Seclin

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Seclin
Seclin coat of arms
Seclin (France)
Seclin
region Hauts-de-France
Department North
Arrondissement Lille
Canton Faches-Thumesnil
Community association Métropole Européenne de Lille
Coordinates 50 ° 33 '  N , 3 ° 2'  E Coordinates: 50 ° 33 '  N , 3 ° 2'  E
height 19-47 m
surface 17.42 km 2
Residents 12,414 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 713 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 59113
INSEE code
Website www.ville-seclin.fr

Mairie Seclin

Seclin (Dutch: Sikelin ) is a French commune in the Nord in the region of Hauts-de-France south of Lille . Seclin has a population of 12,414 (as of January 1, 2017). It belongs to the arrondissement of Lille and the canton of Faches-Thumesnil (until 2015 chief lieu of the cantons Seclin-Nord and Seclin-Sud ).

Attractions

There are many places in the area around Seclin that are reminiscent of World War I, including large military cemeteries and monuments. At Seclin there is a well-preserved fortress, the Fort de Seclin .

On the advice of the general and military engineer Séré de Rivières , 400 forts were built between Nice and Dunkirk from 1871 - after the Franco-Prussian War , which France quickly lost. This new defense structure should serve France as a deterrent against possible attacks by the German Reich.

The fortress of Lille, together with the fortress of Maubeuge, was one of the most important points of the defense system on the Franco-Belgian border. Lille and its citadel were surrounded by six fortresses, 13 connecting structures and two gun houses. The Seclin Fort was also part of this bulwark.

Maubeuge fortress is located 88 km southeast of Lille. The army of the German Empire - they had marched into neutral Belgium on August 4, 1914 according to the Schlieffen Plan - reached the fortress on August 28, 1914 and immediately began to besiege it . Maubeuge surrendered on September 8, 1914 . The fortress was made of masonry; this could not withstand the modern artillery shells (shaped charge that explodes on impact ):

Explosive grenades appeared around 1890 ; these were filled with explosive explosives. They had a significant impact on warfare, as classic fortifications with walls made of masonry and earth could not withstand the new shells.

For this reason, the French declared Lille an open city on August 1, 1914 .

“The French army refrained from defending a city with outdated fortifications that had been declassed since 1910. German and French soldiers marched through here one after the other without any fighting. "

On October 3, 1914, the French decided to defend Lille. The city was then so heavily shelled by the Germans - especially around the station district - that it had to surrender on October 13th. The still intact fortresses like the Fort von Seclin served the German occupiers as barracks or ammunition depots.

In 1996, a family bought the fort to restore and maintain it. Today it houses an artillery museum with many German, British and French exhibits.

Architectural monuments

See: List of Monuments historiques in Seclin

Personalities

Twin cities

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes du Nord. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-119-8 , pp. 1480-1484.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ De Nederlanden in Frankrijk, Jozef van Overstraeten, 1969
  2. www.wegedererinnerung-nordfrankreich.com
  3. ↑ Land route, about 80 km as the crow flies
  4. http://www.wegedererinnerung-nordfrankreich.com: Seclin - The Fort de Seclin
  5. www.fortseclin.com

Web links

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