On the French side, the main neighbouring city is Longwy in Meurthe-et-Moselle, over 5 km to the south west.

But 1977 was a tragic year for the city because the factory closed its doors due to the iron and steel crisis of that moment.

That event led to a social and economic crisis for the city and the whole region which is not yet totally solved today.

But Athus is still the biggest locality of the municipality of Aubange, and the most important because many services are still there; (the townhall, the main schools, the main bus lines stops and train station, the police station or the firehouse are examples.)

In 1882, the company became Société des Hauts Fourneaux et Aciéries d'Athus; by 1914 there were four blast furnaces, and by 1928 five.

Production continued until the steel works at Athus was merged with the Minière et Métallurgique de Rodange (MMR) in 1973; restructuring as a result of the Steel crisis of the 1973–75 recession led to the complete closure of the plant in Athus in the late 1970s.