Martelange
Encyclopedia
Martelange is a Walloon municipality
of Belgium
located in the province of Luxembourg
.
On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 29.67 km2, had 1,584 inhabitants, giving a population density
of 53.4 inhabitants per km².
For some 1.8 km the N4
Brussels
to Arlon road, which passes through the village, forms the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
. Because fuel
, tobacco
, and alcohol
taxes are lower in Luxembourg than in Belgium, the eastern, Luxembourgish side of this stretch of road has become lined with numerous filling station
s and liquor store
s.
quarrying centre, though the industry has now completely disappeared.
On August 21, 1967 a French tanker lorry containing 45.000 litres of Liquid gas
suffered from failing brakes while driving downhill. It exploded in the middle of the village, killing 22 people and injuring over 120. Dozens of houses were completely destroyed.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
located in the province of Luxembourg
Luxembourg (Belgium)
Luxembourg is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, France, and the Belgian provinces of Namur and Liège. Its capital is Arlon, in the south-east of the province.It has an area of 4,443 km², making it the largest Belgian province...
.
On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 29.67 km2, had 1,584 inhabitants, giving a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 53.4 inhabitants per km².
For some 1.8 km the N4
N4 road (Belgium)
Route Nationale 4 or the N4 road in Belgium is a highway that runs from Brussels to Luxembourg. It starts as chausée de Wavre at Porte de Namur on the Brussels inner ring and runs south east through Wavre and Namur, Marche, Bastogne, Martelange and Arlon before terminating as route de Luxembourg...
Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
to Arlon road, which passes through the village, forms the border with the Grand Duchy of 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...
. Because fuel
Fuel tax
A fuel tax is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
taxes are lower in Luxembourg than in Belgium, the eastern, Luxembourgish side of this stretch of road has become lined with numerous filling station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
s and liquor store
Liquor store
In the United States, Australia and Canada, a liquor store is a type of store that specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages. In South Africa and Namibia these stores are generally called bottle stores....
s.
History
Between 1830 and 1947, the town was a major slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarrying centre, though the industry has now completely disappeared.
On August 21, 1967 a French tanker lorry containing 45.000 litres of Liquid gas
Liquified petroleum gas
Liquefied petroleum gas is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. It is increasingly used as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant, replacing chlorofluorocarbons in an effort to reduce damage to the ozone layer...
suffered from failing brakes while driving downhill. It exploded in the middle of the village, killing 22 people and injuring over 120. Dozens of houses were completely destroyed.