Aubenton

Coordinates: 49°50′12″N 4°12′17″E / 49.8367°N 4.2047°E / 49.8367; 4.2047
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Aubenton
Commune
Jean Mermoz Museum and the town hall
Jean Mermoz Museum and the town hall
Coat of arms of Aubenton
Coat of arms
Location of Aubenton
Map
Aubenton is located in France
Aubenton
Aubenton
Aubenton is located in Hauts-de-France
Aubenton
Aubenton
Coordinates: 49°50′12″N 4°12′17″E / 49.8367°N 4.2047°E / 49.8367; 4.2047
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentAisne
ArrondissementVervins
CantonHirson
IntercommunalityTrois Rivières
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Bernard Grehant[1]
Area
1
23.7 km2 (9.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
660
 • Density28/km2 (72/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
02031 /02500
Elevation168–259 m (551–850 ft)
(avg. 182 m or 597 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Aubenton (French pronunciation: [obɑ̃tɔ̃]) is a commune in the department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.

Geography[edit]

Aubenton derives its name from its location near the confluence (in the commune of Hannappes to the east) of the Aube and the Thon.

The commune is located some 70 km east of Saint Quentin and 40 km west by northwest of Charleville-Mézières. The D1043 (E44) road from Hirson to Charleville-Mézières runs along the northern border of the commune. The village can be accessed from this road by the D5 road running southeast or the D37 road running south-west. The D5 road continues through the commune and south, changing to the D977, and continuing to Rozoy-sur-Serre. The D37 road continues west from the village to Besmont. There is also the D38 road from Leuze in the west passing through the village and continuing to Hannappes in the east. The railway from Hirson to Charleville-Mézières also passes through the commune following the course of the river Thon but there is no station in the commune, the nearest being at Liart to the east. The commune is about 80% farmland with the rest extensive forests in the south. There are a number of hamlets other than the village. These are:

  • Bas Val La Caure
  • Buirefontaine
  • Haute Val la Caure
  • Hurtebise
  • La Rue Larcher
  • Le Bois Carbonnet
  • Ribeauville
  • Saint-Nicholas
Entrance to the village

The river Thon flows from east to west through the north of the commune eventually joining the Oise at Etreaupont. The Ruisseau du Bois Carbonnet rises in the south of the commune, discharging into the Ruisseau de l'Étang Polliart, a tributary of the Thon.[3]

Aubenton is surrounded by 7 communes: Brunehamel, Iviers, Beaumé, Leuze, Any-Martin-Rieux, Logny-lès-Aubenton, and Mont-Saint-Jean.[4]

Neighbouring communes and villages[edit]

[5]

History[edit]

A drawing of the attack on the town walls by the Count of Hainaut

Second World War[edit]

The department of Aisne has 10 people designated "Righteous Among the Nations" (French people who helped Jews during the war), of whom 3 were from Aubenton:

  • Emile Fontaine[6] (a street bears his name)
  • Annette Pierron, his girlfriend at the time
  • Camille Pierron, mother of Annette and the owner of a farm at Buirefontaine

Shot by the Gestapo on the Aubenton-Besmont road (D37) on 30 March 1944, Emile Fontaine was recognized as a captain in the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) after the Liberation. All three had saved 10 escapees from the "Judenlager of Mazures" who hid for a time at Buirefontaine.[7]

Heraldry[edit]

Arms of Aubenton
Arms of Aubenton
 Blazon:

Or, a Castle in gules masoned in sable with three ports open.



Administration[edit]

List of Successive Mayors of Aubenton[8]

Mayors from the 17th century to 1926
From To Name
1640 1648 Roland Dobsen
1848 1649 Dormet
1649 1688 Nicolas Deswatines
1688 1694 Dormet
1694 1704 Jean Grégoire de l'Etang-Neuf
1704 1708 Martin Brucelle
1708 1753 Louis Dambraine
1754 1763 Jacques Coyer
1763 1790 Jacques Pierre Coyer
1790 1800 Louis Antoine Sorlin
1800 1816 Nicolas de Villelongue
1816 1830 Joseph Petit
1830 1831 Edouard Marie Louis Ternaux
1831 1836 César Millet
1836 1840 Paul Emile Barbier
1840 1848 Célestin Landragin
1848 1849 Joseph Millet
1848 1850 Joseph Prud'homme
1850 1870 Célestin Landragin
1871 1902 Isidore Cabaret
1902 1909 Henri Cabaret
1908 1914 Juramie
1914 1919 Procureur
1919 1926 Fernand Dizy
Mayors from 1926
From To Name Party Position
1926 1946 Henri Bouxin
1946 1971 Charles Dejume
1971 1973 Marcel Ferraris
1973 1983 Guy Navaux
1983 1989 Christian Pillot
1989 2001 René Sablin PCF
2001 2013 Bernard Noé UMP General Council Member (2001-2013)
2013 2020 Denise Charlier[9] DVD
2020 incumbent Bernard Grehant[1]

Population[edit]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,078—    
1975 1,002−1.04%
1982 969−0.48%
1990 826−1.98%
1999 713−1.62%
2007 703−0.18%
2012 679−0.69%
2017 657−0.66%
Source: INSEE[10]

Culture and heritage[edit]

The commune has a very large number of buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments.[11] An abridged list of the most prominent historical monuments is shown below.

