THE MUNICIPALITY OF KOERICH
by Henri MAUER
Summary description
Koerich is situated at the beginning of the valley of the "Eisch", a small river ending in Mersch, where it runs into the Alzette,
also called the valley of the 7 castles.
The municipality includes 4 small villages,which are: Koerich, Goeblingen, Goetzingen
and Windhof.
It counts about 2000 inhabitants, and its size is about 19 square kilometers.
Situated at the
belgian border, beyond the industrialised regions, Koerich has managed to preserve its rural character.However, as it is situated only 15 kilometers from the Capital,
it evoluates more and more to a suburb, and a lot of housing developments have been created.
The name of "Koerich" first
appears in a written document in 979 after Christ.
As the territory of the municipality has
been colonised very early in history, celtic graves as well as a roman villa
have been discovered during archeologic diggings near the village of Goeblange.
A lot of celtic and roman artefacts dug up
near Goeblange can be seen in the national museum in Luxembourg.
During the 16th century, 2
castles have been build in the village of Koerich:
1. The "Fockeschlass",formerly situated at the "Fockegaard", the intersection of the "rue de Windhof" with
the "rue du Fockeschlass", was entirely destroyed, there don't even subsist any ruins of it. However, it
still appears on a ground-plan drawn by the count De Ferraris in 1771 on
behalf of the empress Maria Theresia.
The castle was build in the 13th century. It got the name fron the count Fock von
Hübingen, one of its owners. In a document dated 1266, knight Kuno von
Koerich is said to be the first owner.
During several centuries it belonged to the counts of Nassau,
a family related to the lords of Vianden.The last owner was count Lambert-Joseph de Marchant-Ansembourg, who bought
the castle on june 3, 1738.
2. The ruins of the "Grevenschlass",
in the center of the village, can still be visited.
Father Nikolaus Gengler tells us that this castle has been build in the
middle of the 13th century. (Special edition of "Ons Héemecht"
from 1915)by Wirich I., Senechal of Luxembourg.
The square building was towered by a huge watchtower, commonly called the "tower of
the witches". The walls of this construction, which was said to have been
higher than 25 meters, are 3 meters thick.
All around the castle was a ditch and the only access to the courtyard was over a
drawbridge.
The castle who's ruins can be seen today was mainly build by Jacques II de Raville.
Instead of the old castle with its big walls, he erected a luxury palace with
spacious apartements an a large dining-room.
The last transformations were made by Lothar-Friederich von Rollingen (de
Raville), who definitly acquired the castle in 1728.
For more information about this castle go to the site of the
KAERCHER SCHLASSFRENN
The barock church of Koerich, on top of a hill,
overlooking the village and the castle, was build 250 years ago by reverend Jean Pierre Ningels. He was the son of a wealthy farmer from Stockem, near Arlon,
Belgium, and he financed the building almost completely by himself.
The building was erected by Hanspeter Boraquin from Koerich. The stones for the building came
from a quarry in the Herrenbusch
near Koerich, which belonged to the count Marchand d'Ansembourg, Freyherr von Koerich. The construction time was only one year.
For his work, Baroquin earned 800 Reichstaler and 38 Schilling The church steeple has the shape of a big onion.The fourniture, the altars
and so on were carved by André Doyé from Diekirch and Friedrich Biewer from Koerich. The paintings were made by Millim,
a painter from Tirol (Austria).One of the most beautiful churches of our country, it is well known
far beyond the borders of Luxembourg. Several years ago, the church has been entirely
restaurated.
The local waterplant opened at the beginnung of the
century.
It was created to collect the sources in the sandstone of Koerich and supply the connected municipalities with drinkwater.
In our days,the quantity of water from sources isn't big enough to provide all the connected households with drinkwater.
Therefore a second supply from the resevoir in Esch-sur-Sûre (SEBES) has been established in Kahler (Rébierg).
During the past 20 years the population of the villiges of Goeblingen and Goetzingen has grown rapidly, due to the fact that
most jobs, which formerly were in the steelplants in the south of the country, have moved to the capital, nowadays a
banking center.
In the old days, Windhof was merely a marketplace on the road from Luxembourg to Arlon (Belgium). Today, there is
a business aera of about 30 ha.
Until after the second world war, the inhabitants of the municipality of Koerich were mostly farmers or farmworkers, and the
rest worked in the big steelplants in the south of the country. These structures have changed during the years:
Farms are more and more abandoned, and the number of employes and clerks is growing day by day.
During the last decades, the local administration has made big efforts
to improve the quality of life of its population, among other things by building new raods, schools, sewage works, playgrounds for children,
and so on.
