Chauny

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Chauny
Town hall

Coat of arms
Chauny
Coordinates: 49°36′59″N 3°13′12″E / 49.6164°N 3.22°E / 49.6164; 3.22Coordinates: 49°36′59″N 3°13′12″E / 49.6164°N 3.22°E / 49.6164; 3.22
Country France
Region Picardy
Department Aisne
Arrondissement Laon
Canton Chauny
Intercommunality Chauny-Tergnier
Government
  Mayor (20082014) Marcel Lalonde (PR)
Area
  Land1 13.28 km2 (5.13 sq mi)
Population (2008)
  Population2 12,146
  Population2 Density 910/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 02173 / 02300
Elevation 42–96 m (138–315 ft)
(avg. 69 m or 226 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.

Chauny is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.

Geography

Built on the banks of the Oise and the Saint-Quentin canal, the town still retains its port to this day. Chauny is equal distances from Soissons (34 km), Laon (36 km) and Saint-Quentin, Aisne (30 km) and is right at the heart of Picardie.

Chauny is well linked to the rest of the region by road : close to the A26 and A29 motorways which head towards Saint Quentin. The national airports in Paris are an hour by car.

The town is served by an important railway network and the railway line has passed through the town since 1849. The railway station in Chauny is part of the Paris - St Quentin - Maubeuge line, and is well serviced by Corail and TER trains towards Paris, Compiègne and Saint Quentin. The station was re built after the war to plans by Urbain Cassan.

The Saint-Quentin canal was built as a junction between the Somme and the Oise in 1738, is popular with barges.

A very modern theatre often shows cultural exhibitions and performances. Close by are the forests of Saint-Gobain and Coucy Basse.

Schools

The town today has three collèges and four lycées : there is a scientific, technical and professional lycée, Jean Macé, a general and technical lycée, Gay-Lussac, a private lycée, Saint-Charles, and a private agricultural lycée, Robert Schuman.

Population

Historical population
Year Pop.  ±%  
1962 12,626    
1968 13,920+10.2%
1975 14,405+3.5%
1982 13,435−6.7%
1990 12,926−3.8%
1999 12,523−3.1%
2008 12,146−3.0%

International relations

Chauny is twinned with Andenne (Belgium) and Bergheim (Germany).

See also

References

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