Kehlen is a commune

Communes of Luxembourg

The communes of Luxembourg are the lowest nation-wide administrative division in Luxembourg. They conform to LAU level 2.Within the hierarchy of administrative subdivisions, communes come directly below cantons, which are directly below districts. Communes are often re-arranged, being merged or...

 and town in western Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

. It is part of the canton of Capellen

Capellen (canton)

Capellen is a canton in the south-west of Luxembourg, in the Luxembourg District. The capital is Capellen .The canton consists of the following 11 communes:*Bascharage*Clemency*Dippach*Garnich*Hobscheid*Kehlen*Koerich*Kopstal*Mamer...

, which is part of the district of Luxembourg

Luxembourg (district)

The District of Luxembourg, sometimes of Luxemburg, is one of three districts of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It contains four cantons, divided into 47...

.

, the town of Kehlen, which lies in the centre of the commune, has a population of 1,627. Other towns within the commune include Dondelange

Dondelange

Dondelange is a village in the commune of Kehlen, in south-western Luxembourg. The village has a historic chapel, and a large historic mansion. , the village has a population of 143. The surnames Dondlinger and Dondelinger are derived from the name of this village....

, Keispelt

Keispelt

Keispelt is a small town in the commune of Kehlen, in central Luxembourg. , the town has a population of 555....

, Meispelt

Meispelt

Meispelt is a small town in the commune of Kehlen, in western Luxembourg. , the town had a population of 284....

, Nospelt

Nospelt

Nospelt is a village in the commune of Kehlen, in south-western Luxembourg. , the village has a population of 754. It is known above all for its potters who were particularly successful during the 19th century.-Location:...

 and Olm

Olm, Luxembourg

Olm is a village in the commune of Kehlen, in western Luxembourg. , the village has a population of over 1,500 of whom some 1,200 live in the Huesekneppchen residential area.-Footnotes:...

.

History

The history of Kehlen goes back at least to Gallo-Roman period. Celtic tombs have been excavated in nearby Nospelt

Nospelt

Nospelt is a village in the commune of Kehlen, in south-western Luxembourg. , the village has a population of 754. It is known above all for its potters who were particularly successful during the 19th century.-Location:...

 and a necropolis

Necropolis

A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...

 from the 1st century was discovered in the early 1970s on the Juckelsboesch plateau between Mamer

Mamer

Mamer is a commune and town in south-western Luxembourg. It is located west of Luxembourg City. The commune includes the town of Mamer, and also the smaller communities of Capellen and Holzem. Mamer is situated on the river Mamer, a tributary of the Alzette...

 and Kehlen. A beautiful dark blue glass bowl was among the offerings found there.

A monument to the four gods depicting Juno

Juno (mythology)

Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...

, Minerva

Minerva

Minerva was the Roman goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic...

, Mercury

Mercury (mythology)

Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...

 and Hercules

Hercules

Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...

, possibly once the base of a Jupiter Column

Jupiter Column

A Jupiter Column is an archaeological monument belonging to a type widespread in Roman Germania. Such pillars express the religious beliefs of their time. They were erected in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, mostly near Roman settlements or villas in the Germanic provinces...

, was discovered on the heights of Schoenberg at the point where two Roman roads once crossed. The original is now in the National Museum of History and Art

National Museum of History and Art

The National Museum of History and Art , abbreviated to MNHA, is a museum located in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is dedicated to displaying artworks and artefacts from all epochs of Luxembourgian history...

 but a replica can be seen beside the entrance to the Schoenberg cemetery.

Schoenberg is one of the oldest parishes in Luxembourg. It came under the authority of the St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier

St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier

St. Maximin's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-History:The abbey, traditionally considered one of the oldest monasteries in western Europe, was held to have been founded by Saint Maximin of Trier in the 4th century. Maximin St. Maximin's Abbey was a...

, as far back as 1637. The cemetery is classified as a national monument as many of the gravestones are from the beginning of the 16th century.

Until fairly recently, Kehlen was a farming community with a few cottage industries. Today, owing to its proximity to Luxembourg City, most of its inhabitants now work in the service sector.

The name Kehlen is said to originate from Callidovilla meaning the villa of Callidus.

Footnotes