La Roche-en-Ardenne (; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg and the arrondissement of Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium. Lying beside a bend in the River Ourthe, the small town of La Roche-en-Ardenne is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Ardennes. Its name is derived from its position on a rock commanding the river.
On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 147.52 km<sup>2</sup>, had 4,348 inhabitants, giving a population density of 29.5 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Beausaint, Halleux, Hives, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Ortho, and Samrée. Other population centres include Bérismenil, Buisson, Cielle, Floumont, Herlinval, Hubermont, Lavaux, Maboge, Mierchamps, Mousny, Nisramont, Ronchampays, Ronchamps, Roupage, Thimont, Vecmont, and Warempage.
Geography
La Roche-en-Ardenne is located between the E25 Liège-Luxembourg and the N4 motorways. More than half of the municipal area (about ) is covered in forests and is arable land, and only has been built on. The division between deciduous and coniferous forests is more or less equal.
History
La Roche is believed to have first been settled in the Neolithic era. There is a Celtic archaeological site dating between 850 and 520 BC. The Romans built a fort there following their conquest of Gaul and the Ardennes.
The town's medieval castle was in use between the 9th and 18th centuries. It provided protection to the many barges that plied their trade along the local river systems. It may have been the site of a sporting lodge of Pippin, and certainly the counts of La Roche held it in fief from his descendants, the Carolingian rulers. In the 12th century they sold it to the counts of Luxembourg.
In 1976 there was a merger of administrative districts in the area that resulted in the municipality of La Roche-en-Ardennes. Beausaint, Halleux, Hives, Ortho and Samrée were joined by Cielle detached from Marcourt, now within the municipality of Rendeux.
Economy
Hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking are among the outdoor pursuits available here. The municipality's other main economic activity is agriculture. A business park was established on the plateau Vecmont to diversify the local economy.
The ceramic stoneware of La Roche (cobalt blue pottery, glazed with salt) is a local tradition, initiated in 1836 by Henry Hoffman, a native of Ransbach in the Duchy of Nassau. The production was revived in 1878 by the family Kalb and continued until 2009 by several successors. There is a permanent exhibition of this tradition.
Sights
There are three main archaeological sites:
- Le Cheslé de Bérismenil, a Celtic refuge
- le Cheslin d'Ortho, a Roman refuge
- La Roche-en-Ardenne Castle
There is the Parc à Gibier, a small wild game park on the top of the plateau above the town.
References
External links
- Municipality website
- History of La Roche
- AP news report on the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge