Coordinates: 50°21′29″N 3°31′24″E / 50.358056, 3.523333

Commune of Valenciennes Façade of the town hall
Location
Administration
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Department	Nord (sous-préfecture)
Arrondissement	Valenciennes
Mayor	Dominique Riquet
Statistics
Elevation	17m–56m (avg. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Nord-Pas de Calais (French Nord-Pas de Calais; Dutch Noord-Nauw van Kales) is one of the 26 regions of France. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Nord (North is a department in the far north of France. It is the country's most populated department Subprefectures (sous-préfectures are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. The 100 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The arrondissement of Valenciennes is an arrondissement of France located in the Nord department, in the Nord-Pas de Calais region A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. 42m)
Land area¹	13. 84 km²
Population² (1999)	41,278
- Density	2983/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	59606/ 59300
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0. As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume The INSEE code is a numerical indexing code used by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE to identify various entities including communes Postal codes were introduced in France in 1972, when La Poste introduced automated sorting. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. C D E

Valenciennes (Old Dutch: Valencijn, Latin: Valentianae) is a town and commune in northern France in the Nord département on the Escaut river. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Nord (North is a department in the far north of France. It is the country's most populated department In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division The Scheldt (Dutch Schelde, French Escaut, Latin Scaldis) is a 350 km[http //www While the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded. As of 1999, the commune has a population of 41,278 while the metropolitan area numbers 399,677. The Year 2000 problem (also known as the Y2K problem, the millennium bug, the Y2K bug, or simply Y2K) was a notable Computer bug resulting This renewed growth is particularly notable for Valenciennes, as well as some suburbs.

Contents 1 History 1.1 693-1500 1.2 1500-1793 1.3 1793-1914 1.4 First World War 1.5 Second World War 1.6 1945 to present 2 Economy 2.1 Public transport system 3 Administration 3.1 Mayors since 1947 4 Miscellaneous 4.1 Monuments and tourist attractions 4.2 People born in Valenciennes 4.3 Twin towns 5 References 6 External links

History

693-1500

Valenciennes is first mentioned in 693 in a legal document written by Clovis II. Events By Place Europe The Portuguese city of Viseu is taken from the Byzantine Empire by the Moors. Clovis II (637&ndash 27 November 655 or 658 succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639 as King of Neustria and Burgundy. In the 843 Treaty of Verdun, it was made a neutral city between Neustria and the Austrasia. Events By Place Europe The Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian Empire between the 3 sons of Louis the In the Treaty of Verdun of 843 the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, Charlemagne 's grandsons divided his territories the Carolingian The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new land" originated in 511 made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, Austrasia (rarely Austria, both meaning "eastern land" formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising Later in the 9th century the region was overrun by the Normans, and in 881 the town passed to them. The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. In 923 it passed to the Duchy of Lower Lotharingia dependent on the Holy Roman Empire. --> Lotharingia or Lorraine was a short-lived kingdom in The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Once the Empire of the Franks was established, the city began to develop, though the archaeological record has still not revealed all it has to reveal about this period. Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the Under the Ottonian emperors, Valenciennes became the centre of marches on the border of the Empire. The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings (919-1024 named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin Mark from the Old English mearc and march (or various plural forms of these words derived from the Frankish word marka ("boundary"

In 1008, a terrible famine brought the Plague. A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any Faunal species which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional Malnutrition, Starvation Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as According to the local tradition, the Virgin Mary held a cordon around the city which, miraculously, has since protected its people from the disease. Since then, every year at that time, the Valenciennois used to walk around the 14km road round the town, in what is called the tour of the Holy Cordon. Many Counts succeeded, first as Margraves of Valenciennes and from 1070 as counts of Hainaut. This article deals with the historical county of Hainaut for other meanings see Hainaut.

In 1285, the currency of Hainaut was replaced by the currency of France: the ecu. Valenciennes was full of activity, with numerous corporations, and outside its walls a large number of convents developed, like that of the Dominicans (whose church was excavated by the Valenciennes Archaeological Service in 1989 and 1990).

