Virton Viertån (Gaumais) | |
|---|---|
City andmunicipality | |
 The town hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Virton in Luxembourg province | |
 Interactive map of Virton | |
  Virton Location in Belgium | |
| Coordinates:49°34.05′N05°31.95′E / 49.56750°N 5.53250°E /49.56750; 5.53250 | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Community | French Community |
| Region | Wallonia |
| Province | Luxembourg |
| Arrondissement | Virton |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | François Culot (IC-MR) |
| • Governing parties | IC-MR,Ecolo+, Ensemble Autrement |
| Area | |
• Total | 95.63 km2 (36.92 sq mi) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 11,323 |
| • Density | 118.4/km2 (306.7/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 6760-6762 |
| NIS code | 85045 |
| Area codes | 063 |
| Website | (in French)virton.be |
Virton (French pronunciation:[viʁ.tɔ̃]ⓘ;Gaumais:Viertån;Walloon:Vierton) is acity andmunicipality ofWallonia located in theprovince of Luxembourg,Belgium. It is also the administrative centre of thedistrict (arrondissement) of the same name, as well as the principal town of the small region ofBelgian Lorraine known as theGaume, famous for itsmicroclimate.
The municipality consists of the followingdistricts:Bleid,Ethe,Latour,Ruette,Saint-Mard, and Virton. Other population centers include: Chenois, Gomery, Grandcourt, and Saint-Remy.
Several archeological finds indicate that the area was already inhabited before theRomans built villas there and named the townVertunum. In the early 5th century, the Romans had to flee theGermanic invasions. Their settlement was destroyed and rebuilt by theFranks somewhat north of its original site.
Virton was mentioned for the first time inPope Lucius III'sbull of 1183 as afiefdom of the House ofChiny. As overlords of Virton, the Counts of Chiny could levy taxes (thetonlieu) on the various goods sold at the local market, which is attested as early as 1270. In 1441, theDuchy of Luxembourg was sold toPhilip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. From that date, Virton, like many otherWalloon cities, became embroiled in more than two centuries of wars betweenFrance,Spain, and theNetherlands, with all the fighting, famine, epidemics (including plague), and economic disasters that ensued. The city fared better under the rule ofMaria Theresa of Austria in the 18th century, thanks in part to the development ofLorraine's steel industry.
TheFrench Revolution shattered those advances.[citation needed] Virton had to wait until the departure ofNapoleon in 1815 to see prosperous times again. Virton enthusiastically participated in theBelgian Revolution and even in theFrench Revolution of 1848. On August 22, 1914, at the onset ofWorld War I, hundreds of inhabitants were summarily executed by the invadingGerman army, while mass deportations occurred duringWorld War II. Virton is now the centre of commerce and tourism for theGaume region.
The town became an icon inIsraeli sports history afterMaccabi Tel Aviv defeatedCSKA Moscow 91:79 in aEuropean Basketball Champions' Cup game on 17 February 1977, in the town's sports arena. CSKA hosted the game in Virton due to lack of diplomatic relations between theSoviet Union andIsrael at the time. The victory is widely considered as pivotal in Maccabi's history, thus making the town's name widely known among Israeli sports fans.[2]
| Climate data for Virton | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) | 6.0 (42.8) | 10.0 (50.0) | 13.5 (56.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 19.1 (66.4) | 13.9 (57.0) | 7.9 (46.2) | 5.3 (41.5) | 13.8 (56.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.8 (30.6) | −1.2 (29.8) | 0.9 (33.6) | 2.5 (36.5) | 6.8 (44.2) | 9.9 (49.8) | 11.7 (53.1) | 11.2 (52.2) | 8.2 (46.8) | 5.4 (41.7) | 1.9 (35.4) | 0.3 (32.5) | 4.7 (40.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 101.0 (3.98) | 78.9 (3.11) | 86.7 (3.41) | 61.9 (2.44) | 78.8 (3.10) | 78.1 (3.07) | 76.7 (3.02) | 63.9 (2.52) | 78.2 (3.08) | 92.8 (3.65) | 95.1 (3.74) | 118.8 (4.68) | 1,010.9 (39.8) |
| Average precipitation days | 14 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 140 |
| Source:World Meteorological Organisation (UN)[3] | |||||||||||||
Virton,Florenville, and many other neighbouring villages were the homes of manyCanadian families whose fathers/husbands were stationed nearby atRCAF Station No. 1 (F) Wing, inMarville,France. Prior to moving the base toLahr,Germany, there were ceremonies in these towns and inLonguyon,France (Permanent Married Quarters), where the Canadians left three small 'thunderbird'totem poles. These totems are still there and were rededicated in September 2005 on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the base.
Places adjacent to Virton | |
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Municipalities of theprovince of Luxembourg,Wallonia | ||
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| Arlon |  | |
| Bastogne | ||
| Marche-en-Famenne | ||
| Neufchâteau | ||
| Virton | ||
Bold indicatescities | ||
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| National | |
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