Civil heritage[edit]

  • The Girls' School (1876)[12]
  • The War memorial (1920)[13]
  • The Town Hall (1868).[14] The Town Hall contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
    • A Bust: Marianne (19th century)[15]
    • A Bust: Lieutenant André Bouxin (20th century)[16]
  • Le Chalet Industrial House (1906).[17] The house contains a Fountain (19th century) which is registered as an historical object.[18]
  • The Railway Station (1885)[19]
  • The old Hotel Collin (13th century)[20] now the Jean Mermoz Museum. The Museum contains several items which are registered as historical objects:
    • A Bas-relief: Arms surmounted by lions (16th century)[21]
    • A Bust: Jean Mermoz (20th century)[22]
    • A Bas-relief: Jean Mermoz as an aviator (1937)[23]
    • A Bas-relief: Jean Mermoz (20th century)[24]
    • A Lamp called the Lampedaire of Jean Mermoz (1913)[25]
    • Jean Mermoz's Cradle (19th century)[26]
    • A Commemorative plaque for Jean Mermoz (1937)[27]
  • The old Flour Mill (18th century)[28]
  • The old City Walls (14th century)[29] of which only two remain of the original seven towers: the Tour de Chimay (in the Tower lane) has been transformed into a cottage managed by the commune. Another tower on private land is visible from the road along the Thon

Religious heritage[edit]

  • The Fortified Parish Church of Notre-Dame (12th century)[30] There are also a very large number of registered historical objects contained in the Church.[30]
  • A Funeral Monument to André Bouxin (1884).[31] The monument is surmounted by a large Statue: André Bouxin in a lieutenant's uniform (1925) which is registered as an historical object.[32]

Photo gallery[edit]

  • During the European Heritage Days in 2007, metal barriers prevented access to the church.
    During the European Heritage Days in 2007, metal barriers prevented access to the church.
  • The War Memorial
    The War Memorial
  • The Fire Station
    The Fire Station
  • Wayside Cross
    Wayside Cross
  • A capital in the church
    A capital in the church
  • The church organ
    The church organ
  • Statue of Notre Dame in the church
    Statue of Notre Dame in the church
  • Ceiling in the church
    Ceiling in the church

Notable people linked to the commune[edit]

  • Jean Mermoz, aviator.
  • Joseph Nelson Soye, doctor and MP
  • Emile Fontaine, Annette Pierron, and Camille Pierron, resistance fighters and "Righteous Among the Nations"

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - Ruisseau du Bois Carbonnet (H0033300)".
  4. ^ Map of Aubenton, consulted on 6 January 2012, Géoportail, (in French)
  5. ^ Google Maps
  6. ^ The Judenlager of Mazures 1942-1944 (in French)
  7. ^ It was based on a dossier containing the testimony of one of the escapees, Nathan Szuster, that Yad Vashem officially awarded them the title of "Righteous among the Nations".
  8. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  9. ^ Politics? A case of women in the Canton, Michel Mainnevret, L'Union, 17 June 2013, consulted on 17 June 2013 (in French)
  10. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  11. ^ Base Mérimée: Search for heritage in the commune, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  12. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000584 Girls' School (in French)
  13. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000684 War memorial (in French)
  14. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000495 Town Hall (in French)
  15. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001714 Bust: Marianne (in French)
  16. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001713 Bust: Lieutenant André Bouxin (in French)
  17. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000686 Le Chalet Industrial House (in French)
  18. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001917 Fountain (in French)
  19. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000601 Railway Station (in French)
  20. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000682 Hotel Collin (in French)
  21. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001738 Bas-relief: Arms surmounted by lions (in French)
  22. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001712 Bust: Jean Mermoz (in French)
  23. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001711 Bas-relief: Jean Mermoz as an aviator (in French)
  24. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001710 Bas-relief: Jean Mermoz (in French)
  25. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001709 Lamp called the Lampedaire of Jean Mermoz (in French)
  26. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001708 Jean Mermoz's Cradle (in French)
  27. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001715 Commemorative plaque for Jean Mermoz (in French)
  28. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000689 Flour Mill (in French)
  29. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000589 City Walls (in French)
  30. ^ a b Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000494 Fortified Parish Church of Notre-Dame (in French)
  31. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA02000733 Funeral Monument to André Bouxin (in French)
  32. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM02001717 Statue: André Bouxin in a lieutenant's uniform (in French)

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aubenton.
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