In the 14th century, the Tower of Dodenne was built by Albert of Bavaria, where even today, the bell is rung in honour of Our Lady of the Holy Cordon. Duke Albert I or Albrecht ( July 25, 1336, Munich &ndash December 13, 1404, The Hague) was a feudal ruler In the 15th century, the County of Hainault, of which Valenciennes is part, was re-attached to Burgundy, losing its autonomy. This article deals with the historical county of Hainaut for other meanings see Hainaut. Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) Valenciennes in this period, however, had several famous sons - the chronicler Georges Chastelain, the poet Jean Molinet, the miniaturist Simon Marmion, the sculptor Pierre du Préau and the goldsmith Jerome de Moyenneville). Jean Molinet (1435 &ndash August 23, 1507) was a French Poet, Chronicler, and Composer. Simon Marmion (born c 1425 at Amiens, France, died 24 or 25 December 1489 Valenciennes) was a French or Burgundian painter of panels and Illuminated

1500-1793

In 1524, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, arrived at Valenciennes, and - even when Henry II of France allied with him against the Protestants in 1552 - Valenciennes became (c. Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 1560) an early center of Calvinism and in 1562 was location of the first act of resistance against persecution of Protestants in the Spanish Netherlands. Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the The Southern Netherlands (Zuidelijke Nederlanden Países Bajos del Sur Pays-Bas du sud were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain ( Spanish On the "Journée des Mals Brûlés" (Bad Burnings Day) in 1562, a mob freed some Protestants condemned to die at the stake. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Execution by burning has a long history as a method of Punishment for Crimes such as Treason, Heresy and Witchcraft After the "révolte des gueux" in 1566, Philip II of Spain's forces massed at the porte d'Anzin (in a fortress known as "La Redoute") were besieged by Valenciennes in 1576. The Dutch Revolt, Eighty Years' War or the Revolt of the Netherlands (1568—1648 was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Low Countries Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 In 1580, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma took Valenciennes and Protestantism was eradicated there, but despite these conflicts Valenciennes remained under Spanish protection. Alexander Farnese ( Italian: Alessandro Farnese, Spanish: Alejandro Farnesio, ( August 27 1545 &ndash With its manufacturers of wool and fine linens, the city was able to become economically independent. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum.

In 1591, the Jesuits built a school and then the foundations of a church of Sainte-Croix. In 1611, the facade of the town hall was completely rebuilt in magnificent Renaissance style. In the seventeenth century the Scheldt was channelled between Cambrai and Valenciennes, benefitting Valenciennes' wool, fabric and fine arts. To use up flax yarn, women began to make the famous Valenciennes lace. Valenciennes lace is a type of Bobbin lace which originated in Valenciennes, in the Nord département of France, and flourished from about 1705 to

The French army laid siege to the city in 1656 (Vauban participated in this siege without a command^[1]). Sébastien Le Prestre Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban ( May 15, 1633 – March 30, 1707) commonly referred to Defending the city, Albert de Merode, marquis de Trélon was injured during a sortie on horseback, died as a result of his injuries and was buried in the Church of St. Paul (his tomb was found during the archaeological campaign in 1990). In 1677, the armies of Louis XIV of France (this time led by Vauban^[2]) captured the city and in 1678 the Treaty of Nijmegen gave the French control of Valenciennes (1678) and the surrounding southern part of Hainault, roughly cutting the former county in half. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen ( Négotiations de Nimegue or Négotiations de la Paix de Nimègue) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. This article deals with the historical county of Hainaut for other meanings see Hainaut. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. The city became one of the main strongholds of northern France, and was fortified by Vauban, who personally visited the town for that purpose shortly after the Treaty.

During the Enlightenment era, the economic situation of Valenciennes was in decline until the discovery of coal. The first pit was dug in Fresnes in 1718 and the discovery of burnable coal in 1734 at the porte d'Anzin led to the formation of the Compagnie des Mines d'Anzin. In the eighteenth century, the city was equally renowned for its porcelain - indeed, it was the porcelain furnaces demand for coal that led to the mining enterprises. Despite their quality of production, the company failed to be sustainable. Valenciennes, riche de ses talents est alors surnommée l’Athènes du Nord, soulignant ainsi son rayonnement artistique. Valenciennes, rich in artistic talent, became known as the Athens of the North, underlining its artistic influence.

