Origins column of
Jupiter in the Grand rue Before the
Roman conquests of
Gaul, the territory of Arlon and a vast area to the southeast were settled by the
Treveri, a
Celtic tribe. The local population adapted relatively easily to Roman culture. The number and quality of sculpted stones and monuments that have been unearthed in the area demonstrate that the
vicus of
Orolaunum quickly became a commercial and administrative centre of Roman civilization. The Germanic invasions of the 3rd century destroyed most of these early advances, despite the defensive walls that had been built on the Knipchen hill to protect the
vicus.
Middle Ages During most of the
Middle Ages, the population still used the earlier buildings such as the
thermae. In 1060,
Waleran I of Limburg, Count of
Arlon, built a castle on the Knipchen hill in the centre of the town. A dynasty of counts of Arlon began with Waleran I, Duke of Limburg. On the death of Duke Waleran III in 1226, Arlon passed to his son from the second marriage, Henry V the Fair, Count of Luxembourg, and became part of the county of Luxembourg. Thus, in the Tournament of Chauvency, his son Henry the Lion bore the title of Marquis of Arlon. In the 13th century, the only women's
Cistercian abbey known to date was built in
Clairefontaine.
15th–18th centuries The
Duchy of Luxembourg itself, of which Arlon was dependent, became part of the
Burgundian Netherlands under
Philip the Good in 1441. After
Charles V's abdication of his empire to his son
Philip II of Spain in 1556, a troubled period started for the whole region with continuous wars involving France, Spain and the
Southern Netherlands. In 1558, nearly half of the city, including its castle, was destroyed by the
French troops of
Francis, Duke of Guise. In the 17th century,
Capuchin friars built a convent on the ruins of the castle and the French strengthened the defensive walls according to
Vauban's designs. An accidental fire destroyed a large part of the city again in 1785. On 9 June 1793 the
French Revolutionary troops opposed the
Austrians just outside Arlon. The French emerged victorious and took over the city from Austrian rule. They expelled the Capuchin friars and used their convent as a hospital.
19th and 20th centuries In June 1815, after the defeat of
Napoleon in the
Battle of Waterloo, Arlon went back to government of the Grand Duchy. By the
Treaty of London in 1839, the Grand Duchy became fully sovereign and in turn geographically larger western part of the duchy, i.e. the
province de Luxembourg including Arlon city was given to newly created Kingdom of Belgium. Arlon was one of the first victims of the
German invasion in 1914 as 121 inhabitants were executed on 26 August, on the orders of Colonel
Richard Karl von Tessmar. Its territory was again among the first to be invaded at the onset of
World War II. Allies moved into Belgium on 10 May 1940 and Arlon was defended by French troops, but they were not able to stop the German invasion.
Arlon today Being situated very close to the border with the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Arlon has continued to expand with new residential areas and commercial development zones, and many people cross the border everyday to work in the Grand Duchy. All international express trains make a stop in Arlon, as it is the last station on the main Brussels—Luxembourg City railway line. ==Sights==