Contern is a commune and town in southern Luxembourg. It is located east of Luxembourg City. As of 2024 the commune has a population of 4,513 whereas the town itself, which lies in the south-west of the commune, has a population of 1,876. The main towns are Contern, Moutfort and Oetrange and there are two small villages, Medingen and Milbech. Additionally the commune contains the lieux-dits of Bricherhaff, Brichermillen, Kréintgeshaff, Kackerterhaff, Marxeknupp and Pleitrange. 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 focused 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, it 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.

History

Early history

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. This has not however been established despite the presence of remnants of Roman infrastructure within the boundaries of today's commune. They include a crossing over the Trudlerbaach, part of the Roman road linking Luxembourg and Dalheim, with remnants of the road passing through the farmstead of Faerschthaff. In the commune, there are also remains of an ancient Roman aqueduct, a temple and a few Roman villas. Signs of Celtic habitation are significantly less clear. The name Contern first appeared in a charter from 879 AD, although its first official listing was by Pope Honorius II in 1128. In spite of this it is almost certain Contern dates back to the Celtic Era. In the 14th century it was recorded in writing as Guntrein. Contern in the 13th century was considerably influenced by Christianity and chivalry. At this time Contern became a parish which led to the construction of its church. Contern was officially incorporated as a parish in 1621. In 1684, neighbouring Oetrange also became a parish followed by Moutfort in 1707. At the time, the parish of Contern had no lieux-dits although Oetrange was home to the settlement of Kackerterhaff. Moutfort included the settlements of Medingen and Milbech as well as Moulin de Milbech and the farmstead of Pleitrange. By 1796 Contern was incorporated as an Arrondissement of Luxembourg District, which encapsulated several localities: Contern remained an arrondissement until 1912. At some point in the early 19th Century, communes were introduced to Luxembourg which saw the foundation of the Commune. Precise details are unknown but the earliest census applicable to Contern with its current boundaries is from 1821 and the oldest officially archived reference to Contern as a commune dates back to 1816, which is the first occurance of it being officially listed as a commune. The oldest mention of Contern in a newspaper dates back to 1842 ex By 1890 most of the former arrondissements of Contern were incorporated as lieux-dits and census subdivisions. 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 thereafter in 1948, the parishes of Contern and Moutfort were effectively dissolved.

21st century

On November 8th 2000, Contern's municipal council passed a bill approving the sale of land in the Weiergewann and Scheid cadastral districts as well as modifying the building regulations in Weiergewann and formulated the plan regarding taxation and forestry use for the 2001 fiscal budget. The budget was later rectified on November 30th and all then Contern joined the Luxembourgish Climate Alliance (Klimabündnis-Lëtzebuerg). Around this same time, Contern.lu was set up. In November of 2023, the DuPont chemical plant located partially within Contern threatened to lay off a large portion of its staff. In 2024, a small car park in the town centre beside the church cemetery just off of CR243 Trunk Road was converted into a small pedestrianised square. In May, it was controversially announced that the square would be named “Place de Luc Frieden” in the honour of the sitting primer minister of Luxembourg who has resided in the commune for 30 years. The mayor of Contern, Marion Zovillé-Braquet who was affiliated with Frieden’s party CSV states that the naming was by no means political meanwhile councillors of Contern affiliated with DP stated that naming a square after a sitting prime minister is a “practice common in dictatorships” and that street names should generally be a “Posthumous honour” of LSAP backed up the mayor amid the controversy having already voted in favour of the name in the council meeting.

Archaeology

Although no prominent archaeological sites or artifacts date back to Celtic times, much remains from the Romans including some housing ruins and remnants of an aqueduct. Additionally a mosaic of the Roman god Epona was discovered in Contern. The most prominent item from the Romans however the Gallo-Roman villa which stood on the current site of the town. Its remains can be seen 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., An "n" was therefore added. 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

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

Boundaries

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. In general, the borders of Contern are not defined by any major roads of rivers but there are exceptions. Between Eitermillen and the border with Sandweiler, the Kackeshbaach marks the border between Contern and Schuttrange. Between Syren and Brichemillen, the River Syre marks the border with Weiler-La-Tour and east of the Contern-Sandweiler industrial zone, the Réimeschbaach marks the border with Hesperange.

Topography

Contern covers an area of 20.55 square kilometres, making it, as of 2022, the 54th largest commune in Luxembourg out of 102. 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 4,513 inhabitants. Contern lies within the Guttland region of Luxembourg and covers part of both the Luxembourg Plateau and Moselle Valley sub-regions. The contrast between the two sub regions gives Contern a varying topography, from the rolling hills in the south, north and west to the sharp sandstone cliffs to the east around Medingen. Contern is largely centred around the River Syre, which nearly perfectly bisects the commune, and to a lesser extent, its tributaries. The Syre flows north-east from Syren in the commune of Weiler-la-Tour continuing up to the border with Schuttrange halfway between Oetrange and Schrassig. Whilst flowing through the commune, it directly bisects both Moutfort and Oetrange and the lieux-dits of Bricherhaff and Brichermillen. There is one tributary of the Syre which directly hosts a settlement, the Kackeschbaach with Eitermillen. The remaining settlements are located atop hills including Contern itself.

Climate

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.

Geology

Being in the Guttland region, Contern’s geological structure consists largely of Luxembourg Sandstone with deposits of lime and clay underneath. The rock formations that now surround the River Syre date back to the late Triassic period.

Settlements

Towns

Moutfort Oetrange

Villages

Millbech

Lieux-dits

Brichermillen Kackerterhaff Kréintgeshaff Marxeknupp Éitermillen Pleitrange

Localities

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

Suburbs

Industrial zones

Rosswénkel Weiergewann

Rivers and streams

Contern lies exclusively within the Rhine and Moselle basins. Most of Contern’s territory flows into the Moselle through the Syre. A small portion in the northwest of the commune however flows into the Alzette and the Sauer before reaching the Moselle. The Syre itself passes though the commune and is a defining feature of the landscape. It flows southwest to north east but does not pass near the centre of the commune. Instead, it initially runs across the south before turning and running up north. The central and eastern areas of the commune are home to tributaries of the Alzette.

Syre

Trudlerbaach

Schleederbaach

The Schleederbaach, sometimes referred to as the Millebaach, is a brook which flows from the Contern-Sandweiler industrial estate to just west of Moutfort where it meets the Syre. Historically the course of the Schleederbaach was different but was changed by the construction of the industrial zone. Now there are many channels of water within the industrial zone which flow into the Schleederbaach, additionally there is one notable tributary of the Schleederbaach in the form of a small brook near Milbech which flows from a nearby spring out of the adjacent sandstone cliffs. Similarly the cliffs which make up the Schleederbaach valley also accumulate large amount groundwater from areas just east of Contern and west of Kackerterhaff and channel it into the brook.

Forests

Contern has 800 hectares of forests within its borders taking up around 37% of its land area.

Land Allocation

Contern is divided into 6 cadastral sections which are themselves comprised of multiple cadastral regions. All plots of land are grouped into one of these cadastral region.

Demographics

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.

Population

Records of the population of the commune have existed since shortly after its inception with the oldest dating back to 1821. Initially censuses and estimates were few, far between and irregular, however since 1975 statistics have been compiled annually. Contern’s population has mostly been rising steadily over the past 200 years with the exception of the second half of the 19th century when there was a prolonged period of decline. Since the 1970s the population of Contern began to rise significantly as a result of an economic boom in Luxembourg.