USEFULL PHONE NUMBERS
Township administration
Tel. 390256-1; Fax 397362; e-mail
koerich@sdscom.lu
Adress: 2, rue du château, L-8385 Koerich
P.O.
BOX 28, L-8306 Koerich
Opened from Monday till Friday, from 8.00 till 11.30
a.m.
Helpline: 112
Police: 113
Police Steinfort: 399811
Police Capellen: 308803
Sekretariat: Tel. 390256-23; Fax: 397362; e-mail: heng01@mauerhenri.com
Sekretary: Henri Mauer.
Cash counter:
Tel. 390256-21; Fax: 397362; e-mail: perrard.manon@sdscom.lu
Cashier: Manon Nehrenhausen-Perrard.
Registration: Tel. 390256-27; Fax: 395493;
e-mail: dan.jost@sdscom.lu
Daniel Jost
Technical service: Tel. 390256-20; Fax 395493; e-mail: rodesch.steve@sdscom.lu
Steve Rodesch
Workshop: Tel. 399202 or 091 424348
Waldbillig Alphonse
Forester:
Marc Parries
Tel. 390219; Fax 397349;
email Marc Parries
NAMES AND ADRESSES OF THE LOCAL CLUBS.
| 1. F.C. Jeunesse Sportive
Koerich, |
M. Mees Fränz, |
8360 Goetzingen, 5, rue des
champs. |
| 2. Union Cycliste Koerich, |
M. Bidinger Fernand, |
8359 Goeblange, 21, rue de
Windhof. |
| 3. Desch-Tennis Koerich, |
M. Kemp Richard, |
8359 Goeblange, 15, rue
Pierre Braun. |
| 4. Käercher Musek |
Mme Nothum-Lang Edith |
8383 Koerich, 35, rue Principale. |
| 5. Chorale Ste. Cécile
Koerich, |
M. Lux Fernand, |
8387 Koerich, 9, rue du
Bois. |
| 6. Seniorentreff
Koerich, |
M. Backes Ernest, |
8399 Windhof, 5, rue
de Koerich. |
| 7. Foyer de la Femme,
section Koerich, |
Mme Risch-Momper Irme, |
8365 Hagen, 59-61, rue Principale. |
| 8. CTF, section de Koerich, |
M. Mangen Nico, |
8358 Goeblange, 16, rue
Principale. |
| 10. Fotofrenn Getzen, |
M. Konsbruck Guy, |
8383 Koerich, 80, rue Principale, |
| 11. Jeunes Mamans, |
Mme Lucas Michèle, |
8387 Koerich, 23, rue du
Moulin. |
| 12. Fraen a Mammem, |
Mme Simon-Mangen Louise, |
8387 Koerich, 10, rue du
Château. |
| 13. Pompiers Koerich, |
M. Wirion Jean, |
8358 Goeblange, 33, rue Principale. |
| 14. Pompiers Goeblange, |
M. Bach Jean-Luc, |
8358 Goeblange, 19, rue
de Goetzingen. |
| 15. Pompiers Goetzingen, |
M. Feyder Leon, |
8360 Goetzingen, 3, rue des
Champs. |
| 16. Spuerverein
"Kneckjhang", |
Mme Scherer-Thill
Véronique, |
8359 Goeblange, 9, rue
Pierre Braun. |
| 17. OGB-L, section de
Koerich, |
Mme Flammang-Risch Pia, |
8387 Koerich, 1, rue du
Moulin. |
| 18. LCGB, section de
Koerich, |
M. Schoumacher Georges, |
8383 Koerich, 60, rue
Principale. |
| 21. Association des Parents APECK |
M. Mousel Luc |
8358 Goeblange, 12, rue de Goetzingen |
| 22. Käercher Schlassfrënn |
M. Simon Georges |
8386 Koerich, 2, che de la Fontaine. |
| 23. Keeleklub "Giewel 83" |
M. Scherer Roger |
8359 Goeblange, 1, rue Pierre Braun |
| 24. Oeuvres Paroissiales |
M. Kemp Richard |
8359 Goeblange, 15, rue Pierre Braun |
A little bit of history
Luxembourg became an independant country in the year 1839.
Poeple, however, weren't as independant and free as we use to think nowadays.
The census of 1826 informs us a little bit about the situation in those days.
1089 inhabitants lived in the municipality of Koerich.
425 men were old enough to work (which means they were at least 10 years old!!).
There were 23 craftsmen in town - 4 of them were shoemakers, 5 were tailors and 2 were blacksmiths.
The municipality had 1 church, 2 chapels and 3 mills.
About the "Grevenschlass" you could read:"The ruins of the old castle aren't worth considering anymore".
(times have changed, haven't they?)
The houses were build with stone and covered with straw. A house with a barn had an average worth of 700 Florins.
