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Arlon is also one of the oldest towns and habitats in Belgium. The name comes from the Latin 'Orolanum', which indicates that the city was originally a Roman foundation lying at the crossroads between two very important trade roads: the road from Reims (France) to Trier (Germany) and the road from Tongeren (Belgium) to Metz (France). All of these cities were important Roman settlements. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Arlon was taken by Germanic tribes (the Francs). This is the reason why the local dialect is a variant of the German Language. Of course, the official language spoken by everyone is French, because Arlon lies in Wallonia. During the Middle-Ages the city was part of the County of Luxembourg.
The tourist office is situated  in the old 18th century postal station. Around the  Place Léopold (Leopold square)  were constructed several official buildings in the middle of the 19th century: the neoclassicist House of Parliament and the neo-gothic Palace of Justice.

In 1846 the MUSEE LUXEMBURGEOIS was constructed in the Rue des Martyrs, 13.   Arlon was a Roman settlement, therefore the Gallo-roman department  of this museum boasts a prominent collection of archeological findings . There are more than 450 statues from tombstones or from the Roman 'Thermae' (baths). Nearly 600 sculptured panels give more information about life in Roman times. In the houses around the Grand-Place, parts of Roman constructions can be seen .

Certainly worth a visit is the Archeological park (situated Rue des Thermes Romaines). In the center of the park are the foundations of the oldest church in Belgium: a basilica from the 5th century. The little walls in the middle show the contours of the original sanctuary that was later enlarged. Around it is a cemetery where christianized Merovingians were buried as from the beginning of the 6th century. Many of the ancient tombstones are still present. Furthermore, one can see at the back of the park the remainders of Roman Thermae and bathhouses.
 

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