Charleville-Mézières
| Charleville-Mézières | ||
|---|---|---|
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Place Ducale | ||
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  Charleville-Mézières | ||
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Location within Grand Est region  Charleville-Mézières | ||
| Coordinates: 49°46′19″N 4°42′58″E / 49.7719°N 4.7161°ECoordinates: 49°46′19″N 4°42′58″E / 49.7719°N 4.7161°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Grand Est | |
| Department | Ardennes | |
| Arrondissement | Charleville-Mézières | |
| Intercommunality | Cœur d'Ardenne | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014–2020) | Boris Ravignon | |
| Area1 | 31.44 km2 (12.14 sq mi) | |
| Population (2009[1])2 | 49,975 | |
| • Density | 1,600/km2 (4,100/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | French: Carolomacérien | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 08105 / 08000 | |
| Elevation |
133–323 m (436–1,060 ft) (avg. 148 m or 486 ft) | |
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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. | ||
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Charleville-Mézières (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁ.lə.vil.me.zjɛʁ]) is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the Meuse River.
History
Charleville and Mézières were originally separate communities on opposite banks of the Meuse, about a mile (2 km) distant from one another.[2]
Charleville was founded by Charles Gonzaga, the 8th duke of Mantua, in 1606. Its inhabitants were known as Carolopolitans (Carolopolitains). It was prosperous from the 17th century, although its fortifications were dismantled under Louis XIV in 1687 and it passed into French hands in 1708. It was plundered by the Prussians in 1815. France's royal armaments factory was formerly located there and gave its name to the Charleville musket, before being relocated and divided between Tulle and Chatellerault. In the 19th century, the city continued to produce arms through private firms, as well as nails, hardware, wine, spirits, coal, iron, and slate. It boasted a spacious port, a theater, a large public library, and a museum of natural history.[2]
The inhabitants of Mézières were known as Macerians (Macériens).
By the mid-19th century, the two towns were linked by a suspension bridge.[2] The present commune was established in 1966. Another commune, Le Theux, had already been merged into Mézières in 1965. It has a population of about 51,000.
Climate
| Climate data for Charleville-Mézières (1981–2010 averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.0 (59) |
17.5 (63.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
30.7 (87.3) |
34.9 (94.8) |
35.3 (95.5) |
37.0 (98.6) |
30.7 (87.3) |
27.7 (81.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
15.6 (60.1) |
37.0 (98.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) |
6.6 (43.9) |
10.8 (51.4) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.7 (74.7) |
19.6 (67.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.7 (42.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
1.6 (34.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
7.3 (45.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
12.1 (53.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
8.9 (48) |
6.2 (43.2) |
2.7 (36.9) |
0.5 (32.9) |
5.3 (41.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.5 (0.5) |
−16.7 (1.9) |
−13.8 (7.2) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
1.7 (35.1) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
−16.4 (2.5) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 102.3 (4.028) |
77.0 (3.031) |
82.5 (3.248) |
62.7 (2.469) |
69.4 (2.732) |
70.4 (2.772) |
74.6 (2.937) |
70.8 (2.787) |
67.2 (2.646) |
88.3 (3.476) |
86.9 (3.421) |
106.3 (4.185) |
958.4 (37.732) |
| Average precipitation days | 13.7 | 11.3 | 13.3 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 | 9.6 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 12.9 | 14.1 | 139.5 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 53.6 | 66.5 | 118.5 | 163.5 | 186.6 | 195.2 | 206.3 | 196.9 | 143.5 | 97.2 | 45.6 | 42.6 | 1,515.9 |
| Source: Météo France[3][4] | |||||||||||||
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 7,240 | — |
| 1800 | 7,724 | +6.7% |
| 1806 | 8,430 | +9.1% |
| 1821 | 8,320 | −1.3% |
| 1831 | 7,773 | −6.6% |
| 1836 | 8,878 | +14.2% |
| 1841 | 9,875 | +11.2% |
| 1846 | 9,353 | −5.3% |
| 1851 | 9,162 | −2.0% |
| 1866 | 11,244 | +22.7% |
| 1872 | 12,676 | +12.7% |
| 1876 | 13,759 | +8.5% |
| 1881 | 16,185 | +17.6% |
| 1886 | 16,906 | +4.5% |
| 1891 | 17,390 | +2.9% |
| 1896 | 17,805 | +2.4% |
| 1901 | 18,772 | +5.4% |
| 1906 | 20,702 | +10.3% |
| 1911 | 22,654 | +9.4% |
| 1921 | 21,689 | −4.3% |
| 1926 | 22,634 | +4.4% |
| 1931 | 22,708 | +0.3% |
| 1936 | 22,557 | −0.7% |
| 1946 | 20,193 | −10.5% |
| 1954 | 22,536 | +11.6% |
| 1962 | 24,668 | +9.5% |
| 1968 | 55,343 | +124.4% |
| 1975 | 60,176 | +8.7% |
| 1982 | 58,667 | −2.5% |
| 1990 | 57,008 | −2.8% |
| 1999 | 55,490 | −2.7% |
| 2008 | 50,876 | −8.3% |
| 2009 | 49,975 | −1.8% |
Culture
Puppetry is an important part of the cultural life of Charleville-Mézières, which is called the "World Capital of Puppetry Arts". An international puppet festival has been held there every three years since 1961 and became biennial event in 2011.[5] The town is also home to the world headquarters of UNIMA[6] as well as the International Puppetry Institute (French: Institut International de la Marionnette),[7] which is housed in a historic building featuring a giant automaton of a puppeteer who performs a puppet show every hour on the hour.
The poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891) was born in Charleville. The Rimbaud museum is located in the old water mill (Le Vieux Moulin) to the north of the town.
Transport
City buses are run by TAC,[8] Transports de l’Agglomération de Charleville-Mézières. The Gare de Charleville-Mézières railway station offers connections to Paris (by TGV), Reims, Lille, Metz and regional destinations.
Sport
OFC Charleville represent the town at association football. Étoile de Charleville-Mézières is a basketball club.
Famous residents
- Louis Dufour, the abbé of Longuerue, was born in Charleville.[2]
- Arthur Rimbaud, the French poet, was born in Charleville.
- Natalis de Wailly, 19th-century historian and palaeographer as born in Charleville
International relations
Charleville-Mézières is twinned with:[9]
Nevers, France
Mantua, Italy
Dülmen, Germany- Euskirchen, Germany
- Nordhausen, Germany
Iida, Japan
See also
References
Citations
- ↑ "Insee - Chiffres cls : Commune de Charleville-Mzires (08105)". Insee.fr. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
- 1 2 3 4 EB (1878), "Charleville".
- ↑ "Données climatiques de la station de Charleville-Mézières" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Climat Champagne-Ardenne" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ↑ "L'histoire". Festival-marionnette.com. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
- ↑ "UNIMA: Accueil". Unima.org. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
- ↑ "INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL DE LA MARIONNETTE - IIM". Marionnette.com. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
- ↑ Archived 21 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Les villes jumelles". charleville-mezieres.fr. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
Bibliography
- "Charleville", Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. V, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1878, p. 429.
- "Charleville", Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. V, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1911, pp. 945–6.
- "Mézières", Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. XVIII, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1911, p. 351.
External links
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