Arlon

Arlon is the capital of the province of Luxembourg in Wallonia, Belgium, in the country's southeast near the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It originated as the Roman vicus of Orolaunum, established by the Treveri Celtic tribe, and a castle was built on Knipchen hill in 1060 by Waleran I of Limburg; the city passed to the County of Luxembourg in 1226 and became part of Belgium in 1839 under the Treaty of London. As of 2022 it had approximately 30,818 residents, the smallest provincial capital in Belgium despite being the most populated municipality in its own province, and it suffered heavily in the First World War, when 121 civilians were executed during the 1914 German invasion. Arlon's archaeological museum holds numerous examples of Roman sculpture and Merovingian funerary art, and the city celebrates the traditional Maitrank festival with a local beverage made from white wine and the Asperula odorata flower.