La Roche-en-Ardenne
| La Roche-en-Ardenne | |||
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| State : |
 Belgium
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| Region : | Wallonia | ||
| District : | Arrondissement of Marche-en-Famenne | ||
| Coordinates : | 50 ° 11 ′ N , 5 ° 35 ′ E | ||
| Area : | 147.52 km² | ||
| Residents: | 4,246 pop. | ||
| Post Code: | 6980 | ||
| Prefix: | 084 | ||
| Mayor: | Guy Gilloteaux | ||
| Website: | www.la-roche-en-ardenne.be | ||
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La Roche-en-Ardenne is a Walloon- Belgian municipality in the Marche-en-Famenne arrondissement in the province of Luxembourg .
geography
La Roche-en-Ardenne is located in the eastern Ardennes on the upper reaches of the river Ourthe . In the east of the municipality, the Ourthe flows through the Nisramont reservoir , which is important for the water supply.
On January 1, 2005, La Roche-en-Ardenne had 4201 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 147.52 km², which currently corresponds to a population density of 28.78 inhabitants per km². The following localities are neighboring municipalities: Houffalize , Bertogne , Tenneville , Marche-en-Famenne , Rendeux and Manhay . Other neighboring towns are Hotton and Vielsalm .
history
The castle complex that dominates the town was initially a residence in the Neolithic Age , then a fortified town, later a Roman fortress and finally in the 11th century the Roman feudal castle of the Frankish kings.
During the Ardennes offensive of the German Wehrmacht in December 1944 and January 1945, a large part of the castle complex and the town was destroyed by Allied bombing.
Buildings and more
Some monuments have been preserved in the village, including the church of St. Nicolas, built between 1899 and 1901 according to plans by the architect Clément Léonard. There is also a leaning tower on the market square as part of the old city fortifications. On the central square is an original M4 Sherman - tanks of the US Army and a British Achilles SP 17pdr the British Army as monuments to commemorate the liberation of the 1944th
The castle ruins are one of the tourist attractions of the place. The legend of the castle ghost Berthe is entwined around them. The ruin is also the starting point for climbing the highest Ardennes peak Baraque de Fraiture (652 m) and for kayaking on the Ourthe. The site has a World War II museum, the pottery museum, the Ardennes ham museum and the miller's museum.
