Picquigny

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Coordinates: 49°56′42″N 2°08′41″E / 49.945, 2.14472222222

Commune of Picquigny
Location
Administration
Country	France
Region	Picardie
Department	Somme
Arrondissement	Amiens
Canton	Picquigny
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes à l'Ouest d'Amiens
Mayor	José Herbet (2001-2008)
Statistics
Elevation	11 m–107 m (avg. 17 m)
Land area¹	10,31 km²
Population² (1999)	1386
- Density	134/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	80622/ 80310
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Picquigny is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Population 3 History 4 Places of interest 5 See also 6 External links 7 Notes

[edit] Geography

Situated at the junction of the N235, the D141 and D3 roads, on the banks of the Somme River, some 8 miles northwest (and downstream) of Amiens. A railway station also serves the town.

[edit] Population

Population Growth

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
1195	1309	1322	1381	1397	1386
Census count starting from 1962 : Population without double counting

[edit] History

Already established as a Gallic settlement before the Romans arrived, a Gallo-Roman cemetery gallo-romain was discovered in 1895 in the area known as Les Vignes.^[1].
Known through the ages by various names, in 942 as Pinquigniacum, Pinconii castrum in 1066 and Pinchiniacum in 1110, then as Pinkeni, Pinkinei and Pecquigny .^[2]

• After the defeat of the Huns at Lihons-en-Santerre, the inhabitants of Amiens, who had helped the barbarians, took refuge in the castle of Picquigny, to hide from the vengeance of Dagobert, where they were then besieged by him.^[3]
• On the 17th December 942, Arnulf I, Count of Flanders and William I of Normandy cam to Picquigny to sign a peace treaty. They met on a small island in the Somme, having both left their armies behind. After the meeting, William left but was then assassinated by Arnulf’s supporters.
• As early as the 14th century, the town had commune status and a county judge.
• In 1307, several Templars, were arrested and imprisoned in the dungeons of the château by order of Philip IV of France,
• On the 29th August, 1475, with the Treaty of Picquigny, Louis XI brought to an end the Hundred Years War. The French king had to pay Edward IV an annual sum of fifty thousand crowns.
• In 1547, Henri II of France established a market, on every second Monday of the month.

[edit] Places of interest

• The Château. Built around the beginning of the 11th century and rebuilt over the following centuries. It was severely damaged during World War I. The vestiges are still picturesque and imposing, nevertheless. Outside of the ramparts, there are other medieval buildings : a prison, a kitchen, two cellars, latrines and the Pavillon Sévigné

The ruins of the chateau

The kitchen fireplace

The chateau

Louis Duthoit (1807-1874) - Château de Picquigny

• The church. Originally the chapel to the château, is found behind the ruins of the old chateau, inside the ramparts. The roof was destroyed in a fire at the start of the 20th century.

The church

Steps to the crypt, found behind the baptismal font

The crypt of the church

[edit] See also

Communes of the Somme department

[edit] External links

• Picquigny on the Insee website (French)
• Picquigny on the Quid website (French)

[edit] Notes

• This article is based on the equivalent article from the French Wikipedia, consulted on March 12th 2008.