Vianden
| coat of arms | map |
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| Basic data | |
| State : |
 Luxembourg
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| Coordinates : | 49 ° 56 ' N , 6 ° 12' E |
| Canton : | Vianden |
| Residents : | 2080 (January 1, 2019) |
| Area : | 9.67 km² |
| Population density : | 215.1 inhabitants / km² |
| Municipality number: | 0903 |
| Website: | www.vianden.lu |
| politics | |
| Mayor: | Claude Tonino |
| Elective system : | Majority vote |
Vianden ( Luxembourgish Veianen, Veinen ) is a municipality in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg . Vianden is the capital of the Vianden canton of the same name and one of the most important tourist destinations in Luxembourg.
Geographical location
Vianden is located in the northeast of Luxembourg on the border with the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate , on both sides of the border river Our . The part of Vianden east of the Our is the only area of Luxembourg east of the rivers Our, Sauer and Moselle, which otherwise form the German-Luxembourg border ( joint German-Luxembourg territory ) and thus forms the only land border between the two states for a few kilometers.
Worth seeing
Vianden Castle towers over the city . Most of it has been restored in the last few decades. The castle is the former seat of the County of Vianden . Yolanda von Vianden was born in the castle.
In November 1944 the castle became the scene of fighting between 37 resistance fighters of the Luxembourg militia led by Vic Abens and a unit of around 250 SS men. The militia was able to repel the capture of the town and the strategically well-located castle by the SS, which had to retreat across the border river after heavy losses (38 dead).
Because of the connection between the Counts Nassau and Vianden, the takeover of the County of Vianden by the House of Nassau, the dispute in the House of Vianden and its consequences, the castle is especially worth seeing for Dutch visitors interested in the history of the Orange-Nassau dynasty .
The Victor Hugo House
Between 1862 and 1871, the French writer Victor Hugo visited the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg five times and spent some time in Vianden as a political refugee. The house in which Victor Hugo lived has been a museum since 1935.
Trinitarian Church
The Trinitarian Church Vianden is an early Gothic two-aisled hall church and was built in the 13th century.
Sodality Chapel
In the immediate vicinity of the Trinitarian Church is the sodality chapel, built in 1761. She belongs to the Marian Sodality . This was founded in Vianden in 1738 and dates from the 16th century. Her relatives boys and men dedicate their whole lives to Mary. Next to the entrance to the chapel is a statue of the Madonna. The baroque altar in the chapel is believed to have been made by Michael Weiler. The center of the statue is the Immaculate statue: Maria stands with her left foot on a crescent moon, while her right foot kicks a snake carrying an apple on the neck.
Events
- In the first three weeks of August there is a medieval festival in Vianden.
- The Veiner Nëssmoort (Viandener nut market) is a large folk festival that takes place annually on the 2nd Sunday in October and is known beyond the country's borders. (Except for cantonal elections, then already on the 1st weekend)
World Heritage
In October 1993, the UNESCO Commission based at the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture registered the castle and town in the so-called tentative list maintained by UNESCO as a potential World Heritage Site . An entry there is the prerequisite for an application to be awarded a corresponding title, in this case a World Heritage Site , at a later date . After little had happened in the following years and for several years, a committee was founded in 2010 to compile the necessary documents and thus promote Vianden's application. In February 2012 this was then submitted to UNESCO. At the regular meeting of the World Heritage Committee in June 2013 in Phnom Penh , the Luxembourg request was to be decided. However, since it became apparent in advance that the ICOMOS advisory committee , whose recommendation plays a central role in the award decision, would give a rather negative vote, the application was withdrawn at short notice. The extensive vacancies in the old town, the poor condition of these buildings and the inadequate public participation were particularly criticized . The application should be revised and then resubmitted. When this will happen is not yet known. Nevertheless, the status as a World Heritage Site is already being used for advertising purposes in connection with Vianden, including by the official tourism association of the Grand Duchy.
various
Vianden has one of the largest European pumped storage power plants, the Vianden pumped storage plant . Inside the system, water is pumped from the Our River into a basin on a mountain when electricity consumption is low . At peak times of electricity consumption, the water from the reservoir is fed back into the river. With the help of hydropower, generators are operated to generate electricity. The caverns (mountain tunnels with generators) and the reserve basin can be visited.
Vianden is on the Diekirch – Vianden narrow-gauge railway . Today the former railway line between Fouhren and Vianden is partly used as a cycle path .
Personalities
- Meginher von Falmagne (also called Meginher von Vianden ) (* around 1070–1130), Archbishop of Trier
- Yolanda von Vianden (* approx. 1231–1283), prioress of the Marienthal monastery
- Victor Abens (1912–1993), resistance fighter and politician
photos
Vianden, aerial photo (2017)
View of Vianden from the castle
Bridge in the city
With the cable car over the river
Saint Nicholas Chapel
Victor Hugo House
Trinitarian Church
Old police station with court cross, today the seat of the Milites Viennenses
View of the dam at Vianden
The town hall
École Primaire
Bust of Victor Hugo
Hockelsturm
Statue of St. John Nepomuk "Bommenzinnes" on the Our Bridge
Web links
- Website of the municipality of Vianden
- Website for the application of the castle and city of Viandens as a World Heritage site (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ STATEC Luxembourg - Population par canton et commune 1821–2019 (French)
- ↑ On the trail of the Orange-Nassau dynasty . Lëtzebuerger Journal ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. [uid] = 9954 & cHash = 0f8dc92b45 April 15, 2010.
- ↑ La ville et le château de Vianden . Entry in the tentative list of UNESCO on their website, accessed on April 7, 2014 (French)
- ↑ The decision on World Heritage status will be made in June . Lëtzebuerger Journal , April 3, 2013, accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Setback for Vianden's application for admission to the Unesco World Heritage Site . Luxemburger Wort , June 13, 2013, accessed April 7, 2014
- ^ Page on the Luxembourg World Heritage Sites on the website of the Luxembourg National Tourist Board, accessed on April 7, 2014
