A small commune… and a big one
At just 7.2 km2, Walferdange is the third smallest commune in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The neighboring commune of Steinsel, for example, covers an area three times this size. With 8,866 inhabitants in 2024, Walferdange is also the country’s 17th-largest commune by population. With 1,256 inhabitants per km2, Walferdange is one of the country’s 7th most densely populated municipalities.
An international community
In 2023, Walferdange’s population was made up of no fewer than 104 different nationalities. Unsurprisingly, Luxembourgers represent the largest community, albeit in a slight minority. The foreign population accounts for 51.5% of the total. Men are also in the minority, with women accounting for 52% of the population.
A commune that runs
Once a year, the roads of Walferdange belong for a few hours to runners rather than cars. The “Walfer Vollekslaf” is one of Luxembourg’s oldest and most important popular races. Its modest beginnings date back to 1975, when 165 runners took part. But the race quickly gained in popularity. In 1984, over 2,500 runners took part in the 15 km course. By 1990, there were over 3,600 participants. Where in the early years, runners had to make do with sidewalks, they now set off on a Diekirch road closed to traffic. The organization has since adapted to the diversity of running enthusiasts. The main race covers a distance of 12 km. There is also a parallel 5 km course for children aged 11 to 17. The 1 km Mini-Volleklaf is for children aged 5 to 11. See you every first Sunday in October!
A common policy
Political life in the commune of Walferdange took a major turn in 1975. As the population grew, the electoral system changed from majoritarian (based on individual candidacies) to proportional (based on lists of political party candidates). The previous year, Carlo Meintz (DP, Liberals), mayor since 1967, had already entered the Chamber of Deputies. He inaugurated the tradition of local elected representatives also winning election at national level. Erna Hennicot-Schoepges (CSV, Christian Socialists), who succeeded Meintz as Burgomaster in 1988, had been a member of parliament since 1979, first becoming President of the Chamber before becoming Minister in 1995. Marcel Sauber (CSV), mayor from 1995 to the end of 1999, was elected to the Chamber in 2003. Guy Arendt (DP), mayor from 2003, became a member of parliament in 2013 before joining the government in 2015. His successor, Joëlle Elvinger (DP), will also be an MP, as will alderwoman Jessie Thill (Déi Gréng, ecologists). In 2024, Walferdange will have two MPs, Guy Arendt (DP) and alderman Alex Donnersbach (CSV).
A super commune
Luxembourg’s first American-style supermarket opened in Bereldange in 1967. It was the first store to combine a large surface area with parking, self-service, shopping carts and an assortment covering those of a grocery store, a drugstore, a stockist, a bakery and a butcher’s shop. This was the beginning of the Cactus group, founded by the Luxembourg Leesch family. The supermarket was located on the same (even smaller) site as today’s store, but lengthways and to the left of the current building.
A commune with twins
Since 1971, Walferdange has been twinned with three other communes, one in France, one in Germany and one in Italy. Relations with these communities are regularly expressed through exchanges and twinning camps for young people from the four communities. Schmitshausen is a small village in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. AdminEdit Profilemore than 400 inhabitants. Longuyon in Meurthe et Moselle has a population of over 5,000. Limana, at the foot of the Dolomites in Veneto, has a population of 5,500.
A community of associations
More than 80 associations are active in Walferdange. Sports clubs range from basketball, soccer, badminton and tennis to archery, karate, volleyball, yoseikan and mountain-bike, as well as walking, running, bowling, table soccer, rugby and even cricket. Beyond sport, there are associations for amateur photographers, young parents, parents of schoolchildren, senior citizens, musicians and singing enthusiasts, stamp collectors and model railroaders. For their activities, the associations take advantage of the local infrastructure, primarily the sports halls and the Prince Henri Cultural Centre, but also, for example, the Walferdange railway station.
A connected community at the best price
Residents of Walferdange have a special option for their Internet access and TV services: become a member of ASBL Télédistribution Walferdange. Founded in 1968 by a group of local residents, TéléWalfer initially set up a cable network connected to a collective antenna built in the forest above Helmsange. The association then invested continuously in the network, gradually laying it underground and keeping pace with all technological developments: from the multiplication of TV channels, through digital cable and high definition, to interactive TV (catch-up, recording, streaming). The cable network has also been complemented by a fiber-optic backbone, enabling us to offer high-speed Internet access services. As TéléWalfer has remained true to its credo of serving members on a not-for-profit basis, rates remain competitive while offering responsive, local customer service.
A book capital
On the third weekend in November, Walferdange transforms itself into the book capital of Luxembourg. The “Walfer Bicherdeeg” have been organized by the local authority since 1995, and have since established themselves as one of Luxembourg’s major cultural events. For the country’s publishers, the book fair is the most important event of the year, and there are few who don’t organize their year’s publication schedule around these days. The “Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis” is also awarded on this occasion. After more modest beginnings, the weekend events are organized both at the Centre culturel Prince Henri and in Walferdange’s two sports halls.
A commune of remembrance
Like the rest of Luxembourg, the Second World War also left its mark on the history of Walferdange. The liberation by American G.I. troops on September 10, 1944 was preceded by the dynamiting of the bridge crossing the Alzette in the center of the commune. The price paid by the local population during the four years of occupation since May 10, 1940 was heavy. Several monuments help to commemorate these events. The Monument aux morts unveiled in 1949 on the Place des Martyrs in front of the Maison Dufaing bears the names of twenty young people from Walferdange killed as a result of acts of resistance, or as forced conscripts or draft dodgers. In 1992, a commemorative stone “À la Mémoire des Enrôlés de Force – Walferdange – 1940-1945” was installed in the Square de la Jeunesse Sacrifiée, next to the Place de la Mairie. The monument “Les traces ineffaçables de l’être humain”, inaugurated in 2017 near the train station, recalls the appalling fate of Walferdange’s Jews during the Second World War. Since 2022, the stele “La grève des élèves-institutrices de l’École normale de Walferdange – 2 septembre 1942” (The strike by the student teachers of the Walferdange Teachers’ Training College – September 2, 1942) recalls this act of courage by young girls studying in Walferdange. Following the war, the Château de Walferdange was put to a new use, as a barracks for the Luxembourg army until 1967.
