Compiègne

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Compiègne
Town hall
Compiègne
Coordinates: 49°24′54″N 2°49′23″E / 49.4149°N 2.8231°E / 49.4149; 2.8231Coordinates: 49°24′54″N 2°49′23″E / 49.4149°N 2.8231°E / 49.4149; 2.8231
Country France
Region Picardy
Department Oise
Arrondissement Compiègne
Intercommunality Région de Compiègne
Area
 • Land1 53.10 km2 (20.50 sq mi)
Population (2007)
 • Population2 41,714
 • Population2 Density 790/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 60159 / 60200
Elevation 31–134 m (102–440 ft)
(avg. 41 m or 135 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.

Compiègne (French pronunciation: ​[kɔ̃pjɛɲ]) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the Oise River. Its inhabitants are called Compiégnois.

Administration

Compiègne is the seat of three cantons

  • Compiègne-Nord (with 5 communes)
  • Compiègne-Sud-Est (southeast) (with 4 communes)
  • Compiègne-Sud-Ouest (southwest) (with 5 communes)

History

665 - Saint Wilfrid consecrated Bishop of York.
February 888 - Odo, Count of Paris and king of the Franks was crowned in Compiègne.
23 May 1430 - During the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians while attempting to free Compiègne. They then sold her to the English.
1630 - Marie de' Medici's attempts to displace Richelieu ultimately led to her exile to Compiègne, from where she escaped to Brussels in 1631.
17 July 1794 - The Martyrs of Compiègne are executed in Paris during the Reign of Terror.
1900 - The golf events for the 1900 Summer Olympics took place.[1]
11 November 1918 - The Armistice with Germany (Compiègne), agreed at Le Francport near Compiègne, ends fighting of World War I
21 June 1940 - Another Armistice with France (Second Compiègne) was signed between Nazi Germany and the defeated France in Le Francport, near Compiègne, in the same place as in 1918, in the same railroad carriage, but with the seats swapped.
1941 - During the Nazi occupation of France, the Compiègne internment camp was established in Compiègne. A memorial of the camp, and another along the railway tracks commemorates the tragedy.
1968 - The starting location of the Paris–Roubaix bicycle race was changed from Paris to Compiègne.
2004 - The Communauté de Communes de la Région de Compiègne becomes a partner in a European Union INTERREG IIIb project called SAND (see link below)

Population

  • 1882: 13,393
  • 1990: 41,663 (municipal), 44,703 (total)
  • 1999: 41,076 (municipal), 44,703 (total), 69,903 (agglomeration), urban (108,234)

Sights

View of Compiègne

Museums

Compiègne Forest

The Glade of the Armistice in the Compiègne Forest was the site of the signing of two armistices; the 1918 Armistice with Germany and the 1940 Armistice with France. Hitler specifically chose the location, and had the original signing carriage moved from Paris to Compiègne, as an irony for the defeated French. The site still houses several memorials to the 1918 armistice, including a copy of the original railway carriage. The original, after use in the 1940 armistice was moved to Berlin as a trophy of Nazi triumph. The railway carriage was later taken to Crawinkel in Thuringia in 1945, where it was destroyed by SS troops and the remains buried. A replica now stands at the original site.

Education

Compiègne is home to the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC), an engineering school founded in the mid-1970s to provide an alternative to the traditional "grandes écoles" for students interested in technical fields. The UTC has a strong international students program known as Esperanto, and hosts students from around the world.

Transport

The Gare de Compiègne railway station offers connections with Paris, Amiens, Cambrai and several regional destinations. The nearest motorway is the A1 Paris-Lille.

Cycling

Since 1968 Compiègne is the traditional start city of the famous Paris–Roubaix bicycle race. It was also the finish city of 3rd stage in the 2007 Tour de France.

Personalities

Compiègne was the birthplace of:

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Twin towns – Sister cities

Compiègne is twinned with:

Compiègne is also partnered with:

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1900 Summer Olympics official report. p. 15. Accessed 14 November 2010. (French)
  2. ↑ "Elbląg - Podstrony / Miasta partnerskie". Elbląski Dziennik Internetowy (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2013-08-01. 
  3. ↑ "Elbląg - Miasta partnerskie". Elbląg.net (in Polish). Retrieved 2013-08-01. 

External links

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Clairoix, Choisy-au-Bac and Margny-lès-Compiègne
Jaux, Venette Saint-Jean-aux-Bois and Vieux-Moulin
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