Saint-Dizier |
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Saint-Dizier
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Location within Champagne-Ardenne region
Saint-Dizier
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Administration | |
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Country | France |
Region | Champagne-Ardenne |
Department | Haute-Marne |
Arrondissement | Saint-Dizier |
Mayor | François Cornut-Gentille (2001–2008) |
Statistics | |
Elevation | 146 m (479 ft) avg. |
Land area1 | 47.69 km2 (18.41 sq mi) |
Population2 | 30,900 (1999) |
- Density | 648 /km2 (1,680 /sq mi) |
INSEE/Postal code | 52448/ 52100 |
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. |
Saint-Dizier is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.
It has a population of 31,000 (2003 figure) and is a subprefecture of the department. Although Saint-Dizier is marginally the most populous commune in Haute-Marne, the préfecture (capital) resides in the somewhat smaller commune of Chaumont.
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Located approximately 120 miles (193 km) east of Paris, halfway to Strasbourg, it is five miles from Western Europe's largest man-made lake, Lake Der-Chantecoq.
The town originated as a fortified settlement around a thirteenth century château, eventually becoming a royal fortress to guard the French kingdom's eastern approaches. The town was besieged and captured by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in the summer of 1544. A fire in 1775 destroyed two-thirds of the town centre. The château was owned by the Orléans family until the French Revolution, was a base for German troops during World War II, and currently houses the Municipal Museum.
Saint-Dizier is the birthplace of