxembourg out of 102.[15] It had a population of 4374, the 44th highest out of 102 communes as of 2023 giving it a population density of 210 people per square kilometre, 43rd highest in Luxembourg. The population has since risen to 4513.

Climate

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The nearest place to survey the climate is in Luxembourg City however temperatures likely differ slightly due to the urban heat island effect present in Luxembourg City which isn't felt to the same extent in Contern. Contern has an oceanic climate (Cfb), with moderate precipitation, cold to cool winters and warm summers. It is cloudy about two-thirds of the year.

Climate data for Luxembourg City (1991–2020, extremes 1947–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.9
(57.0)
19.8
(67.6)
23.5
(74.3)
27.9
(82.2)
31.6
(88.9)
35.4
(95.7)
39.0
(102.2)
37.9
(100.2)
31.5
(88.7)
26.0
(78.8)
19.8
(67.6)
14.7
(58.5)
39.0
(102.2)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 10.7
(51.3)
12.2
(54.0)
17.4
(63.3)
22.9
(73.2)
26.6
(79.9)
30.1
(86.2)
31.9
(89.4)
31.5
(88.7)
25.6
(78.1)
20.9
(69.6)
14.6
(58.3)
10.8
(51.4)
33.5
(92.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.8
(38.8)
5.2
(41.4)
9.8
(49.6)
14.4
(57.9)
18.4
(65.1)
21.7
(71.1)
23.9
(75.0)
23.5
(74.3)
19.0
(66.2)
13.5
(56.3)
7.7
(45.9)
4.5
(40.1)
13.8
(56.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)
2.2
(36.0)
5.7
(42.3)
9.6
(49.3)
13.5
(56.3)
16.7
(62.1)
18.7
(65.7)
18.4
(65.1)
14.3
(57.7)
9.9
(49.8)
5.2
(41.4)
2.3
(36.1)
9.8
(49.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.0
(30.2)
−0.7
(30.7)
2.0
(35.6)
5.1
(41.2)
8.7
(47.7)
11.8
(53.2)
13.8
(56.8)
13.6
(56.5)
10.3
(50.5)
6.6
(43.9)
2.8
(37.0)
0.0
(32.0)
6.1
(43.0)
Mean minimum °C (°F) −8.0
(17.6)
−7.5
(18.5)
−4.2
(24.4)
−1.1
(30.0)
2.8
(37.0)
6.0
(42.8)
9.1
(48.4)
8.3
(46.9)
5.5
(41.9)
0.7
(33.3)
−2.9
(26.8)
−6.5
(20.3)
−10.4
(13.3)
Record low °C (°F) −17.8
(0.0)
−20.2
(−4.4)
−14.4
(6.1)
−6.9
(19.6)
−2.1
(28.2)
0.9
(33.6)
4.5
(40.1)
4.3
(39.7)
−0.7
(30.7)
−4.6
(23.7)
−11.1
(12.0)
−15.3
(4.5)
−20.2
(−4.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 72.0
(2.83)
59.0
(2.32)
57.0
(2.24)
49.0
(1.93)
71.2
(2.80)
75.6
(2.98)
71.5
(2.81)
71.9
(2.83)
66.2
(2.61)
76.6
(3.02)
72.1
(2.84)
89.4
(3.52)
831.5
(32.74)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 17.3 15.4 14.8 12.7 14.0 13.3 13.7 13.2 12.2 15.2 17.5 18.1 177.4
Average snowy days 7.5 7.6 3.6 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 2.3 6.8 29.4
Average relative humidity (%) 88 83 74 67 68 68 67 68 75 84 89 90 77
Mean monthly sunshine hours 52.0 79.5 137.1 197.5 226.3 241.2 257.6 237.1 174.9 106.7 51.1 41.9 1,802.9
Percent possible sunshine 18.8 29.4 34.0 44.1 44.8 46.7 51.0 51.7 42.7 31.8 19.8 16.1 35.9
Source 1: Meteolux (percent sunshine 1981–2010)[16][17][18]
Source 2: Infoclimat[19]

