Pétange

Pétange (Luxembourgish: Péiteng, German: Petingen) is a commune and town in south-western Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette, which is part of the district of Luxembourg. Pétange lies on the borders with both Belgium and France.

As of 2007, the town of Pétange, which lies in the north of the commune, has a population of 7,399. Other towns within the commune include Lamadelaine and Rodange. The commune is one of the smallest communes of Luxembourg, yet is the fifth-most populous. It is the most-populous commune without city status.

History

The modern settlement of Pétange was first mentioned in 938 by the name 'Perdgitten'. Six centuries later, Pétange had still not acquired much prominence; in 1536, it was home to only about 25 people.

In 1601, the boundary between Luxembourg and the Duchy of Lorraine was definitively demarcated for the first time. The modern commune was divided between the two, with the town of Pétange going to Luxembourg, but the towns of Rodange and Lamadelaine, which are further to the south, lying on the Lorrainian side of the border.