Population by locality

Since 2021, the population of the individual towns in the commune has been independently compiled, censuses taking place every decade also distinguish between localities. Population totals for each of these localities also include the general area around the locality including nearby lieu-dits. In the 19th century much of the Census data concerning the populations of each individual locality was publicised, notably also including the Lieu-dits:

Age Structure

Vital statistics

Migration

Foreign population

Employment

Economy

Contern is a commuter town, largely dependant on Luxembourg city for its economy. Contern however also has a major industrial district which makes up the bulk of Contern’s economic output. As a result of the industry, more people work in the commune than reside in it.

Industry

Contern consists of two quite separate industrial zones. Although officially separate, locally they are often considered 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 fully-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. Employing over 5,000, the area is home to more than 110 companies and is quickly growing and attracting new developments.

Transportation

Road

Contern is 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 five to ten 5–10 years to build a new motorway exit on the Luxembourg Ring to serve Contern and Itzig. Contern is involved with websites that provide traffic info. The first road infrastructure constructed within the boundaries of the today's commune was also the oldest known instance of any infrastructure in the commune in the form of the Roman road from Luxembourg City to Dalheim, including a crossing over the Trudlerbaach. Parts of this road including the river crossing still remain in the locality of op der Syrener-Heed.

Motorways

No Motorways pass directly through Contern, the nearest is the A1, currently the nearest junction to Contern is in Hamm, adjacent to the neighbouring Commune of Sandweiler. In 2016, the Governing CSV party proposed a new junction on the A1 in order to serve Contern, Itzig and the Contern-Sandweiler industrial estate as well as a new road to connect the junction to all of those places citing the alarming increase of through traffic in the commune as the main reason the construct it. The new connecting road would run directly to the Contern-Sandweiler industrial estate.

Trunk Roads

There are 2 Trunk Roads (Route National) The most prominent is the N2 which makes up a part of European Route E29.

Secondary Roads

Contern has several secondary roads (chemin repris):

Bus

Contern is served by many different bus routes as are many of the other towns within the commune.

Rail

The Commune of Contern is served by CFL Line 30. There are two stations inside the commune, Oetrange Railway Station and Sandweiler-Contern Station. The track also passes through Moutfort and Milbech which have no stations. Typically Oetrange is served by two regional trains an hour westboud: one to Luxembourg City westbound and one to Wittlich; eastboud one to Wasserbillig. 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 has no regular passenger service unless the line between Luxembourg and Oetrange is closed for engineering works. Rail transport initially reached the commune in 1861 when what would become CFL Line 30 was built by Guillaume-Luxembourg. Both stations in the commune today were opened then.

Air

The nearest airport to Contern is Luxembourg Airport, located a few miles north of the commune.

Municipality and governance

Contern is a commune which has a local government and therefore a mayor and council. Elections are held every six years alongside all 99 other Luxembourg communes. The Mayor is currently Marion Zovilé-Braquet.

Elections

Elections in Contern occur on three 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.

Municipal elections

As Contern has a population between 3,000 and 5,999 it elects a total of 11 councillors, including two aldermen and the mayor. Additionally as a result of having a population of over 3,000, municipal elections are held using proportional representation. Participation is mandatory for Luxembourg citizens and unlike in general elections, non-Luxembourg European Union citizens are permitted to vote provided they have valid residency. 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 the mayor also heads the "le collège Echevinal" and the Municipal Council. The Collège Echevinal consists of the mayor and his two advisors who have varied responsibilities. The first alderman handles areas including mobility, weather, and fairtrade, while the second alderman oversees the environment, finances and agriculture. The Municipal Council consists of 11 elected members including the two aldermen, the mayor and eight councilors. They are the legislators of the municipality. Meetings happen roughly every three months, take place in the town hall and are public unless otherwise stated. The municipal elections in Contern use a form of multi-candidate proportional representation, each contesting party generally puts forward 11 candidates, one for every seat available ,each voter also gets 11 votes however they needn't utilise all of them. Voters have the option to vote for a party in which case they give one vote to each candidate from that party or they can distribute their 11 votes between individual candidates as they please. They can also give any candidate up to 2 votes. The 11 seats are then distributed by party in accordance with what percentage of the popular vote they received. Then the candidates with the most votes in their respective party are assigned seats until all of the party's seats have been exhausted.