Settlements

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Towns

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Villages

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Lieu-Dits

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  • Bricherhaff
  • Brichermillen
  • Kackerterhaff
  • Kréintgeshaff
  • Marxeknupp
  • Éitermillen
  • Pleitrange

Localities

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  • Moulin de Milbech
  • Maulin Diderich
  • Beriton
  • Shalten
  • Schleedervale
  • Ledenbierg
  • Millebridge
  • Schleederfalls
  • Stuwelshill
  • Fehreston
  • Eltercavern
  • Wilkon Hill
  • Millangswell
  • Rouvale
  • Canten
  • Linten
  • Kueledall
  • Stehaff
  • Reulendergassen

Suburbs

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  • Hoehenhof

Industrial zones

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  • Chaux de Contern
  • Rosswénkel
  • Weiergewann
 
View From just outside Bricherhaff of the Syrdal (Syre Valley)
 
Contern as seen from a hill next to Shaltgen Forest
 
Map of Contern from outside the ltown Hall

Demographics

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As of 1 January 2023, the commune has a population of 4,374 inhabitants. Around 70% of the population are aged 15–65 and an estimated third of the commune's population consists of non-Luxembourgers, which is considerably higher than the national average. The town of Contern itself has a population of 1,876 as of 2024.[3]

Graph

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[20][21]

 
The An de Steng residential development

Industrial zones

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Industrial Zone Chaux de Contern as seen from the nearby fields

Contern consists of 2 separate industrial zones separated from each other. Although they are officially separate, they're often seen locally as one entity, even on road signs. The area where Sandweiler-Contern railway station is located is home to a lot of commercial infrastructure such as the only full-fledged supermarket in the commune, a trampoline park and the commune's only gas station. A few restaurants and eateries are also located there to serve the local workers. The area is home to more than 110 companies and over 5000 jobs and is quickly growing and receiving new developments.[22][12]

Transportation

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The E29 running through the commune just North of Eitermillen

Road

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Contern is quite well connected to the road network and links to Luxembourg City however the only dual carriageway in the commune is the E29. There are plans in the next 5–10 years to build a new motorway exit on the Luxembourg Ring to serve Contern and Itzig but that hasn't been built yet.

Contern is involved with websites that provide traffic info.[23][24]

Contern is served by many different bus routes as is many of the other towns within the commune.[25][26]

Rail

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The Commune of Contern is served by CFL Line 30, there are 2 stations inside the commune, Oetrange and Sandweiler-Contern. The track also passes through Moutfort and Milbech however there are no stations to serve the area. Typically Oetrange is served by 2 regional trains an hour to Luxembourg westbound and one to Wittlich and one to Wasserbillig eastbound. Sandweiler-Contern also sees an hourly semi-fast service from Luxembourg to Trier/Koblenz. In addition to line 30 there is a junction in Oetrange to CFL Line 4 which runs through Moutfort and out of the commune towards Fentange and Berchem on CFL Line 60. This line is a freight line used by trains to bypass Luxembourg city centre. It seese no regular passenger service unless the line between Luxembourg and Oetrange is closed for engineering works.[27]

Services

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The school in Oetrange

Education

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The commune owns and runs a school in the corner of the town. The commune monitors to ensure that Mandatory Education is enforced, the education budget is controlled, and that the school buses linking the rest of the commune with the school are operational and working well. Many local residents, especially people in secondary school, tend to have their education outside the school.[28][29] There's also a school in Oetrange.

Financial

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The Communal Revenue department manages Contern's taxation, dept and accounting.

