Bastogne(French pronunciation:[bas.tɔɲ];Dutch:Bastenaken[ˈbɑstəˌnaːkə(n)];German:Bastnach/Bastenach[ˈbast(ə)nax];Luxembourgish:Baaschtnech[ˈbaːʃtnəɕ]) is acityandmunicipalityofWallonialocated in theprovince of Luxembourgin theArdennes,Belgium.
Bastogne
| |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Bastogne  | |
  Bastogne Location in Belgium
Location of Bastogne in Luxembourg province  | |
| Coordinates:50°0.25′N05°43.2′E/ 50.00417°N 5.7200°E | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Community | French Community |
| Region | Wallonia |
| Province | Luxembourg |
| Arrondissement | Bastogne |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Benoît Lutgen(cdH) |
| • Governing party/ies | LDB-cdH |
| Area | |
• Total | 173.03 km2(66.81 sq mi) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 15,894 |
| • Density | 92/km2(240/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 6600 |
| NIS code | 82003 |
| Area codes | 061 |
| Website | www.bastogne.be |
The municipality consists of the followingdistricts:Bastogne,Longvilly,Noville,Villers-la-Bonne-Eau,andWardin.The town is situated on a ridge in theArdennesat an elevation of 510 metres (1,670 ft).
On 1 January 2025, it will merge withBertogneinto a new municipality.
History
editAt the time of the Roman conquest the region of Bastogne was inhabited by theTreveri,a tribe ofGauls.A form of the name Bastogne was first mentioned only much later, in 634, when the local lord ceded these territories to theSt Maximin's Abbey,nearTrier.A century later, the Bastogne area went to the nearbyPrüm Abbey.The town of Bastogne and its marketplace are again mentioned in an 887 document. By the 13th century,Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperorand count ofLuxemburg,was minting coins in Bastogne. In 1332,John the Blind,his son, granted the city its charter and had it encircled by defensive walls, part of which, the currentPorte de Trèves,still exists. In 1451, the lands of the county of Luxemburg were absorbed into theDuchy of Burgundyand as a result, Bastogne became part of the lands of the Spanish Crown when the Burgundian heirCharlesbecame king ofSpainin 1516.
The city's walls were quite effective at protecting it during the troubled times that followed. The city's economy actually flourished thanks to the renown of its agricultural and cattle fairs. In 1602, the walls successfully repelled an attack by forces of theDutch Republic.In 1688, they were dismantled by order of KingLouis XIVwhen the town was occupied by French forces during theNine Years War.
The 19th century andBelgium's independencewere favourable to Bastogne, as its forest products and cattle fairs became better known abroad. Several railway lines were built to link it to the neighbouring towns. This all came to an end with theGermanoccupation duringWorld War I.
World War II
editLiberated by theAllieson 10 September 1944, Bastogne was attacked by German forces a few months later.Hitler's plan was to regain control of theArdennes,splitting British from American forces, then advance to and reoccupy the strategic port ofAntwerpand cut off the key Allied supply line. TheBattle of the Bulgebegan on 16 December, whenGermanartillery, taking advantage of cold and fog, attacked the American divisions deployed sparsely around Bastogne. A few days later, Brigadier GeneralAnthony McAuliffeand the101st Airborne Divisionalong with elements of the10th Armored Divisionand the82nd Airborne Division,arrived to counter-attack but, after heavy fighting, became encircled within the town. On 22 December, German emissaries asked for the American surrender; McAuliffe answered tersely, “Nuts!” The next day the skies cleared, allowing Allied air forces to retaliate and to drop much-needed food, medicine, and weapons to ground forces. On 26 December, theThird U.S. Army,under the command ofGeneral George S. Patton,arrived and broke thesiege.The official end of theBattle of Bastogneoccurred three weeks later, when all fighting in the area ceased.
Bastogne is the terminus of theLiberty Road,the commemorative way that marks the path of liberating Allied forces, and of the Third Army that subsequently relieved Bastogne.
Geography
editBastogne is located in the Belgian Ardennes, in the east of the province of Luxembourg. The city is 12 km (7.5 mi) away from the Luxembourg border. Its altitude is 515 m (1,690 ft) high on the ridge line separating the catchment areas of the Rhine and Meuse. It is the 9th largest municipality in Belgium and the third largest in the province (afterLibramont-ChevignyandLéglise). In terms of population, it is the 4th largest municipality in the province afterArlon,Marche-en-FamenneandAubange.
The 50th degree of north latitude crosses the city.
The municipality of Bastogne comprises five sections (Bastogne proper, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin) which were separate municipalities before the1977 merger of municipalities.Each contains a number of villages.
- Bastogne: Bizory, Chifontaine, Hemroulle, Isle-la-Hesse, Isle-le-Pré, Savy, Senonchamps;
- Longvilly: Al-Hez, Arloncourt, Bourcy, Horritine, Michamps, Moinet, Oubourcy;
- Noville: Cobru, Fagnoux,Foy,Hardigny, Luzery, Rachamps,Recogne,Vaux, Wicourt;
- Villers-la-Bonne-Eau: Livarchamps, Losange, Lutrebois, Lutremange, Remoifosse;
- Wardin: Benonchamps, Bras, Harzy, Mageret, Marenwez, Marvie, Mont, Neffe.
