Villers-Cotterêts
| Villers-Cotterêts | ||
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| region | Hauts-de-France | |
| Department | Aisne | |
| Arrondissement | Soissons | |
| Canton | Villers-Cotterêts | |
| Community association | Retz en Valois | |
| Coordinates | 49 ° 15 ' N , 3 ° 5' E | |
| height | 65-226 m | |
| surface | 41.71 km 2 | |
| Residents | 10,872 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 261 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 02600 | |
| INSEE code | 02810 | |
| Website | Mairie Villers-Cotterêts | |
 Town Hall (Hôtel de ville) |
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Villers-Cotterets [vilɛʁkɔtʁɛ] is a French municipality with 10,872 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Aisne in the region of Hauts-de-France . It belongs to the arrondissement of Soissons .
geography
The city is located at the source of the Automne River , in the middle of the Forêt de Retz , with 13,000 hectares of one of the largest forest areas in northern France, about 20 kilometers southwest of Soissons and 80 kilometers northeast of Paris city center.
history
Frequent stays of the first Capetians in Villers-Cotterêts favored the development of the city. In 1539 the French King Francis I signed the Edict of Villers-Cotterêts here , with which he made French the sole language of documents and administration.
During the First World War , the advance of German troops on Paris was stopped on May 30, 1918 on the edge of the forest of Villers-Cotterêts after the offensive they had started . After the failure of the last German offensive of this war , a massive counter-attack by French and American troops began on July 18, 1918 at Villers-Cotterêts , using hundreds of Renault FT tanks .
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2007 | 2016 |
| Residents | 5489 | 6313 | 8949 | 8380 | 8867 | 9834 | 10,090 | 10,694 |
economy
The largest company in the city is the French branch of Volkswagen AG.
Attractions
In Villers-Cotterêts there are several listed buildings ( monuments historiques ), including:
- the Castle Villers-Cotterets , by order of King Francis I, built around 1532 on the site of dating back to the 13th century predecessor building, possible site of the signing of the Edict of Villers-Cotterets, the end of October 1671 Place of honeymoon from Liselotte of the Palatinate where she first met her brother-in-law Louis XIV ,
- the Noüe castle from the 16th century, museum and birthplace of Alexandre Dumas. Ä. ,
- the Saint-Nicolas church,
- the town hall ( Hôtel de ville ).
Villers-Cotterêts Castle
Noüe Castle
Saint-Nicolas church
Alexandre Dumas statue
Personalities
- General Thomas Alexandre Dumas (1762–1806), father of the writer
- Alexandre Dumas the Elder (* 1802 in Villers-Cotterêts, † 1870 in Paris), writer
- Yves Herbet (* 1945 in Villers-Cotterêts), football player and coach
- Antoine de Lavoisier's ancestors came from the city
Individual evidence
- ↑ Villers-Cotterêts Castle in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Noüe Castle in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Saint-Nicolas Church in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Hôtel de ville in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Web links
- Villers-Cotterêts Tourist Office (French)