Givet (Ardennes)

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Givet
Givet Coat of Arms
Givet (France)
Givet
region Grand Est
Department Ardennes
Arrondissement Charleville-Mezieres
Canton Givet
Community association Ardenne, Rives de Meuse
Coordinates 50 ° 8 ′  N , 4 ° 49 ′  E Coordinates: 50 ° 8 ′  N , 4 ° 49 ′  E
height 95-224 m
surface 18.41 km 2
Residents 6,749 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 367 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 08600
INSEE code 08190
Website www.givet.fr

Town Hall ( Hôtel de ville )

Givet ( Walloon : Djivet ) is a French commune with 6,749 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Ardennes department , Grand Est region (until 2015 Champagne-Ardenne ).

geography

Givet is the northernmost municipality in the Ardennes department. It is located in the Ardennes at the mouth of the river Houille in the Maas , at the foot of the mountain ridge Mont d'Haurs . Here is the northernmost point of the French Maas valley. Just downstream of Givet, the Meuse crosses over to Belgium . The French Canal de la Meuse , which uses the canalized Meuse for shipping, also ends in Givet .

history

Its exposed location, surrounded by Belgian territory, results from the conquests and treaties of Louis XIV against the Spanish Netherlands and the Principality of Liège : his aim was to keep the Meuse valley for France at all costs. Givet already belongs to the Walloon language culture , which is otherwise spoken in Wallonia , the southern part of Belgium.

The upper stage of the Middle Devon, the Givetium , was named after Givet .

Legend has it that Hubertus von Lüttich lived in Givet around 720 and worked a miracle here. In the late Middle Ages, the place belonged to the Principality of Liège . In 1555 Charles V built the Charlemont fortress named after him above the town . In 1815 the city was besieged by the Prussian army under von Prittwitz .

During the First World War , after a three-day siege, the Charlemont fortress was captured by German troops on August 31, 1914.

At the beginning of the western campaign , Charlemont was bombed by German artillery on May 13, 1940 and then abandoned by French troops. After the liberation of Givet on September 7, 1944, 11,000 American soldiers were accommodated in the fortress, who were deployed in December 1944 in the fight against the Ardennes offensive led by General von Rundstedt .

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2005 2010 2014
Residents 7,444 7,865 7,804 7,587 7,775 7,372 6,949 6,663 6,659
Source: Cassini and INSEE

Attractions

Givet is known for its annual onion festival ( Foire aux Oignons ) on November 11th, during which the streets are bustling with vendors and a folk festival takes place.

The Charlemont fortress above the town.

The Charlemont fortress, built by Charles V in 1555, towers over the city .

Parish partnership

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Givet  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Charlemont in the Topographia Circuli Burgundici (Mathäus Merian)  - sources and full texts