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Troisvierges

*Ëlwen* (Luxembourgish)
*Ulflingen* (German)
Troisvierges Ëlwen (Luxembourgish); Ulflingen (German)
Commune
	Binsfeld street
	Coat of arms
	Map of Luxembourg with Troisvierges highlighted in orange, and the canton in dark red
	Coordinates: 50°07′00″N 6°00′00″E / 50.1167°N 6°E
Country	Luxembourg
Canton	Clervaux
Government
• Mayor	Claude Daman
Area
• Total	37.86 km2 (14.62 sq mi)
• Rank	15th of 100
Highest elevation	560 m (1,840 ft)
• Rank	1st of 100
Lowest elevation	407 m (1,335 ft)
• Rank	102nd of 100
Population (2023)
• Total	3,513
• Rank	49th of 100
• Density	93/km2 (240/sq mi)
• Rank	71st of 100
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
LAU 2	LU0000504
Website	troisvierges.lu

Troisvierges (French: [tʁwɑvjɛʁʒ]; Luxembourgish: Ëlwen [ˈəlvən] ^ⓘ; German: Ulflingen [ˈʊlflɪŋən]) is a commune with town status in northern Luxembourg, in the canton of Clervaux. Troisvierges is both the northernmost and highest commune of Luxembourg, as the two highest hills in the country, the Kneiff (560 m) and Buurgplaatz (559 m), are located in the commune.

As of 2023^[update], the town of Troisvierges, which lies in the south of the commune, has a population of 1,941.^[1] Other towns within the commune include Basbellain, Drinklange, Hautbellain, Huldange, and Wilwerdange.

Until 28 December 1908, the commune was known as "Basbellain", after its former administrative centre. On that date, the administrative centre was moved from Basbellain to Troisvierges.^[2]

The coat of arms granted to Troisvierges in 1982 shows three virgins, representing Faith, Hope and Charity; a mountain, for the Oesling region; a stylised papal cross from the oldest known document naming the place; and a railway and wheel, for the importance of the railway in the town's development.^[3]

History

The first known reference to the place was made in 1353 under its German name Ulflingen. The French name Troisvierges was adopted in the 17th century when Walloon pilgrims started using it to refer to the three virgins Saint Fides, Saint Spes and Saint Caritas. The Franciscan church of Troisvierges was built in 1658. By 1900, most of the local population were railway and customs employees. There were some 1,550 inhabitants in 1910.

Troisvierges is known for being the site of the start of hostilities on the Western Front in the First World War. On 1 August 1914, German soldiers of the 69th Infantry Regiment disembarked at the town's railway station, violating the terms of Germany's use of the railways and hence violating Luxembourg's neutrality. This began a four-year occupation of Luxembourg by German forces.^[4]

Notable people

Nicolas Adames (1813-1887), the first Bishop of Luxembourg.
Pierre Prüm (1886–1950), politician and jurist, 14th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, 1925/1926.
Albert Neumann (1899–1976), a Luxembourgish gymnast, competed at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics
Jean-Pierre Schmitz (1932–2017), a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer.

Population

^[5]

Twin towns — sister cities

Troisvierges is a member of the Charter of European Rural Communities, a town twinning association across the European Union, alongside with:^[6]

Bienvenida, Spain
Bièvre, Belgium
Bucine, Italy
Cashel, Ireland
Cissé, France
Desborough, England, United Kingdom
Esch, Netherlands
Hepstedt, Germany
Ibănești, Romania
Kandava, Latvia
Kannus, Finland
Kolindros, Greece
Lassee, Austria
Medzev, Slovakia
Moravče, Slovenia
Næstved, Denmark
Nagycenk, Hungary
Nadur, Malta
Ockelbo, Sweden
Pano Lefkara, Cyprus
Põlva, Estonia
Samuel, Portugal
Slivo Pole, Bulgaria
Starý Poddvorov, Czech Republic
Strzyżów, Poland
Tisno, Croatia
Žagarė, Lithuania

Images

Troisvierges townhall
St Andrew's church
Interior of St Andrew's church
Altar of the Three Virgins, St Andrew's church

References

^ "Registre national des personnes physiques RNPP : Population par localité". data.public.lu. 2024-01-07.
^ "Mémorial A, 1908, No. 77" (PDF) (in French). Service central de législation. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
^ Heraldry of the World
^ Tuchman, Barbara, The Guns of August. (Macmillan, New York: 1962) 82
^ "Population par canton et commune". statistiques.public.lu. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
^ "Charter members". europeancharter.eu. Charter of European Rural Communities. Retrieved 2019-09-05.