1793-1914

The city was besieged by the First Coalition against Revolutionary France in 1793. The First Coalition ( 1792 – 1797) was the first major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain Revolutionary France. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an ^[3] The city was captured, plundered and occupied in July by Anglo-Austrian forces under the duke of York and prince of Saxe-Coburg, and only retaken by the French Revolutionary armies in August 1794. The Prince Frederick Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was a member of the Hanoverian Prince Frederick Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld ( December 26, 1737 - February 26, 1815) was a famous general of the Habsburg Emperors In July 1795, one year after the execution of Robespierre put an end to the Reign of Terror, the Republicans of Valenciennes tortured, raped and guillotined 5 Ursuline nuns. Saint justjpg|thumbnail|200px| Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just]] The Reign of Terror' (5 September 1793 &ndash 28 July 1794 or simply The Terror (la Terreur was The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic Religious order founded at Brescia, Italy by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535 primarily After the Napoleonic era, Valenciennes gave itself up to the Bourbons in 1815 for 5 years. Following the ousting of Napoleon I of France in 1814 the Allies restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the French throne After that, the town's sugar-refining and coal industries once more started to expand.

In 1824 Valenciennes became a sous-préfecture. Subprefectures (sous-préfectures are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. In the 19th century, thanks to coal, Valenciennes became a great industrial centre and the capital of Northern France's steel industry.

On 6 August 1890, a law downgraded the town's fortified status, and so from 1891 to 1893, its fortifications were demolished. The town was granted the Légion d'honneur in 1900.

First World War

The German army occupied the town in 1914, and it was only retaken after bitter fighting in 1918, by British and Canadian troops (one of whose heroic feats of arms, Sergeant Hugh Cairns, was honoured in 1936 when the city named an avenue after him). Hugh Cairns VC, DCM ( December 4, 1896 - November 2, 1918) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross

Another wartime personality of Valenciennes was Louise de Bettignies (born in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux), a pupil of the Ursulines in Valenciennes from 1890 to 1896. Fluent in four languages (including German), in 1915 she created and directed the main British intelligence network behind enemy lines, nearly 60 km from the front around Lille. Lille (lil Rijsel is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in the country Arrested at the end of September 1915, and imprisoned in Germany, she died of mistreatment in September 1918 two months before the Armistice and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross by the British government for her actions. See below the section "Separate Commonwealth awards" Note that since It is estimated that she saved the lives of nearly a thousand British soldiers by the remarkably precise information she obtained. For example, it enabled the English to conduct the first aerial bombing of a train (that of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who came to visit the front at Lille), though both aircraft were not equipped with suitable viewfinders and so the raid narrowly missed its target. The German High Command, based in Brussels, then put all its efforts into neutralising the accursed network that allowed the English to see everything and know everything about this part of the front. Louise's arrest was associated with the escape of Szeck Alexandre, a young Austrian radio operator got out of Brussels in August 1915, allowing the English to get their hands on the secret German diplomatic code. This code was exploited by Secret Service Room 40 ( "Room 40"), under the supervision of Sir Reginald Hall, and in January 1917 allowed the decipherment of the famous Zimmerman telegram, which triggered the United States's entry into the war in April 1917. The Zimmermann Telegram (or Zimmermann Note; German: Zimmermann-Depesche; Spanish: Telegrama Zimmermann) was a coded

Second World War

On May 10, 1940, the town's inhabitants fled by road and it was abandoned to looters from the French army. A huge fire devoured the heart of the town, fuelled in particular by a fuel depot. German troops then occupied the ruined city on May 27. On September 2, 1944, after bloody fighting, American troops entering Valenciennes and liberated the city.

1945 to present

The town's first antenna was set up in Lille in 1964, then the Centre universitaire was set up in 1970, becoming independent in 1979 as the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambrésis.