Emergency services

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Contern is not home to any Hospitals, Medical Clinics, Police Stations or Fire Stations and must rely on neighbouring communes for such services.[30]

Waste collection

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Zone industrial « Op Dem keller » where the dump is located

Waste Collection is managed and run by the commune of Contern. There is a simple system of when garbage trucks come, what they pick up each day, and how much it all costs. The dump is located in the Op Dem Keller industrial zone in Munsbach and is shared with the commune of Shuttrange.[31]

Urban planning

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Contern's urban planning is run by its urban planning department. They control and manage building permits and requests. There's a 2 tier system for any form of construction or Landscaping. There's the minor intervention for small construction projects such as minor landscaping, street and sidewalk construction and the building of wells and outdoor facilities. Then there's the major interventions for construction or extension of new housing or office space, or modifications to the structure or load-bearings of existing infrastructure.[32]

Other

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The commune also offers services for reception, revenue, technical and communications.[33]

Governance

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Contern is a commune which has a local government and therefore a mayor and council, elections are held every 6 years alongside all 99 other Luxembourgish Communes.[34] The Mayor is currently Marion Zovilé-Braquet.[35]

Electoral System

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As Contern has a population between 3000 and 5999 it elects a total of 11 councillors, including 2 Aldermen and the mayor. Additionally as a result of having a population over 3000, municipal elections are held using proportional representation. Participation is mandatory for Luxembourgish citizens and unlike in general elections, non-Luxembourgish European Union Citizens are permitted to vote granted they have valid residency.[36]

The Mayor is elected and is put in charge of municipal staff, administration, infrastructure, security, emergency services, communications, relations with other communes, schools and sport. In addition they're also in charge of the "le college Echevinal" and of the Municipal Council.[35]

The college Echevinal consists of the Mayor and their 2 advisors who are all put in charge of different things. The 1st alderman is put in charge of Mobility, Weather, Fairtrade etc.. The 2nd alderman is put in charge of the environment, finances, agriculture, etc...[37][38]

The Municipal Council consists of 11 elected members including the 2 aldermen, the mayor and 8 councilors, they are the legislators of the municipality. Meetings happen roughly every 3 months, take place in the town hall and are public unless otherwise stated.[39]

Elections

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Elections in Contern occur on 3 levels. The Municipal elections are held for the local government exclusively within Contern however Contern also acts as an electoral ward for national legislative elections and for elections for the European Parliament.

National Legislative Elections

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2023 National Election by Party[40]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 13406 36.57
2 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 8646 23.68
3 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 4066 11,09
4 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 3709 10.12
5 Alternative Democratic Reform Party

Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei

ADR National conservatism Right-wing to far-right 2298 6.27
6 Pirate Party Luxembourg

Piratepartei Lëtzebuerg

PPLU Pirate politics 2240 6.11
7[41] Focus

Fokus

FOK Pragmatism Centre 1103 3.01
8 The Left

Déi Lénk

DL Democratic socialism Left-wing 844 2.30
9 Liberté - Fräiheet! [lb]

Liberté - Fräiheet!

LF Right-wing populism Right-wing to far-right 293 0.80
10 Communist Party of Luxembourg

Kommunistesch Partei vu Lëtzebuerg

KPL Communism Far-left 58 0.16
2018 National Election by Party[42]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 12365 36.78
2 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 6412 19.07
3 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 5222 15.53
4 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 4299 12.79
5 Alternative Democratic Reform Party

Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei

ADR National conservatism Right-wing to far-right 2297 6.83
6 Pirate Party Luxembourg

Piratepartei Lëtzebuerg

PPLU Pirate politics 1444 4.30
7 The Left

Déi Lénk

DL Democratic socialism Left-wing 1357 4.04
8 Communist Party of Luxembourg

Kommunistesch Partei vu Lëtzebuerg

KPL Communism Far-left 165 0.49
9 Democracy

Demokratie

59 0.18
2013 National Election by Party[43]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 11644 36.80
2 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 7359 23.26
4 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 5461 17.26
3 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 3354 10.6
5 Alternative Democratic Reform Party

Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei

ADR National conservatism Right-wing to far-right 1532 4.84
6 The Left

Déi Lénk

DL Democratic socialism Left-wing 1019 3.22
7 Pirate Party Luxembourg

Piratepartei Lëtzebuerg

PPLU Pirate politics 884 2.79
8 Communist Party of Luxembourg

Kommunistesch Partei vu Lëtzebuerg

KPL Communism Far-left 210 0.66
9 Party for Full Democracy (PID)

Partei fir Integral Demokratie

PID Right Wing 187 0.57
2009 National Election by Party[44]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 11989 40.11
2 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 5673 18.98
4 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 5636 18.86
3 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 3354 10.6
5 Alternative Democratic Reform Party

Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei

ADR National conservatism Right-wing to far-right 1732 5.79
6 The Left

Déi Lénk

DL Democratic socialism Left-wing 838 2.80
7 Communist Party of Luxembourg

Kommunistesch Partei vu Lëtzebuerg

KPL Communism Far-left 170 0.57
2004 National Election by Party[45]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 10130 35.76
2 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 6359 22.45
4 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 4580 17.12
3 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 3599 12.70
5 Alternative Democratic Reform Party

Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei

ADR National conservatism Right-wing to far-right 2777 9.80
6 The Left

Déi Lénk

DL Democratic socialism Left-wing 347 1.22
7 Communist Party of Luxembourg

Kommunistesch Partei vu Lëtzebuerg

KPL Communism Far-left 268 0.95

Municipal Elections

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2023 Municipal Election by Party[46]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 9130 44.25
2 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 5042 24.44
3 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 3551 17.12
4 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 2909 10.12
2023 Municipal Election by Candidate[46]
List

No.

Party Candidate Votes %
1 CSV Marion Zoville-Braquet 1444 7.0
2 CSV Jim Schmitz 1074 5.2
3 CSV Tom Jungblut 1014 4.9
4 CSV Digi Di Genova 956 4.6
5 DP Dali Zhu 834 4.0
6 CSV Marc Entringer 827 4.0
7 CSV Yves Loose 669 3.2
8 CSV Liss Schumacher 659
9 CSV Noah Rodrigues 651
10 CSV Natalie Schlesser 643 3.1
11 CSV Marco Schmit 606 2.9
12 DP Eric Eifes 590 2.9
13 CSV Jasmine Kamran 587 2.8
14 DG Ari Arrensdorff 585 2.8
15 DP Robert Axmann 479 2.3
16 LSAP Stephanie Ansay 475
17 DP Ernest Pirch 428 2.1
18 LSAP Claire Delcourt 428 2.1
19 DP Charles Muller 426 2.1
20 DP Pia Diderich 411 2.0
21 DP Rose-Marie Arcanger 407
22 DP Patrick Elsen 397 1.9
23 DP Cynthia Gansauer 384
24 DP Marie-Anne Kolback-Hoffmann 358 1.7
25 LSAP Geoffrey Thierie 350
26 DP Meho Bajrami 328 1.6
27 LSAP Pol Thome
28 LSAP Martina Brandenburger 321
29 LSAP Salia Bodian 308 1.5
30 LSAP Astrid Lagoda 301
31 DG Lydie Arrensdorff-Dumont 290 1.4
32 LSAP Cecilia Quirke 284
33 LSAP Antonia Caetano Pina
34 DG Ewald Röll 270 1.3
35 DG Anna Fox 251 1.2
36 LSAP Elizabeth Schrobiltgen 248
37 DG Toinon Hann-Schmit 244
38 DG Eric Corrignan
39 LSAP Darina Cochrane 224 1.1
40 DG Natalie Ebert 222
41 DG Anja Cutler 220
42 DG Frederic Just 208 1.0
43 DG Alina Rachieru 188 0.9
44 DG Thierry Cutler 187
2017 Municipal Election by Party[47]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 8102 44.52
2 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 4017 22.07
3 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 3089 16.97
4 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 2991 16.43
2011 Municipal Election by Party[48]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 5993 32.48
2 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 5001 27.10
3 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 4424 23.97
4 The Greens

Déi Gréng

DG Green politics Centre-left 3036 16.45
2005 Municipal Election by Party[49]
List

No.

