Audun-le-Tiche

Audun-le-Tiche ( Deutsch-Oth in German) is a common French located in the department of the the Moselle.

Geography

The city is located on banks of the the Alzette, at the borders of the Luxembourg, 5 km of the Esch-on-Alzette. It is located in full hollow of the valley of the Fensch.

History

The history of Audun-le-Tiche plunges to deepest of the ages: the first traces of occupation indeed go up with the Mesolithic (8000 av J.C.) but it is at the time Roman that the locality will take all its importance.

It is the Roman epoch which left him its name, Aquaeductus (898), (term which will evolve/move in Awedeux then Adicht ) Aqueduc which was partially found; considering its gauge, it could only feed from the buildings of big size. The village was imposing and comprised thermal baths, temples and various necropoles. Splendid statues (Minerve, Jupiter in Anguipède, Junon? , Apollon) were found there: they were extremely probably on the spot elaborate, out of stone of Audun; careers, from time immemorial, provided a local limestone appreciated in all the surroundings. Aquaeductus was thus a vicus in full expansion in IIe and IIIe centuries, probably a religious center and industrialist because the exploitation of Lorraine iron was certainly already practiced there.

But it is at the time mérovingienne that Audun owes its celebrity: large a necropolis of VIIe century, original by many aspects, was indeed excavated there, revealing weapons, jewels, accessories of the costume having accompanied the late ones in the 200 burials put at the day. The paramount interest of this site - except funerary rites not very current - lies in the extraordinary fitting of the tombs, carefully made out of employed again stones coming from the Gallo-Roman site near. Thousands of hardcores were thus re-used. It is to date the vastest site mérovingien of the Moselle to be published. From there also a rare cross comes from stone, attesting the use of Christianity. In the Middle Ages, the importance of the site will be consolidated by the erection of an imposing feudal castle, pertaining to the family of Malberg (originating in Eiffel) whose descendants will remain owners of the place until the Revolution. It is in Audun-le-Tiche that was born the company Villeroy&Boch in 1748. At the beginning of the XXe century, the iron and steel industry (mines and factory) will take over history, by transforming the village into an industrial town, which will count to 8.000 inhabitants, this until the closing of the last mine of France with Audun.

Since 2003 Audun-le-Tiche accommodates the festival of music Vache of blues on the old iron and steel site of Micheville

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Iron and steel industry

In the middle of the XIXe century, a blast furnace with wood pertaining to the Bauret-Lejeune Company and Co are in activity with Audun-le-Tiche, on a site different from the line of the blast furnaces to come (information drawn from the files of the Ponsin painter). Then, between 1872 and 1899, four blast furnaces are fired. In 1899, the company takes the name of Company of the Blast furnaces and Mines of Audun-le-Tiche, which becomes in 1919 the Mining Company of the Ground-Reds, to pass in 1964 pennies the control of Arbed. In 1950, out of the four existing blast furnaces: two are in service (the 2 and 3 which produces pig iron and cast iron of moulding), blast furnace 4 is in construction and blast furnace 1 is ready to be demolished.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Celebrities

Jules Sbroglia, footballer

Twinning

Gualdo Tadino in Italy
Dusniki Zdroj in Poland

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