Sedan, Ardennes
| Sedan | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| ||
  Sedan | ||
|
Location within Champagne-Ardenne region  Sedan | ||
| Coordinates: 49°42′09″N 4°56′28″E / 49.70250°N 4.9411°ECoordinates: 49°42′09″N 4°56′28″E / 49.70250°N 4.9411°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine | |
| Department | Ardennes | |
| Arrondissement | Sedan | |
| Canton | 3 cantons | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Didier Herbillon | |
| Area1 | 16.28 km2 (6.29 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 19,219 | |
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 08409 / 08200 | |
| Elevation |
149–301 m (489–988 ft) (avg. 157 m or 515 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. | ||
.svg.png)
Sedan (French pronunciation: [sə.dɑ̃]) is a commune in France, a sub-prefecture of the Ardennes department in northern France.
Geography
The historic centre is built on a peninsula formed by an arc of the Meuse River. It is around 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the Belgian border.
History
Sedan was founded in 1424. In the sixteenth century Sédan was an asylum for Protestant refugees from the Wars of Religion.
Until 1651, the Principality of Sedan belonged to the La Tour d'Auvergne family. It was at that time a sovereign principality. Their most illustrious representative, Marshal Turenne, was born at Sedan on 11 September 1611. With help from the Holy Roman Empire, it managed to defeat France at the Battle of La Marfée, though immediately afterwards it was besieged and its prince, Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon, submitted to France. Only a year after that submission, it was annexed to France in return for sparing his life after he became involved in a conspiracy against France.
This town was also the birthplace of Jacques MacDonald, a general who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
During the Franco-Prussian War, on 2 September 1870 the French emperor Napoleon III was taken prisoner with 100,000 of his soldiers at the First Battle of Sedan. Due to this major victory, which also made the unification of Germany possible, 2 September was declared "Sedan Day" (Sedantag) and a national German holiday in 1871. It remained a holiday until 1919.
Sedan was occupied by the Germans for four years during World War I.[1] On 13 November 1917, the German Crown Prince paraded the 13th Infantry Division over the course of "d'Alsace-Lorraine".
During World War II the German troops first invaded neutral Belgium and crossed the Meuse River by winning the Second Battle of Sedan that lasted from 12 to 15 May 1940. This battle allowed them to win the whole Battle of France as they not only bypassed the French fortification system, the Maginot Line, but it also enabled them to entrap the Allied Forces that were advancing east into Belgium, as part of the Allied Dyle Plan strategy.
Points of interest
Castle
Today Sedan is known for its castle, that is claimed to be the largest fortified medieval castle in Europe with a total area of 30,000 square metres (36,000 sq yd) on seven levels. Construction started in 1424 and the castle's defences were constantly improved over the ages. It is the only remaining part of the once enormous fortifications in and around the town.
-
Castle in Sedan
-
Center court of the castle
-
War memorial at the Castle
Other points of interest
- Jardin botanique de Sedan
- Festival médiéval de Sedan in May
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 12,033 | — |
| 1800 | 10,634 | −11.6% |
| 1806 | 10,838 | +1.9% |
| 1821 | 12,123 | +11.9% |
| 1831 | 13,806 | +13.9% |
| 1836 | 14,536 | +5.3% |
| 1841 | 15,585 | +7.2% |
| 1846 | 14,635 | −6.1% |
| 1851 | 16,759 | +14.5% |
| 1866 | 13,793 | −17.7% |
| 1872 | 14,039 | +1.8% |
| 1876 | 16,593 | +18.2% |
| 1881 | 19,556 | +17.9% |
| 1886 | 19,306 | −1.3% |
| 1891 | 20,292 | +5.1% |
| 1896 | 20,163 | −0.6% |
| 1901 | 19,349 | −4.0% |
| 1906 | 19,599 | +1.3% |
| 1911 | 19,516 | −0.4% |
| 1921 | 17,509 | −10.3% |
| 1926 | 18,298 | +4.5% |
| 1931 | 18,908 | +3.3% |
| 1936 | 18,559 | −1.8% |
| 1946 | 13,514 | −27.2% |
| 1954 | 17,637 | +30.5% |
| 1962 | 20,336 | +15.3% |
| 1968 | 23,837 | +17.2% |
| 1975 | 25,995 | +9.1% |
| 1982 | 24,977 | −3.9% |
| 1990 | 22,667 | −9.2% |
| 1999 | 21,548 | −4.9% |
| 2008 | 19,219 | −10.8% |
Economy
A centre of cloth production, begun under the patronage of Cardinal Mazarin, supported the town until the late nineteenth century.
Personalities
The following notable people lived there:
- Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne (1611–1675), Marshal of France
- Jean de Collas (1678–1753), architect
- Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald (1765–1840), Marshal of France
- Charles Baudin (1792–1854), admiral
- René Guyon (1876–1963), jurist
- Yves Congar (1904–1995), French Dominican theologian and cardinal
- Pierre Cartier (born 1932), mathematician
- Yannick Noah (born 1960), former professional tennis player
- Jesse DeForest (born 1575 in Avesnes, France), founder of Manhattan, NY had several children baptized at French Church of Sedan
Twin towns
See also
- Communes of the Ardennes department
- CS Sedan Ardennes, football club based in Sedan
- French Towns and Lands of Art and History
- Stade Louis Dugauguez, a multi-use stadium in Sedan
Notes
- ↑ "First World War". Wir-rheinlaender.lvr.de. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
External links
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sedan. |
- Sedan city council website (French)
- The German breakthrough in 1940
- Webpage about the fortifications of Sedan
- Article on the Battle of Sedan at 'Battlefields Europe'
|