Early history A
Neolithic megalith dating from about 2000 BC and a
Celtic
necropolis dating from between the 5th and 2nd centuries BC have been found in this area, attesting to early human activity.
Gallo-Roman sepultures and a small
Roman villa were found here as well, showing the presence around the 2nd century AD of a minor agricultural domain. The region was used in
Carolingian times mostly as a hunting area and population remained sparse throughout the
Middle Ages. A document dating from 1100 shows that one of the many tiny hamlets in the area, Semel, was donated to the Abbey of Amdain (currently
Saint-Hubert). In 1239, that same hamlet was mentioned as being part of the lordship of Neufchâteau, at the time when it was now given to the
Orval Abbey. Like many of its neighbours, the lordship of Neufchâteau was part of the
Duchy of Luxembourg.
17th century until now An important document for the history of the Neufchâteau region is a 1609 painting entitled "
LA TERRE ET PREVOSTEE DE NEVFCHASTEAV AVECQZ SES DESPENDENCES", now kept in the
Arlon archives. The painting shows the town of Neufchâteau within its protective walls, at the foot of its castle, surrounded by a number of villages and hamlets. In the mid-17th century, the plague and
Louis XIV’s wars decimated the area. After the
French Revolution and until 1815, Neufchâteau became the chief town of the old French
département of
Forêts. During
World War I, its governor, Count Hans
von Blumenthal, was one of a small number of German military officials who struck up a rapport with the local population, chiefly through his interest in hunting. Fighting in the area, however, was heavy, as more than 200 soldiers lost their lives in the first month of the war. The cell biologist and Nobel Prizewinner
Albert Claude was born in Longlier, close to Neufchâteau, in 1899. ==Sights==