St. Vith

Sankt Vith
Municipality

View of Sankt Vith
Sankt Vith

Location in Belgium

Coordinates: 50°16′N 06°07′E / 50.267°N 6.117°ECoordinates: 50°16′N 06°07′E / 50.267°N 6.117°E
Country Belgium
Community German-speaking Community
Region Wallonia
Province Liège
Arrondissement Verviers
Government
 • Mayor Christian Krings (Krings-FBL)
 • Governing party/ies Krings-FBL
Area
 • Total 146.93 km2 (56.73 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2013)[1]
 • Total 9,451
 • Density 64/km2 (170/sq mi)
Postal codes 4780-4784
Area codes 080
Website www.st.vith.be

St. Vith (German: Sankt Vith; French: Saint-Vith; Luxembourgish: Sankt Väit) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, and in the German speaking community in Belgium. It was named after Saint Vitus.

On January 1, 2006, St. Vith had a total population of 9,169. The total area is 146.93 km², giving a population density of 62 inhabitants per km². The official language in the municipality is German.

History

American soldiers in St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge

St. Vith was an important marketplace for the region by the 12th century and received town rights in 1350. The town was burnt in 1543, 1602, and 1689. It was part of Luxembourg until the defeat of Napoleon. As a result of the Congress of Vienna it was given to Prussia.

St. Vith was transferred to Belgium on March 6, 1925, by the Treaty of Versailles after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I. An important road and railway junction, St. Vith was fought over in the 1944 Battle of the Bulge during World War II. The United States Army defended the town against German assault for a few days, delaying the German attack plan, before eventually retreating. Once it was captured by German forces, the town was bombed by the US Air Force on 25 and 26 December 1944 and by RAF Bomber Command with 300 aircraft on the 26.[2] St. Vith was largely destroyed during the ground battle and subsequent air attack. American forces retook the town on January 23, 1945. The only remaining pre-war architecture is the Büchel Tower.

St. Vith is the setting for Michael Oren's novel, Reunion, concerning the fictional reunion of an American battalion which participated in the Battle of the Bulge.

Sister cities

References

  1. ↑ Population per municipality on 1 January 2013 (XLS; 607.5 KB)
  2. ↑ "Bomber Command 60th Anniversary Battle Diary December 1944

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Vith.