In the 40th episode of the ‘Minett Mash-Up’ podcast, we head into the Valley of the Korn for the third time this year. We stop in Pétange, a municipality with over 2,000 years of history and a unique diversity within the Minett region. Along with Käerjeng, Pétange is the only municipality in the Minett UNESCO Biosphere that borders Belgium. However, this episode is not just about the municipality. We also get to know the ‘Wandjang’, of such significance to the people of Pétange that they built him a monument.
Our ‘Minett Location’ of the month: The Pétange town hall
This month, we met our guests in the heart of Pétange. Constructed in the second half of the 1930s and expanded at the beginning of the 2000s, the building is where the heart of the municipality of Pétange.
Located at John F. Kennedy Square, it replaced Nothomb Castle, which served as the municipal administration’s headquarters between 1908 and 1935.
Our guests: Jean-Marie Halsdorf & Guy Brecht
Jean-Marie Halsdorf is the current mayor of Pétange. Guy Brecht is an alderman and a member of the PRO-SUD municipal syndicate office, which manages the Minett UNESCO Biosphere.
Jean-Marie Halsdorf has had a long and successful career in politics. As well as being mayor of the country’s fifth-largest municipality, he has served as Minister of the Interior and of Spatial Planning, among other roles. In this interview, he shares his impressions of the municipality of Pétange, its dynamic development, and the importance of industrial culture as a core part of its identity.
Guy Brecht worked for the railway company before becoming an alderman in Pétange in 2023. He was previously a member of the town council for 23 years. We particularly talked to him about the role of the restored mills in his municipality.
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© Minett UNESCO Biosphere / MUAR – Musée vun der Aarbecht
Our quiz:
One of the municipality’s landmarks is the water tower in Rodange bearing the three large letters “P.E.D.” for “Pôle Européen de Développement”. When was the P.E.D. created?
- August 3, 1975
- July 19, 1985
- November 11, 1989
The PC 12, also called the Attert cycle path, starts in Pétange and leads as far as Colmarberg. How long is this cycle path in total?
- 53 km
- 65 km
- 38 km
In 1974, the first orchids were discovered on Prënzebierg/Giele Botter. What species was it?
- Dark-red helleborine
- Lizard-orchid
- Military orchid
Links to the topics of this episode:
- Municipality of Pétange – one of the Minett biosphere communities, located in the ‘Kordall’
- Line 60 (CFL) – a rail line running from Luxembourg via Esch to Rodange. It is the busiest line in Luxembourg
- Pétange station – former headquarters of the ‘Compagnie des chemins de fer Prince Henri’. Today, in addition to CFL trains, the Train 1900 also departs from this station
- Train 1900 – historical railway line between Pétange and Fond-de-Gras
- Péitenger Wandjang – the name railway workers ere given by the inhabitants of Pétange. Today, the Wandjang (a statue of whom stands in front of the station) is a symbol of Pétange, especially in relation to the Carnival parade
- Péitenger Kavalkad – a large carnival parade held on mid-lent
- Railway Museum – project to establish a museum about the history of Luxembourg railways in Pétange
- Pôle Européen de Développement (P.E.D.) – an industrial zone located at the tripoint between Luxembourg, Belgium and France
- WAX Konscht-Millen – an old grain mill which now functions as a cultural centre with an integrated restaurant
- Rollenger Millen – an old grain mill in Lamadelaine which is listed as a historical monument and has been converted into a cultural centre with an integrated museum
- Buffet de la Gare Kautenbach – restaurant located in the Kautenbach train station which has been in operation for over 100 years
- Nature reserve ‘Prënzebierg/Giele Botter’ – one of the core zones of the Minett UNESCO Biosphere, partly located within the municipality of Pétange
- Titelberg – hill between Pétange and Niederkorn, where the Celts had one of their most important settlements in the Greater Region before Roman times
- Minett Park Fond-de-Gras – open-air museum dedicated to railways and Minett mining
- Hierschtbierg – hill between Pétange and Athus (B)
- Fëscherweier Lamadelaine – pond in Rolleng where fishing takes place and there is also a restaurant
- Lichen mapping in the municipality of Pétange – lichens can be used to determine the air quality of a specific place
- Piste cyclable de l‘Attert – a cycle path (PC 12) leading over the old railway line from Pétange via Habscht to Colmarberg
- Orchids in Luxembourg – a complete guide to all the orchids found here in Luxembourg
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