Name Abbr, Ideology Political Position Votes %
1 Democratic Party

Demokratesch Partei

DP Liberalism Centre to centre-right 5525 33.96
2 Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party

Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei

LSAP Social democracy Centre-left 5468 33.61
3 Christian Social People's Party

Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei

CSV Christian democracy Centre to centre-right 5277 32.43

Coat of arms

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The Coat of Arms

Description

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The Contern Coat of arms is "Argent a fess wavy Gules charged with three triangles also wavy Or, said fess accompanied in chief by a cross anchored Gules, at the base of a shell Sable."[50]

The commune of Contern received its coat of arms on 26 July 1982. These are coats of arms in the shape of a shield divided into three parts, one for each village of the municipality.

  • The upper part shows a cross derived from the coat of arms of the lords of Larochette who owned Contern from 1534 to 1731.
  • The bars come from the coat of arms of the Grandpré family, lords of Roussy, who were the owners of the villages of Moutfort, Medingen and Pleitrange. The bars undulate to represent the River Syre which runs through the town.
  • The lower part shows a shell derived from the coat of arms of the Metternich family to which Oetrange belonged.[50]

Usage

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The Contern Coat of arms is used all over the commune, on the flag, outside official buildings, even on the wheelie bins. Its distinctive looks and colour make it easy to spot.

Shopping

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Contern is home to a large number of small businesses which local residents can do their shopping at. This is not only restricted to settlements as the industrial zone is home to the only Big Box Store in the commune. The other stores consist of but are not limited to grocery stores, drink shops and bakeries. Contern also has a variety of hair salons and pharmacies. Most of these are concentrated around Moutfort due to the E29 main road slicing the town in twain. The commune is full of mixed use development hence why shops although occasionally found in dedicated shopping districts, are still just as often in residential areas.[51]

Culture, sport and leisure

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There are many cultural centres in Contern all of which have their own events. They are Chapel Street in Medingen, Moutfort Cultural and Sports Centre, Oetrange Cultural Centre, and "An Henks" Cultural Centre in Contern.[52] There are a total 7 different monuments in Contern, dotted across the various towns and serving different purposes. There are 3 different war memorials, one it Contern itself, one it Oetrange and one in Moutfort. In Moutfort there is another monument to the liberators in Luxembourg, and in Oetrange there is a white bridge named Liberation Bridge. There are 2 smaller monuments, one in the industrial zone, and one more in Moutfort.[53]

The Comic Strip Festival is a festival that was started by a man named Daniel Grun and has been going since 1994. It was the first of its kind in the country although that no longer stays true to this day.[54] It is known as BD Contern.[55]

Appelfest is an annual Autumn festival that happens in Contern, near the Gemeng. It is very well known amongst the locals and every year before happening has banners placed on the lampposts on the streets entering the town and has road signs pointing to it to inform everyone when it is happening.

 
End of Winter Bonfire 2022
 
Close up of the Bonfire

Every year in March at a relatively random date, in the south-west of Contern near Hoehenhof on a small trail, a large bonfire is made and the local residents are invited to a gathering. This is a historic tradition to "burn away the winter" and say hello to spring. It has been going before mass adoption of the Christian Calendar hence does not take place the same day every year. In 2022 it took place on 5 March.

There are many cultural events which happen in Contern.[56] For younger people there are a number of small play areas dotted around the commune.[57][58] There is also the Yearly Christmas March, which will take place on 4–5 December in 2022.

