Pons (Charente-Maritime)

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Pons
Coat of arms of Pons
Pons (France)
Pons
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement Jonzac
Canton Pons
Community association Haute-Saintonge
Coordinates 45 ° 35 ′  N , 0 ° 33 ′  W Coordinates: 45 ° 35 ′  N , 0 ° 33 ′  W
height 8–63 m
surface 27.63 km 2
Residents 4,182 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 151 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 17800
INSEE code 17283

Pons - historical center with donjon and castle

Template: Infobox municipality in France / maintenance / different coat of arms in Wikidata

Pons is a western French community at the Seugne in the department of Charente-Maritime region of Poitou-Charentes . The 4182 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) of the city are called les Pontois .

location

Pons is about 21 kilometers (driving distance) south of Saintes in the south of the old cultural landscape of the Saintonge . To the northeast at a distance of about 25 kilometers is the city of Cognac . Within a radius of only ten kilometers there are several villages with impressive Romanesque churches ( Chadenac , Pérignac , Biron , Avy , Échebrune and others). To the east of the medieval town center, the Seugne flows through the middle of today's city.

Population development

year 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2007 2016
Residents 4824 4878 4861 4412 4433 4442 4152

The population of the small town has remained more or less stable since the middle of the 19th century.

economy

As early as the Middle Ages, Pons was an important trade and craft center for the surrounding villages; Market day was twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) and national business fairs were held several times a year. In addition, the location on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela ( Via Turonensis ) brought money and new ideas into the city. Today the soils around Pons belong to the Fins Bois or the Petite Champagne of the Cognac wine-growing region ; There are two larger distilleries that distill the white wines produced in the area into clear eau de vie , the starting material for cognac production. In the outskirts of the city, three industrial areas ( zones industrielles ) have been designated; In addition to small and medium-sized handicraft businesses, a confectionery and patisserie company (SEDIS) has settled here, which employs several hundred people. Other residents work for the city or canton administration.

history

Chance finds and excavations in the vicinity have shown that the origins of Pons go back further than the Roman foundations of Saintes, Saint-Jean-d'Angély , Saujon etc .; Pons is thus a Celtic, i.e. H. Cantonal foundation ( oppidum ) of the 1st millennium BC The name of the city is probably derived from a ford (later bridge) over the Seugne. In the years 58 to 52 BC The region was conquered by Caesar's troops and provided with an army camp ( castrum ). In late antiquity, vandals and Visigoths roamed the area and wreaked havoc.

The Christianization of the population took place in the early Middle Ages; Centuries later the construction of larger stone buildings (churches, castles) began - the Donjon of Pons from the 12th century is one of the most impressive testimonies of this time. When Isabelle Taillefer left large areas in southwestern France to her son Heinrich III. from her first marriage to the English King Johann Ohneland , the region became part of a military conflict between the allied troops of King Louis IX. or Alfons of Poitiers on the one hand and the English on the other. In the Battle of Taillebourg , the English were defeated on July 21, 1242 and driven back to Saintes, where they were defeated again a day later. During the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) the old territorial conflicts between the two countries flared up again; Pons changed hands several times.

In the time of the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) Pons sided with the Protestants until it was in 1621 by the troops of Louis XIII. was taken. With the repeal of the Edict of Nantes issued by Henry IV in 1598 by Louis XIV in 1685, most Protestants left the country at the end of the 17th century. Nothing is known about acts of violence and / or destruction during the French Revolution .

Attractions

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Pons (Charente-Maritime)

Donjon (defense tower) of Pons

Saint Vivien Church

Pons pilgrims' hospice

Saint-Gilles Chapel and Archaeological Museum

Saint Martin Church

  • The Pons Castle was in 1621 after the devastating march through the army of Louis XIII. built. It was owned by César-Phoebus d'Albret , Count von Miossens, Marshal of France at the court of Louis XIV. Today the city administration is housed in the castle.
  • City gate "Porte Saint-Gilles"
  • The Château d'Usson , built from 1536 to 1548 in Usson, 10 kilometers away, was supposed to be demolished in the 19th century and was saved by the railway engineer William Augereau, who had it removed stone by stone and transported to his property near Pons. Today it is used for tourism as the "Château des Énigmes" (German: "Castle of Riddles").

  • Donjon of Pons

  • View of the donjon and castle

  • Pilgrims' hospice

  • Église Saint-Vivien

  • Château d'Usson / Château des Énigmes

Personalities

  • Théodore Agrippa d'Aubigné (1552–1630), military leader, statesman and scholar, was born in the castle of Saint-Maury near Pons.
  • Émile Combes (1835–1921), French politician, was mayor of Pons (1876–1919) for 43 years and also died here.

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 602-608.
  • Thorsten Droste : Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 , p. 221.

Web links

Commons : Pons  - collection of images, videos and audio files