Contern ( ) is a commune and town in southern Luxembourg. It is located east of Luxembourg City.
As of , the town of Contern, which lies in the south-west of the commune, has a population of .
The main towns are Contern, Moutfort, Oetrange and Medingen. Surrounding Contern are the small settlements of Faerschthaff, Bricherhaff, Brichermillen and Kreintgeshaff. Surrounding Moutfort is Milbech, Marxeknupp, Eitermillen and Kackerterhaff. Oetrange is surrounded only by Pleitrange and Medingen is on a hill in the south east of the commune alone.
The commune also contains the industrial zones of Chaux de Contern, and Rosswenkel, as well as the activity zone of Weiergewan. The town hall was formerly situated among these industrial zones prior to the redesign of the area. Intersections became roundabouts, roads were repaved, and the railway station, Sandweiler-Contern was completely rebuilt in a new location in December 2015 for easier access from the main road in the Industrial Zone. The new town hall was built next to the church on the hill around the centre of the town.
History
The name Contern first appeared 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 Celtic Era. In the 14th century it was recorded in writing 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 constructed. From 1945 onwards, Contern's municipal structure consisted 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.
Settlements
Graph
Lists
Villages
Localities
Suburbs
Industrial zones
Population
As of 1 January 2020, 3,939 live in Contern, which is a density of 188 people per square kilometre. This is set to increase in the future. Around 70% of the population are aged 15–65 and an estimated third of the commune's population consists of non-Luxembourgers. 60% of the population knows how to speak Luxembourgish and French German and even English are common amongst most of the locals. The Town of Contern has a population of 1743, a sharp increase from 2005 when it has 1083. In 2001 Contern had a population of just 1065.
Graph
Industrial zones
Contern consists of 2 separate industrial zones separated from each other. Although they are officially separate, they're often seen locally as one entity, even on road signs. The area where Sandweiler-Contern railway station is located is home to a lot of commercial infrastructure such as the only full-fledged supermarket in the commune, a trampoline park and the commune's only gas station. A few restaurants and eateries are also located there to serve the local workers. The area is home to more than 110 companies and over 5000 jobs and is quickly growing and receiving new developments.
Transportation
Road
Contern is quite well connected to the road network and links to Luxembourg City however the only dual carriageway in the commune is the E29. There are plans in the next 5–10 years to build a new motorway exit on the Luxembourg Ring to serve Contern and Itzig but that hasn't been built yet.
Contern is involved with websites that provide traffic info.