Wasserbillig

Cheap water ( Luxembourgish Waasserbëlleg ) is a town at the confluence of Sauer and Moselle in the east of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and is a member of Mertert. It lies directly on the border with Germany. German border towns are Wasserbilligerbrück on the far shore and sour Oberbillig on the other bank of the Moselle.

History

Already the Romans knew the place under the name Biliacum.

Location

Cheap water is 130 m above sea level. NN is the deepest point in the Grand Duchy and seat of the municipality Mertert, which belongs to the canton Grevenmacher.

Economy

The town has 2,300 inhabitants. Because of the proximity to Germany cheap water is a bustling town that is particularly influenced by the rain border trade. This is mainly fuel tourism, because of the tax differences between Germany and Luxembourg. Exactly 14 gas stations lined up on the road between water cheap and Mertert, also the former border crossing on the A64 motorway was expanded into a gas station.

Traffic

Road

On the northern outskirts of the village runs along the E 44 European main routes, the extension of the German A 64 At the church the Rue Nationale Luxemburgeoise branches (N 10) to the north, which runs through the valley of the Sure to Echternach. The main street of the village ( " Grande Rue " ) crossed the Sauer with an arched bridge and connects the village with the ending here on German soil B 49 in the neighboring municipality Wasserbilligerbrück. On the German side of sour here begins the B 418 to Echternach. A ferry allows vehicle traffic across the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate, Upper Cheap. The cross-border motorway A1 ( Lux ) / A64 ( Dtl. ), which is the already mentioned European route, has led to very easing the tense traffic situation in water cheap.

Rail transport

In the water cheap station several railway routes come together, including

• Cheap water - Luxembourg
• Cheap water - Mertert port
• Cheap water - ( German border) - Hedgehog - Trier

The water station is cheap maintenance of intercity line 35 Deutsche Bahn AG from Luxembourg to the north dike Mole, see also: List of inter-city railway stations.

Hostage-taking in 2000

In the short term known water was low in 2000, when a Tunisian immigrant crèche Spatzennascht stormed and approximately 23 children and 3 teachers took as hostages. About his motive was speculated until it turned out that the man had been removed from the custody of his child shortly before. His demand to get on a plane to Libya was not complied with. Instead, injured from Germany to help officials called the SWAT Dusseldorf, which were disguised as a television journalist, after 30 hours of unsuccessful negotiations, the man living dangerously with two shots to the head. The disciplined approach of the staff in the nursery, it was thanks to them that there was no broader short circuit acts of the offender. The perpetrator was subsequently sentenced to a long prison term.

Personalities

• Jacques Santer ( born 1937 ), President of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999