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'''Neufchâtel-en-Bray''' is a [[Communes of France|commune]] in the [[Seine-Maritime]] [[Departments of France|department]], in the [[Haute-Normandie]] region in northern [[France]]. |
'''Neufchâtel-en-Bray''' is a [[Communes of France|commune]] in the [[Seine-Maritime]] [[Departments of France|department]], in the [[Haute-Normandie]] region in northern [[France]]. |
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==Geography== |
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'''Neufchâtel-en-Bray '''is a small agricultural town associated with the [[light industry]]. It is situated on the banks of the river [[Béthune (river)|Bethune]] in the [[Pays de Bray]], some {{convert|25|mi|km}} southeast of [[Dieppe, Seine-Maritime|Dieppe]] at the junction of the D1, the D48, D928 and the D1314 roads. Junctions 8 and 9 of the [[A28 autoroute]] are within the commune’s territory. <br> A famous heart-shaped [[Neufchâtel (cheese)|cheese]] has been made here since the 16th century. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 17:44, 20 November 2013
Neufchâtel-en-Bray | |
|---|---|
 | |
Location of Neufchâtel-en-Bray  | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Seine-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Dieppe |
| Canton | Neufchâtel-en-Bray |
| Intercommunality | Pays Neufchâtelois |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Xavier Lefrançois |
| Area 1 | 11.03 km2 (4.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | 5,132 |
| • Density | 470/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 76462 /76270 |
| Elevation | 69–230 m (226–755 ft) (avg. 90 m or 300 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Neufchâtel-en-Bray is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department, in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.
History
 | This section may require copy editing. (November 2013) |
Once known as the city of Drincourt. In the twelfth century Henry Beauclerc built a New Castle to protect the borders of Normandy. The construction of the stronghold enabled the extension of the city of Drincourt to become Neufchâtel. The Norman version of the name, Neufcastel, was used until the fifteenth century. By decree of 1951, it took the name of Neufchâtel, or Neufchâtel-en-Bray.
The ancient capital, "Pays de Bray", was dismantled in 1596. The city was often besieged, burned and destroyed during the wars that followed the twelfth century until the sixteenth century. It was particularly damaged by Charles the Bold who burned it completely after the siege of Beauvais in July 1472, destroying all that remained from the Middle Ages. This event was the most difficult tribulation that the city had faced.
Later, Henry IV ordered that the castle be destroyed to restore peace in the region. From 1790 to 1795, Neufchâtel was chief town of the district. It was later occupied by the Germans for approximately a month during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. On 10 September 1926, the Borough of Neufchâtel was deleted following the Decree Poincaré.
The city centre was bombed during World War II, on the dates 19 and 24 May 1940. On 7 June 1940, a bombardment of incendiary bombs set ablaze a large part of the town for several days, 80% of Neufchâtel was destroyed.
Later reconstruction of the new Neufchâtel began, based on a comprehensive plan to revitalize the town, combining renaissance architecture with contemporary town planning.
In recognition of the losses during the war, the City of Neufchâtel was among the first towns in the Seine-Maritime department to receive Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, awarded by the Secretary of State for the Armed Forces on 11 November 1948.
Heraldry
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The arms of Neufchâtel-en-Bray are blazoned : Azure, 3 towers argent masoned sable, and on a chief azure fimbriated argent 3 fleurs de lys Or; the whole shield fimbriated argent.
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Population
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5590 | 5883 | 5814 | 5498 | 5322 | 5104 | 5132 |
| Starting in 1962: Population without duplicates | ||||||
Places of interest
- The château du Val-Boury.
- Two museums.
- Several sixteenth century houses.
- The church of Notre-Dame, dating from the twelfth century.
- The motte and moat of a feudal castle built by Henry I of England.
People
- Charles Lemercier de Longpré, born here on 20 October 1778, was Navy minister from (1829–1830) under the Second Restoration.
- David Douillet, born in 1969 at Rouen but grew up here to become French Olympic judo champion.
Other
- There is a small market on Saturdays. Also a big boot sale in the main street area on the first Sunday in September each year.
- The town has a LeClerc Supermarket (Mon-Sat). Also a Super-U, which is open Sunday but, like many local businesses, closed Monday. Also Aldi, Lidl and Mutant are used for shopping by many surrounding communities. Travelers in automobiles passing through while heading south in summer stock up with supplies and fuel here as well. Many of the local people head south too in August, with some businesses closing until their owners return.
- The tourist office is shut Sundays and Mondays and, except in July and August, shut 12:30 to 2 pm each day.
- It has dual carriageways north, south and east (east is a toll road) giving easy access to elsewhere in France.
- "Neuf" in French means the number nine as well as the word new. The local LeClerc has a big sign on the side of its store: "9Chatel."
Twin towns
Whitchurch, Shropshire in England since 1975.
