Throughout August, Chronicle.lu will be shining a spotlight on various villages across the Grand Duchy; the focus is mainly on some of the (perhaps) lesser-known villages with particular points of interest or an interesting history (e.g. cultural and/or industrial heritage).
The next article in this series is dedicated to Huldange (Huldang in Luxembourgish), a village from the municipality of Troisvierges in the far north of Luxembourg (Canton Clervaux) with a population of about 450. It is the farthest north location in Luxembourg, located one kilometre away from the northern border with Belgium.
The said-location Burrigplatz (also spelled Burgplatz, Buurgplaatz, Buergplaatz or Buergplaz) is the village’s main attraction, a hill marked with a little tower and once thought to be Luxembourg’s highest spot at 559 m (above sea level). Between 1994 and 1997, Luxembourg’s Land Registry and Topography Administration made measurements using GPS satellite measurement and navigation system and found the nearby Kneiff (located on Wilwerdange’s territory, a mere 1.3 km from Burrigplatz) to be the highest point in the country with its 560.13 m.
A plaque near the tower commemorates the 25 years of reign of the Grand Duke Jean as well as the 150 years of independence of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Another remembrance monument nearby is dedicated to the 87th US Infantry Division who liberated the border town of Wasserbillig on 23 January 1945.
The area also has multiple scenic cycle paths and a trail that leads to the so-called “bat tunnel”, a project by the Nature Park Our located in the Huldange tunnel that once served the railways, which has been closed since 1960. The quiet, dark, cool and damp environment constistutes optimal living conditions for certain bat species: several hundred bats subsequently settled there, some of which use the tunnel as winter quarters. A total of thirteen different species have been identified so far. These include the greater mouse-eared bat, the Bechstein’s bat and the pond bat, three species that are under special protection under the fauna-flora habitat guidelines. The tunnel is therefore important as a breeding and resting place for bats and is one of the rare underground quarters in northern Luxembourg.
K-Stables, a horse-breeding and horse training centre is located in Huldange as well, so one can spot beautiful horses and foals in the nearby fields and paddocks.
The large Knauf shopping centre and also the K-Restaurant are located nearby.