There were 47 farmers in the municipality. Together they owned 173 horses, 76 waggons and 54 carriages.
As a matter of fact, all the other inhabitants of the municipality were farmworkers. More than 50 of them had to look for work ouside the municipality, as they didn't find any work at home.
In 1839, when Luxembourg became independant, the situation in Koerich didn't change. Everything stayed as it was before.
Allthough the French Revolution abolished the feudal system, this was of no practical use for normal poeple.
In the year 1795, as the french armies invaded Luxembourg, our country became part of the French Republic (Département des forêts).
The French raised liberty trees and confiscated the property of monastries as well as of noblemen. In many places in Luxembourg fields and woods became property of the municipalities or the farmers.
Not so in Koerich!
Georg von Pfortsheim, who owned everything in Koerich, gave up his title as nobleman and became "Citoyen Pfortsheim", farmer of Colpach. So, as he wasn't noble anymore, his possessions weren't confiscated, and the farmers of Koerich stayed his leaseholders.
Baron Philippe de Marches, nobleman from Guirsch (Belgium), married Pfortsheims daughter in 1817 and became the master of Koerich, Guirsch and Colpach. The eldest son of Philippe inherited Koerich, and thereafter, the son in law of the later, Baron Emile de Wykerslooth, became the owner. This was in 1892.
In 1934, as Baron Ferdinand de Wykerslooth had big financial problems, his possessions in the municipality of Koerich were publicly sold. The farmers of Koerich could finaly buy their own land, but they had to suscribe big mortgages in times of economic crisis.
In the book "1000 years Luxembourg" by Jean Thill, we can read how poor people were in the year 1848, year of the revolt against the governement.
As the harvest of 1847 was very bad, a pound of bread was 0,45 to 0,50 francs, which corresponded to a half-day income of a farmworker.
Most people didn't have a job at all. In those days, 24000 people, 12% of the population of Luxembourg, lived on social wellfare.
This bad economic situation was the reason why, between 1850 and 1860, almost 6000 people immigrated, among them many inhabitants of Koerich.
Real poor people however, who didn't have enough money to pay the fare, had to stay at home and starve.
In 1848, most people of Koerich still lived on the revenues of their land.
The municipality counted 151 households.
There were 24 farmers, while there were 66 farmworker families and 58 craftsmen families. There were also 3 clerks.
The municipality also had 4 bars.
In 1848, most craftsmen were weavers, (12) followed by stonemasons (10). In 1867 there were only 6 weavers, but 15 stonemasons.
By 1905, weavers had dissapeared, but there were still 8 stonemasons left.
Naturally, all other craftmenships, such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, tailors or carpenters were represented. Most people however made their living as farmworkers.
The farmworker of Koerich usually owned a small peace of land, a few goats, and, if he was lucky, one or two cows.
The farmworker worked for the farms when his help was needed. His wife also had to help. He didn't earn much, but the farmer gave him a hand on his own piece of land.
Children also had to work, those of the farmers as well as those of the farmworkers.
In 1841, when the first law on education was voted, there were 392 schools in the whole country.
216 of them were open all year, 37 during 6 months a year and 139 less than 6 months a year.
There were no real teachers, and teaching was done by all kinds of people, such as priests, townclerks, shoemakers, barkeepers and even farmworkers. Koerich allready had a real teacher in 1848.
In the year 1853, 20682 children went to school during summer. In winter, there were 6229 more of them. In summer children had to work on the fields, so many of them didn't go to school.
During winter, many farmworkers were lumberjacks. If the forester gave them the permission, they could keep the unsellable wood for themselves.
The ironworks of the region (Ansembourg, Simmern and Steinfort) didn't provide many jobs. In the year 1846, in all of Luxembourg 184 people worked in 12 ironworks, 144 men and 40 women.
Farmers brought the ore from teir fields to the melting furnaces. Lumberjacks also earned money from the ironworks, as the melting furnaces worked on charcoal.
Fortunately, charcoal was progressively replaced by coke, because between 1830 and 1889, half of the woods in the country dissapeared due to charcoal production.
Between 1850 and 1860, when the Luxembourg economy was in very bad shape, governement had to provide jobs for the starving people.
Arterial roads were build, and probably folks from Koerich, who were engaged on those roadworks, also helped to build the railroad.The first train arrived in Kleinbettingen in 1859.
Poeple from Koerich and surroundings still had to wait for better times until 1874, when the first train connection between Petange and Steinfort opened.
The ironworks of Steinfort were permanently modernised, and many farmworkers became steelworkers.
As the railroad now connected our region with the south of the country, many people went to work in the iron ore mines. By 1900, factoryworkers had almost replaced farmworkers.
To be continued.