There are many local festivals and events that happen in Contern, including Integration Week, Day of Sporting and Cultural Merit, Environment Week, Commemoration Day and many more.[59]

Autopedestrians is a series of hiking/biking paths which are mapped out by the commune to increase use and decrease risk. There are 7 in total, all of which are clearly marked and labelled, with maps available online.[60] Some of them leave the commune at times, while most only go between towns in Contern.[61][62]

Contern has many cycle paths that are part of Regional or National collaboration. There are also many unmarked gravel or paved paths which are mostly dedicated to cyclists all across the commune. This includes many paths linking hamlets such as Faerschthaff so that their tractors can access the farm more easily. Motor vehicles excluding tractors are banned from all these paths, but they are open to cyclists.[63]

There are a number of basketball courts and football fields within and just outside the commune. There is also a children's Football Club with a full size playing field located at Moutfort. It is the "Union Sportif Moutfort-Medingen" or USMM for short, set up in 1937. It attracts people not just from Contern but also the neighbouring communes.[64]

Contern is also home to many public courts for Multisports and Petanque.[65][66] The nearest swimming pool is regional, outside of the commune entirely in Nideranven.[67]

Social component

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Contern is in partnership with the communes in Schuttrange and Weiler-La-Tour with whom they share a social office in Moutfort.[68]

Contern endeavours to get the entire population to speak a large variety of languages. Many Local Children speak Luxembourgish, French, German and even English. The commune wishes to spread the speaking of all these languages to everyone in their boundaries, assisted heavily by their Luxembourgish Courses.[69]

Luxembourgish has been on the rise recently, with many documents being posted in Luxembourgish, sometimes exclusively, the commune of Contern is encouraging learning of the national language through courses set up exclusively by them. Courses occur yearly and are encouraged due to the large immigrant population of the commune.[70]

Municipality

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The commune of Contern operates many of the services of its designated area.[71] The commune runs multiple buildings such as the Town Hall, Municipal Workshop, Social office, etc.[72] It also issues many public documents available online and job applications to work for the commune directly are possible, even for people as young as 16.[73][74] All new regulations made the by the commune are also available in PDF form online.[75] The human resources department service is responsible for managing Municipal jobs, this includes jobs for students aged 16 and over during the summer.[76] The commune also offers the "cost of living allowance." It comes from the FNS and can be applied for so long as the decision is enclosed with the SNSF agreement. Like many other things it has a PDF to accompany with, which is supposed to be filled in.[77] There's also a separate National Fund for Low income citizens, the total sum is determined mostly by their household.[78]

WIFI4EU

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Contern has worked with the European Commission to bring publicly available WI-FI to certain areas of the commune. These include both the site of the former school and parts of the current one, Prince Charles Park in Oetrange, the park in Moutfort and the Cultural Centre in Medingen. These by no coincidence, are all located within the 4 main settlements in Contern. There are potentially more areas which meet the criteria set by the European Commission to warrant a new hotspot but none are planned for the moment. WIFI4EU is by no means unique to Contern.[79]

References

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  2. ^ lustat.statec.lu https://lustat.statec.lu/vis?lc=fr&tm=population%20par%20commune&pg=0&df%5Bds%5D=ds-release&df%5Bid%5D=DF_X021&df%5Bag%5D=LU1&df%5Bvs%5D=1.1&pd=,&dq=A.&vw=tb. Retrieved 2024-09-20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Registre national des personnes physiques RNPP : Population par localité". data.public.lu. 2024-01-07.
  4. ^ "Liste des localités avec coordonnées - Portail Open Data". data.public.lu (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  5. ^ https://luxembourg.public.lu/dam-assets/publications/le-luxembourg-en-chiffres/luxembourg-figures.pdf
  6. ^ Parts of Path and Bridge are displayed on the Contern Plan de Reperage between am ale Weier and Op der Syrener-Heed some remnants of the path are still in use: OSM Relation Retrieved 14th January 2024
  7. ^ Wampach, Camille (1930). Geschichte der Grundherrschaft Echternach im Frühmittelalter (in Luxembourgish). Luxembourg: Luxemburger Kunstdruckerei. pp. 234–235.
  8. ^ a b c Hansen, Kevin M. (2016). Map Guide to Luxembourg Parish Registers. Family Roots Publishing Company. p. 138. ISBN 9781628590807.
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