Saint-Germainmont

Saint-Germainmont
region	Grand Est
Department	Ardennes
Arrondissement	Rethel
Canton	Château-Porcien
Community association	Pays Rethélois
Coordinates	49 ° 30 ' N , 4 ° 8' E Coordinates: 49 ° 30 ' N , 4 ° 8' E
surface	15.69 km 2
Residents	842 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	54 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	08190
INSEE code	08381
	; Town hall (Mairie) of Saint-Germainmont

Saint-Germainmont is a French commune with 842 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region (before 2016 Champagne-Ardenne ). It belongs to the Arrondissement of Rethel , the canton of Château-Porcien ( Asfeld until 2015 ) and the Pays Rethélois municipal association .

geography

Saint-Germainmont is located in the southwest of the Ardennes. The course of the Aisne forms the southern boundary of the municipality, where the Barres tributary also flows into it. The place is surrounded by the neighboring communities Villers-devant-le-Thour in the west, Le Thour in the north-west, Banogne-Recouvrance in the north, Condé-lès-Herpy and Herpy-l'Arlésienne in the north-east, Gomont , Balham and Aire in the south-east as well as Asfeld in the south and southwest.

history

During the Fronde Wars , the village was destroyed and plundered several times by the troops of Archduke Leopold , especially in 1652 .

During the First World War , the place was occupied by German troops from 1914 to 1918.

On May 10, 1940, German troops attacked the place. The 52 meter high chimney of the sugar factory was blown up by the French army.

economy

Saint-Germainmont has been known for its sweets since the mid-19th century. Many beet processing plants sprang up in the region. Beet juice produced in Villers-devant-le-Thour was pumped to Saint-Germainmont through an underground aqueduct . In 1907 the sugar refinery experienced a boom when it was connected to the railway network . In 1959, rail transport was replaced by road transport.

The production facilities were destroyed in World War I and rebuilt in 1922. At the beginning of the Second World War , production was stopped for a short time, but resumed in March 1941. In 1967 a dehydration plant for alfalfa and pulp was built. In 1987 the confectioners in Saint-Germainmont, Guignicourt and Montcornet merged under the name Sucreries du Nord Est . In 1998, the new Saint Louis Sucre group decided to stop processing beets. The sugar business was finally closed in 1999 and sold to the Belgian company Cosucra in 2001 . The plant was shut down in 2007.