Economy

Valenciennes is historically renowned for its lace. Valenciennes lace is a type of Bobbin lace which originated in Valenciennes, in the Nord département of France, and flourished from about 1705 to Until the 1970s, the main industries were steel and textiles. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Since their decline, reconversion attempts focus mainly on automobile production. In 2001, Toyota built its Western European assembly line for the Toyota Yaris in Valenciennes. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. An assembly line is a Manufacturing process in which parts (usually Interchangeable parts) are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned The Toyota Vitz (sold in different markets as the Toyota Yaris and Toyota Echo) is a line of Subcompact cars first launched by Toyota in Because of this and other changes, the average unemployment in the region is now lower than the national average.

On 15 July 2004 the Administrative Board of the European Union's Railway Agency held its first meeting in Phénix, with representatives of the 25 Member States and François Lamoureux, those days Director General for Energy and Transportation at the European Commission. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Railway Agency ( ERA) is one of the Agencies of the European Union. François Lamoureux ( 17 December 1946 – 26 August 2006) was a prominent European civil servant whose influential career placed him at the centre Valenciennes was picked as the European Railway Agency headquarters in December of 2003. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. International conferences are held in Lille. Lille (lil Rijsel is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in the country

Public transport system

Main article: Tramway de Valenciennes

Line #1 of the tramway was put into service on July 3, 2006. The Valenciennes tram is a Light rail system in the Valenciennes urban area in the Nord département of northern France 9. 5 km long, this tramway crosses the five communes in the Valenciennois Metropolitain area, at a cost of 242. 75 million Euros. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e

Administration

Valenciennes is a subprefecture of the Nord département. Subprefecture is an Administrative division of a country that is below Prefecture or Province.

Mayors since 1947

• 1947-1988: Pierre Carous, resigned (died in 1990)
• 1988-1989: Olivier Marlière
• 1989-2002: Jean-Louis Borloo, resigned when he entered the national government
• 2002- : Dominique Riquet

Miscellaneous

• Inhabitants are called valenciennois. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Jean-Louis Borloo (born 7 April 1951 in Paris) is a French politician and currently the French Minister of Ecology and Sustainable The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.
• A popular local way of serving coffee is to top it with whipped cream. This is known as "café valenciennes. "

Monuments and tourist attractions

The Hindenburg Line ran through Valenciennes during World War I, leading to extensive destruction. The Hindenburg Line (also known as the Siegfried Line) was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Valenciennes was again almost completely destroyed during World War II, and has since been rebuilt in concrete. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

A few surviving monuments are:

• The façade of the city offices, which managed to survive the bombardments of the war.
• Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon, to which there is an annual pilgrimage.
• La Maison Espagnole, the remains of the Spanish occupation, which ended in 1678.
• The Dodenne Tower, the remaining part of the mediaeval fortifications after Charles V ordered them reduced.

The "Beffroi", a large, pin-like monument 45 metres (148 ft) in height, was built in 2007, on the site of the former belfry, destroyed in 1843. A Tower which contains one or more bells or which is obviously designed to hold bells (even if it has none is a bell tower.

People born in Valenciennes

• Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII
• Medieval chronicler Jean Froissart
• Queen consort of England Philippa of Hainault
• painter Antoine Watteau
• Jean-Baptiste van Mour
• sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
• drawing artist Charles Eisen
• syndicalist Émile Basly
• Ace Pilot Charles Nungesser
• Fighter pilot Edmond Marin La Meslée
• advertiser Jean Mineur
• actor Pierre Richard
• actor Jean Lefebvre
• architect Henri Parent

Twin towns

• - Agrigento (Sicily, Italy)
• - Düren (Germany)
• - Gliwice (Poland)
• - Medway (England, United Kingdom)
• - Moscow (Russia)
• - Nacka (Sweden)
• - Obuda (Hungary)
• - Salgotarjan (Hungary)
• - Yichang (China)

References

External links

• Official web site of the city: in French
• Discover Valenciennes: in French
• Nordmag History of Valenciennes
• Fortifications of Valenciennes

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