History
The origin of the Canton of Echternach, like that of all the cantons of the Grand Duchy, bears dates back to a decree of 31 August 1795, by the Committee of Public Safety in the final days of the Convention.[2]
The Canton of Echternach was bordered to the north by the cantons of Vianden and Bitbourg, to the west by the cantons of Diekireh and Mersch, and to the south by the canton of Grevenmacher.[2]
Originally, the Canton of Echternach was quite different in its territory from what it is today since it extended over both banks of the Sûre, from Dillingen to Moersdorf. On the left bank, in current German territory, it included Bollendorf, Ernzen, Irrel, Edingen, Ralingen, Wintersdorf, Metzdorf, Grevenich, Fusenich, Mesenich, and Liersberg. The population at that time was 7,751 inhabitants.[2]
At the creation of the canton with 2,030 inhabitants, the capital, Echternach, was by far the most important locality. It was followed from a distance by Bollendorf, with 694 inhabitants, and other localities, all having less than 500 inhabitants. In the 1947 census, Echternach appeared with 3,141 inhabitants.[2]
Upon the establishment of the Forêts department, also by the 1795 decree, the 37 cantons of the department were grouped into 4 districts: Bitbourg, Diekirch, Luxembourg, and Neufchateau. There was no Moselle district. Of the three cantons that currently make up this district, those of Remich and Grevenmacher fell under the arrondissement of Luxembourg, while the Canton of Echternach belonged to the arrondissement of Bitbourg. As the district capital, Bitbourg was the seat of a lower court. However, in 1810, this court was transferred to Echternach because this locality had extensive premises for public services in the disused abbey buildings. However, the sub-prefecture remained in Bitbourg.[2]
This was the situation when, in 1815, the Grand Duchy lost the territories east of the Our, Sûre, and Moselle, and consequently, the Canton of Echternach lost a third of its territory. The administrative reorganization following this dismemberment divided Luxembourg into 32 cantons grouped into 5 districts: Marche, Saint-Hubert, Neufchâteau, Diekirch, and Luxembourg. This time, the Canton of Echternach was part of the Diekirch district, which was supplemented by the remnants of the former Bitbourg district not annexed by Prussia, i.e., the part of the Canton of Echternach on the right bank of the Sûre. This resulted in Echternach, which had been the seat of the Bitbourg district court, now only serving as the magistrate's seat for the canton.[2]
The administrative and judicial subordination to Diekirch caused deep dissatisfaction in Echternach. The inhabitants felt that the downgrade of their city, which, with 3,400 inhabitants, was then the second-largest city in the Grand Duchy, in favor of Diekirch, with only half that population, was an unjust degradation.[2]
In 1819, the Regency, i.e., the municipal council of Echternach, sent an address to the King of the Netherlands requesting that the city be established as the capital of an administrative and judicial district, consisting of the cantons of Echternach, Grevenmacher, and Betzdorf.[2]
The officials recounted the misfortunes that had befallen the city since the French invasion in 1795. First, the abolition of the abbey, a source of wealth, they said, through the influx of foreigners and a source of work for laborers. Then, in 1815, the new border drawn on the Sûre had two disastrous consequences: the abolition of the Bitbourg district court established in Echternach and the loss of the hinterland constituted by the Bitbourg district on the other side of the Sûre. Although a sub-prefecture, Bitbourg, with barely a thousand inhabitants, could not compare as a commercial, industrial, intellectual, and religious center with the old abbey city. It had been the true center of the district. The loss of this region, now blocked by Prussian customs, led to the decline of trade and industries in Echternach, such as pottery, textiles, leather, and boat manufacturing.[2]
This depiction of the difficulties faced by Echternach at the time is confirmed by Governor Willmar's report on the inspection tour he made in 1821 in the region. It stated that "the administrators of the city of Echternach painted vivid pictures of the distress weighing on all classes of inhabitants."[2]
In the 1819 address to the sovereign, speaking of the rival town of Diekirch, the officials of Echternach did not mince words. They described Diekirch as a "poorly built town," where there was a shortage of housing. "The only resource until now," they said, "has been a poorly built, unhealthy convent where, at great cost, the sous-intendant [term for the district commissioner], a judge, two lawyers, a tax collector, the vicar of the parish, and a bailiff reside. This convent is to be sold."[2]
Echternach's request had two demands. Firstly, the allocation of a new district court. This issue, concerning the law of judicial organization, fell within the competence of the government of the Netherlands. They rejected Echternach's request.[2]
Secondly, the creation of a district of Echternach. Consulted on this matter for advice, the Provincial States of the Grand Duchy also rejected this demand because, they said, Echternach, "forming the extreme border of the Grand Duchy towards Prussia, is in a position obviously contrary to the good of the service." This meant that Echternach had a geographically too eccentric position for an administrative center.[2]
By royal decree on January 2, 1832, the extent of the districts - now called quarters and later districts - was reduced, and as a result, their number increased from 5 to 8. Thus, the Moselle district of Grevenmacher was born, of which the Canton of Echternach was a part. As one might imagine, this time too, the inhabitants of Echternach were not pleased to see that the choice of the capital had fallen on a locality that, at the time, had just over 2,000 inhabitants, while the old abbey city had 3,400.[2]
At that time, the canton had nine municipalities: Beaufort, Bech, Berdorf, Born, Consdorf, Mompach, Rosport, and Waldbillig, plus Echternach, administratively designated not as a municipality but as a city.[2]
Later, the canton underwent two modifications.
In 1827, the Pletschette farm (near Haller), detached from the municipality of Beaufort, was attached to that of Medernach and thus moved from the canton of Echternach to that of Diekirch.[2]
In 1829, the municipality of Born was abolished, with the Born section being merged with the municipality of Mompach, and the other sections (Dickweiler, Girst, and Hinkel) being attached to the municipality of Rosport. Thus, the Canton of Echternach was reduced to the 8 municipalities it currently possesses.[2]
This was the situation when, the political ties of the Grand Duchy with the Netherlands and Belgium having been severed by the London Treaty of 1839, Luxembourg, reduced to a third of its territory and half of its population, acquired the character of a state.[2]
At that time, Echternach, surrounded by a strong wall with five gates, had 3,417 inhabitants. In terms of industry, it had two pottery factories, and the production of woolen fabrics employed many artisans at home. Nevertheless, with its rich historical past, it was an isolated locality from the rest of the world since no major road led there. The first road leading to it came from Luxembourg and was only built in 1847. It was traversed daily by a stagecoach.[2]
No road led from Echternach either to Diekirch at the junction of the main road from Liège and Aix-la-Chapelle or to Wasserbillig at the junction of the main road from Trier. The road from Echternach to Diekirch was only built in 1867. However, as the connections between the two cities were important, before the construction of the road, the private merchant and banker Joseph Tschiderer of Diekirch had created around 1849 a boat service between Diekirch and Echternach for the transport of passengers.[2]