2023 municipal election

The 2023 Local Elections in Luxembourg all took place on the 11 June 2023 to elect the members of all the local councils of Luxembourg, including the 11 members of Contern Municipal Council. Following the 2017 Municipal Election, the Christian Social People's Party held the largest number of seats in the Municipal Council with 5, 2 of the 3 Aldermen were also affiliated with CSV. Four parties ran in the election, each putting forward 11 candidates.

2017 municipal election

2011 municipal election

In the aftermath of the election, DP, LSAP and Déi Gréng formed a coalition government excluding CSV, the party with the most votes and seats. This resulted in unrest and protests against the then current electoral system.

2005 municipal election

National legislative elections

European parliamentary elections

Services

Education

The commune owns and runs a school in the southwest of the town. The commune is delegated with the task of ensuring that Government Mandated Education is enforced, the education budget is controlled, and that the school buses linking the rest of the commune with the school are operational. Many local residents, particularly of secondary school, tend to have their education outside the commune. There is also a school in Oetrange.

Financial

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

Emergency services

Contern is not home to any hospitals, medical clinics, police stations or fire stations and must rely on neighbouring communes for such services.

Waste collection

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.

Urban planning

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

Other

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

Social component

Contern is in partnership with the communes in Schuttrange and Weiler-la-Tour with whom they share an office in Moutfort. Contern endeavors to encourage 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. 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 they have arranged. Courses occur yearly to meet the needs of the large immigrant population.

Municipality

The commune of Contern operates many of the services in its designated area. The commune runs multiple buildings such as the town hall, municipal workshop and social office. It also issues many public documents available online. Applications for commune job are possible, even for people as young as 16. All new regulations made the by the commune are also available in PDF form online. The human resources department service is responsible for managing municipal jobs, including jobs for students aged 16 and over during the summer. The commune also offers the "cost of living allowance." It comes from the FNS and can be applied for as long as the decision is enclosed with the SNSF agreement, together with an PDF form which needs to be completed. There's also a separate National Fund for low income citizens, the total sum is determined mostly by their household.

WIFI4EU

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 four 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.

Coat of arms

Description

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." 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.

Usage

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

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.

Culture, sport and leisure

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. There are a total of seven different monuments in Contern, dotted across the various towns and serving different purposes. There are three different war memorials, one in Contern itself, one in 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 two smaller monuments, one in the industrial zone, and one more in Moutfort. The Comic Strip Festival 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 is now no longer the case. It is known as BD Contern. Appelfest is an annual autumn festival that takes place in Contern, near the Gemeng or municipal administration. It is well known amongst the locals and every year banners are placed on the lampposts on the streets into the town and road signs point to it to inform everyone when and where it will take place. Every year on the first Sunday in Lent, as in the rest of Luxembourg Contern celebrates the burgbreenen festival on a small trail near Hoehenhof. 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. There are many cultural events which happen in Contern. For younger people there are a number of small play areas dotted around the commune. There is also the annual Christmas March in early December. Local festivals and events in Contern include Integration Week, Day of Sporting and Cultural Merit, Environment Week, Commemoration Day and many more. The Auto pédestre hiking paths are mapped out by the commune to increase use and decrease risk. There are seven of these in Contern, all clearly marked and labelled, with maps available online. Some of them leave the commune at times, while most only go between towns in Contern. Contern has many cycle paths that are part of regional or national itineries. 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. Contern has semi-professional basketball team in the form of AB Contern who have won the Luxembourg basketball League and cup on multiple occasions. 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. Contern is also home to many public courts for Multisports and Petanque. The nearest swimming pool is regional, outside of the commune entirely in Nideranven.

Notable people