Contern

Contern () is a commune in Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Luxembourg. As of 2021, 3,968 people in the commune of Contern but the town itself in the middle of the commune is home to 1743 people as of 2022. The other villages in Contern are Moutfort, Oetrange, Medingen and Milbech. Contern also has various hamlets
History.
The name Contern was first seen in a charter in 879/880/903/904 AD, although its first official listing was in 1128 and it is almost certain Contern dated back to the Era. In the 14th century it was wirtten as "Guntrein." Contern in the 13th century got a lot of influence from Christianity and Chivalry. At this time Contern became a parish and has its church built. From 1945 onwards, Contern's municipal structure was made up of Contern, Oetrange, Moutfort and Medingen. The Commune of Contern has existed since the 19th century.
Archaeology.
Although no prominent archaeological sites or artifacts date back to the Celtic times, plenty has been left over since the Romans including some housing and remnants of an aqueduct. The most prominent thing from the Romans however is the Gallo-Roman villa, it stood on the current site of the town and there are still remains of it 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, thus an "n" was added on the end. 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.
Pilgrimages.
Conter has long been a target of many pilgrimages. In Contern, the sacred Walburga was offered to heal "evil eyes" or to do something against the "evil gaze". The Luxembourgish dialect poet Jakob Diedenhoven describes the course of these pilgrimages in an ironic way in 1830 in his "prayer for Conter" :
Population.
In 2020 the commune of Contern had a population of 3939, with a population density of around 188 people per square kilometer. The town itself had a population of 1743 which is far higher than what it had in the 2001 census of 1065.
Transport.
Road.
Contern has one major road linking it with Luxembourg city, the E29 which runs through Moutfort, other smaller roads link Moutfort with the rest of the commune.
Bus.
Contern is served by many different bus routes as is many of the other towns within the commune.
Rail.
CFL Line 30 runs through the commune with 2 stations in Sandweiler-Contern and Oetrange. There is also a freight railway which connects Oetrange with Berchem avoiding Luxembourg City.