Kanfen

Kanfen is a village in France near Thionville. It is in the Lorraine Region, in the Moselle department, in north-eastern France. The population as of 2007 is about 996.[1]

Kanfen

Eglise Kanfen.jpg
The church in Kanfen
Coat of arms of Kanfen
Administration
Country France
Region Lorraine
Department Moselle
Arrondissement Thionville
Canton Yutz
Intercommunality Cattenom et Environs
Mayor Denis Baur
(2014-2020)
Statistics
Elevation 198–400 m (650–1,312 ft)
Land area1 8.5 km2 (3.3 sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 57356/ 57330
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

Origin of the name

The first mention of the village is under the name Cantevanne, in a 1239 text. Later it became Kaufen. In 1801, it changed to Kanfen.[2] The name stayed the same when Alsace-Moselle became part of the German Empire in 1870.[3]

The most likely etymology is a contraction of the Gaulish word canto (mountain) and the Germanic radical Fenn (marshland).[3]

History of the commune

Kanfen and all of the Thionville region was dependent of the Duchy of Luxembourg. Le Grand Condé took Thionville in 1643. The village became part of the Kingdom of France. This was confirmed by the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.

As it was part of Alsace-Moselle, the commune was part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. It was annexed by the Third Reich between 1940 and 1944.

Geography

Kanfen is next to the Kudertsberg hill, around 230 metres high.[4] The river Kiesel has its source in the village flows through it.

The commune is 12 km north of Thionville and 20 km south of the city of Luxembourg. It is only a few kilometres away from the border with Luxembourg.

The commune regroups Kanfen and Kanfen-sous-Bois.[4]

Monuments

  • Old Castle of the Lord of Kanfen, called Keybourg. It is now a presbytery where the castle used to be.
  • Saint-Maurice Church, located in Keybourg. It was built in 1744 on the side of a hill.
  • A bildstock dating back to 1634. It is where the Rue Volmerange and the Rue de Keybourg cross.

Demography

Change in population
(Source : INSEE[5] and Ehess[6])
19011906191119211926193119361946195419621968197519821990199920062007
512493586511543522518444440503483469615722776970[7]996[8]
From the year 1968 on: population without double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

References

  1. CartesFrance.fr (in French)
  2. "Cassini". Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Kanfen's name". Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Commune of Kanfen's website - geography". Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  5. INSEE's website
  6. Cassini
  7. 2006 Estimations - INSEE
  8. Estimations - INSEE