Vitry-le-François
| Vitry-le-François | ||
|---|---|---|
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  Vitry-le-François | ||
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Location within Champagne-Ardenne region  Vitry-le-François | ||
| Coordinates: 48°43′32″N 4°35′07″E / 48.7256°N 4.5853°ECoordinates: 48°43′32″N 4°35′07″E / 48.7256°N 4.5853°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine | |
| Department | Marne | |
| Arrondissement | Vitry-le-François | |
| Canton | Vitry-le-François-Est and Vitry-le-François-Ouest | |
| Intercommunality | Vitry-le-François | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–) | Jean-Pierre Bouquet | |
| Area1 | 6.45 km2 (2.49 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006)2 | 15,641 | |
| • Density | 2,400/km2 (6,300/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 51649 / 51300 | |
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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. | ||
Vitry-le-François (French pronunciation: [vitʁi lə frɑ̃swa]) is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It is located on the Marne River and is the western terminus of the Marne-Rhine Canal.
History
In 1142, Louis VII invaded Champagne and seized Vitry-le-François. Over a thousand residents were killed when the town's church was set ablaze.
The present town is a relatively recent construction, having been built in 1545 at the behest of King Francis who wished to replace, on a new site, Vitry-en-Perthois, which in 1544 had been entirely destroyed as part of the backwash from the king's Italian War of 1542–46. The new Vitry was to be a modern city, constructed according to a plan produced by Girolamo Marini. The king's role in its creation resulted in Vitry-le-François receiving the king's name as part of its own name.
Demography
Twin towns
Vitry-le-François is twinned with:
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Tauberbischofsheim, Germany, since 1961
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vitry-le-François. |
