Attilly

Attilly
The Toiwn Hall
Attilly
Location within Picardy region  Attilly
Coordinates: 49°51′27″N 3°10′10″E / 49.8575°N 3.1694°ECoordinates: 49°51′27″N 3°10′10″E / 49.8575°N 3.1694°E
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie
Department	Aisne
Arrondissement	Saint-Quentin
Canton	Vermand
Intercommunality	Pays du Vermandois
Government
• Mayor (2008–2020)	Jean-Paul Bruet
Area^1	11.81 km^2 (4.56 sq mi)
Population (2012)^2	376
• Density	32/km^2 (82/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	02029 / 02490
Elevation	66–141 m (217–463 ft) (avg. 150 m or 490 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Attilly is a French commune in the department of Aisne in the Picardy region of northern France.

Inhabitants of the commune are traditionally referred to as "les Gens d'Attilly," or "the People of Attilly." For over 20 years, residents have debated whether their demonym should be Attillois or Attilliens however the Habitants website states that it should be Attilliens or Attilliennes^[1]

Geography

Attilly is located 5 km west of Saint-Quentin just north of the A29 autoroute which passes through the south-western corner of the commune. It can be accessed by several roads: the D73 from Beauvois-en-Vermandois in the south-west to Villeveque, the D733 from Etreillers in the south going north-west to Villeveque, the D33 going north from Etreillers to Attilly village and continuing north to Marteville and Vermand, the D73 from the D1029 in the north to Marteville, and the D686 from Holnon in the east to the village. There are three villages and hamlets in the commune:^[2]

• Attilly in the centre with the town hall, the school (closed), the festival hall, the church, the train station (closed), 25 cafes (all closed), and a water tower
• Marteville in the north with its cemetery, railway station (closed), castle (private) is located next to the village of Vermand
• Villeveque in the west with the villa of the Prince of Monaco, ponds for fishing, and the mill (where it is possible to learn to swim)

Much of the commune is farmland however it is partly surrounded by the Forests of Holnon and Attilly.^[3]

The Omignon river passes along and forms the north-western border of the commune through Marteville and Villevèque.^[4]

Neighbouring communes and villages^[4]

History

The name Attilly is derived from a word translated as "overlooking the water" and probably owes its name to its position atop a hill.^[5] The origin of the name Attilly therefore probably dates back to a Roman villa. However, the region has been inhabited for much longer.^[6]

Charles Poette^[7] wrote a history at the beginning of the 20th century. The village was destroyed during the First World War: only a single wall was still standing at the end of the conflict on the Rue du Prozet.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Attilly^[8]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
		François Vassant
		Georges Lenain
1983	2008	Pierre Vassant
2008	2020	Jean-Paul Bruet

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2012 the commune had 376 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the town since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
505	521	576	561	719	712	695	730	733

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
742	781	807	769	730	670	670	664	597

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
663	651	543	401	417	391	388	368	381

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2009	2010
411	376	376	378	401	397	403	391	384

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Sites and Monuments

The War memorial

• The Church of Saint Martin
• The War memorial commemorating the First World War.
• Marteville Communal Cemetery, a British military cemetery managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
• A Calvary on the road between Attilly and Marteville (Vermand), another between Attilly and Holnon, and another on the road to Etreillers. There is also one at the entrance to the village from the Attilly forest which is located facing the road to Vermand not far from the church
• A Calvary or Wayside Cross on the dirt road towards Etreillers after the water tower at the top of the village.
• A Tomb on the road to Etreillers
• The Place Verte (Green Square) located on the old Roman road between Holnon and Vermand
• The ruins of a Chapel in the middle of Attilly forest where there was an old village abandoned after the First World War
• The Place du Sar (Royal Square) where 14 July is celebrated and where the hall is built
• A Dovecote next to the Rue de l'Eglise.

Picture Gallery

• 

  Entrance to the town and a Wayside Cross

• 

  The Church of Saint Martin

• 

  The Marteville Communal Cemetery

• 

  Dugouts in Attilly 2 May 1917

• 

  A Wayside Cross

• 

  The Dovecote

Culture

The language spoken in Attilly is still a Picard dialect.

See also

• Communes of the Aisne department

External links

• Attilly on Lion1906
• Attilly on Google Maps
• Attilly on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
• Attilly on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Attilly on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)

Notes and references

Notes

1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 , the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For municipalities with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these municipalities is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

1. Inhabitants of Attilly (French)
2. Canton of Vermand Map (French)
3. Forests of Holnon and Attilly (French)
4. Google Maps
5. History of Aisne (French)
6. Fagnart, Jean-Pierre, Industry at Federmesser in the Forests of Holnon at Attilly, Aisne, France, in a North-west European context, 1987 (French)
7. Charles Poette Book (French)
8. List of Mayors of Aisne>