Climate
editBastogne has anoceanic climatesimilar to the remainder of Belgium, but with more continental influences due to it being inland and elevated in comparison to lowland areas nearer the Atlantic. In spite of this the winters are heavily moderated for its latitude and although snowfall and frosts are common, means remain just above freezing.
| Climate data for Bastogne (1981–2010 normals; sunshine 1984–2013) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) |
4.2 (39.6) |
8.2 (46.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
19.1 (66.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
12.7 (54.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
3.8 (38.8) |
12.3 (54.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) |
0.8 (33.4) |
4.1 (39.4) |
7.1 (44.8) |
11.3 (52.3) |
14.1 (57.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
15.9 (60.6) |
12.5 (54.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
1.3 (34.3) |
8.2 (46.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.4 (27.7) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
6.3 (43.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.2 (52.2) |
10.7 (51.3) |
7.8 (46.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 104.9 (4.13) |
83.2 (3.28) |
86.9 (3.42) |
68.5 (2.70) |
78.5 (3.09) |
79.4 (3.13) |
76.9 (3.03) |
81.9 (3.22) |
78.7 (3.10) |
91.4 (3.60) |
90.0 (3.54) |
105.5 (4.15) |
1,025.8 (40.39) |
| Average precipitation days | 14.4 | 12.3 | 14.4 | 10.8 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.9 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 12.8 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 152.1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 43 | 70 | 117 | 165 | 193 | 194 | 212 | 200 | 140 | 100 | 46 | 34 | 1,513 |
| Source:Royal Meteorological Institute[2] | |||||||||||||
Sights
edit
- The101st AirborneMuseum[3]includes dioramas and more about the experiences of soldiers and civilians during the siege of the city during World War II.
- The Bastogne Barracks[4]museum is free and operated by the Belgian Army. It is located in the barracks used as the headquarters of the U.S. 101st Airborne during the Siege of Bastogne. It features an extensive collection of restored tanks and military vehicles as well as a guided tour of the underground barracks and artifacts from U.S., German and British forces. The base ( "caserne" ) is about 5 blocks from the Place de St. Pierre. The museum includes the basement office where General McAuliffe issued the famous "Nuts!" response to the German demand for surrender. Other rooms display artillery, small arms, radio and medical equipment. Belgian Army specialists guide visitors through the base.
- TheBastogne War Museumhas many war artifacts and videos recreating the experience of the Battle of the Bulge for visitors.
- ThePorte de Trèves,part of the defensive walls that had been erected in the 14th century byJohn the Blind,can still be seen.
- TheRomanesquetower of St Pierre church and its baptismal fonts also date from theMiddle Ages.
- TheMardasson Memorial,was erected near Bastogne in 1950 to honor the memory of American soldiers wounded or killed during theBattle of the Bulge.
- Monuments toBrigadier General McAuliffe,General Pattonand others can be found around town.
- Recogne German war cemetery,6 km to the North. Contains the graves of 6,807 German soldiers.
Folklore
editThe key character of all legends about Bastogne is the so-calledpiche-cacaye.[5]This is pronounced "pish-cackay".
Transportation
editBastogne originally had anNMBS/SNCBrailway line connecting it toLibramontand toGouvy.Passenger trains to Gouvy stopped in 1984[6]and in the 1990s the line to Libramont was taken out of service.[7][8]The two station buildings in Bastogne remain, but are now used for other purposes. Part of the rail line has been converted into a cycle path.
The city has two bus stations: Bastogne Nord and Bastogne Sud, supporting a rural shuttle from Bastogne Nord to Libramont stopping only at Bastogne Sud.
Sports
edit- Bastogne is the halfway point of theLiège–Bastogne–Liègeclassic bicycle race,one of the oldest and most prestigious one-day events in the professionalroad cyclingcalendar, dating back to the late 19th century.
- TheCircuit des Ardennes,which today refers toa bicycle race,used to refer to a 600 kilometres (370 mi) car race near Bastogne. The race used attracted famous enthusiasts, such asGerman Emperor William II.It was moved toFrancorchampsaroundWorld War I,where it lives on as theBelgian Grand Prix.
References
edit- ^"Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018".Statbel.Retrieved9 March2019.
- ^"Klimaatstatistieken van de Belgische gemeenten"(PDF).Royal Meteorological Institute(in Dutch).Retrieved29 May2018.
- ^"Home".101st Airborne Museum.Archivedfrom the original on May 2, 2014.
- ^"Bastogne Barracks War Heritage Institute".Facebook.com.
- ^"The Piches Cacayes".Syndicat d'Initiative de Bastogne.Retrieved30 August2009.
- ^"Études et Documentation Ferroviaires".Rail.lu.
- ^Smilde, Kees."Belgian Line News 1995".Railway Info.
- ^Smilde, Kees."Belgian Branch Line News 2000".Railway Info.
External links
edit
- Official website(in French)