Fismes

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Fismes
Fismes is located in France
Fismes
Administration
Country France
Region Champagne-Ardenne
Department Marne
Arrondissement Reims
Canton Fismes
Intercommunality Communauté de communes des Deux Vallées du Canton de Fismes
Mayor Jean-Pierre Pinon
(French municipal elections, 2008-2014)
Statistics
Elevation 57–179 m (187–587 ft)
Land area1 16.75 km2 (6.47 sq mi)
Population2 5,351  (2006)
 - Density 319 /km2 (830 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 51250/ 51170
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.

Coordinates: 49°18′28″N 3°40′53″E / 49.3078°N 3.6814°E / 49.3078; 3.6814

Fismes is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.

Contents

Geography [edit]

Two rivers pass through the city of Fismes : the Ardre and the Vesle.

Economy [edit]

Many agricultural zones of the region may soon become a section of the zone for production of Champagne.

History [edit]

Antiquity [edit]

Fismes, on the right bank of the Vesle, developed from a Gallic ancient city named, during the gallo-romaine era, “Ad Fines Suessioium” (limit of the Suession peoples’ territory) or “Ad Fines Remorum” (limit of the Rèmes peoples’ territory) as the city was situated on the boundary of the two Gallic tribes Suessions and Rèmes.

As [1] Charles Rostaing indicates, the Latin word “fines” is a translation from the Gallic toponym *equoranda which essentially means “boundary” or “limit.”

Middle Ages [edit]

The barbaric period did not spare Fismes. During the first half of the Middle Ages, the Normands and the Hungarians, destroyed the city of Fismes multiple times. These ravages pushed the agglomoration of the city towards the heights of the Vesle’s right bank.

In 1226, Thibault IV, the songwriter, helped Fismes become a free city, thanks to hard work of natives that participated in the war led by Thibault. By a charter and a seal that bears the emblem of our commune, Fismes under the aegis of a mayor and two deputies, escaped the domination of its Lord. Thus, the village was able to develop its artisanship, businesses, festivals and markets.

The walls of the city continued to expand; a church of stone, a château which occupied the current plaza of the post office and would one day house as governor, the poet Eustache Deschamps, as well as the City Hall, that continues to occupy the same place, were all constructed in this formative epoch. The Hundred Year War, in which participated the English, the Germans, the Italians, the Dutch and many more, brought, once again, the city of Fismes to ruins. Later, the religious wars and the Fronde would completely destroy the walls of the city and the chateau of Fismes.

Modern Era [edit]

From Louis XIII to Charles X almost all the future Kings of France passed through Fismes which was their last stop on the way to their coronation at the Cathedral of Reims.

In 1646, Louis II de Bourbon acquired the manorial rights to Fismes and bestowed them on César de Costentin de Tourville for his good services to the King. In 1647, the land was passed on to the eldest son of Cesar, François-Cesar.

During the Fronde, the ramparts of the city and the chateau were completely destroyed.

After the revolution, a time of much inner conflict among the people of Fismes, Napoleon came to Fismes in order to sign two important declarations. Following Napoleon and the French Revolution, 30,000 Prussians arrived in Fismes and, once again, plundered the village.

In the 19th Century, France experienced the rapidly expanding industrial revolution. Sweets, the porcelain of Fismes (which was rare and expensive), the foundry, the railroad, hat making, tanneries and mills mark the advancements of the region and the economic history of this century. The 20th Century began in worse conditions than the preceding finished. Fismes was greatly affected by the First World War. The Germans invaded the city, then retired on the “Chemin des Dames” before they completely demolished the city in 1918.

Fismes attempted to reconstruct itself slowly. Unfortunately, due to its position as a railroad town through which passed the trains filled with deportees being sent to Germany, the city suffered during the course of the Second World War. 14 residents of Fismes, who were seized for acts of resistance, died in concentration camps. Among them was the mayor of Fismes, the Doctor Genillon.

Demography [edit]

Date of Population
(Source: Ehess[2] et INSEE[3])
1793 1800 1806 1820 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
2 025 2 129 2 139 - 1 938 2 110 2 120 2 366 2 422 2 371
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
2 505 2 705 2 840 2 717 3 218 3 275 3 238 3 303 3 343
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
3 355 3 411 3 330 2 338 3 186 3 151 3 111 3 029 3 222
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2004 - -
3 490 3 634 4 233 4 674 5 286 5 313 - - -
For the census of 1962 to 1999 the official population corresponds with the population without duplicates according to the INSEE.

Sights and monuments [edit]

  • City Hall;
  • Church of Fismes, dedicated to Saint Macre ;
  • The city's ramparts;
  • The pillar of the door Saint Gilles;
  • The royal markers on the route to Soissons, the route to coronation;
  • The house called "Heurtevin" where the kings of France often spent their last night as prince;
  • The American Memorial Bridge;
  • The Bread Museum.

Individuals associated with the city [edit]

Notes and references [edit]

  1. ^ Les noms de lieux, PUF, coll. Que sais-je ?, Paris, 1969
  2. ^ http://cassini.ehess.fr/ Population par commune avant 1962 (résultats publiés au journal officiel ou conservés aux archives départementales)
  3. ^ INSEE : Population depuis le recensement de 1962

See also [edit]

External links [edit]

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