Charleville-Mézières

Charleville-Mézières
Prefecture and commune
Place Ducale
Coat of arms
Country	France
Region	Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine
Department	Ardennes
Arrondissement	Charleville-Mézières
Canton	Charleville-Mézières-1, 2, 3 and 4
Intercommunality	CA Ardenne Métropole
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Boris Ravignon
Area1	31.44 km2 (12.14 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)2
Demonym(s)	French: Carolomacérien or Carolomacérienne
INSEE/Postal code	08105 / 08000
Elevation	133–323 m (436–1,060 ft) (avg. 148 m or 486 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Charleville-Mézières (French pronunciation: ​[ʃaʁləvil mezjɛʁ]) is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.

History

File:Plan Charleville Meziere Edme Moreau 1625.jpg

Charleville in 1625

Charleville and Mézières were originally separate communities on opposite banks of the Meuse, about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) from one another.

Charleville was founded by Charles Gonzaga, the 8th duke of Mantua, in 1606. Its inhabitants were known as Carolopolitans (Carolopolitains or Carolopolitaines). It was prosperous from the 17th century, although its fortifications were dismantled under Louis XIV in 1687 and it passed into French hands in 1708. It was plundered by the Prussians in 1815. France's royal armaments factory was formerly located there and gave its name to the Charleville musket, before being relocated and divided between Tulle and Châtellerault. In the 19th century, the city continued to produce arms through private firms, as well as nails, hardware, wine, spirits, coal, iron, and slate. It boasted a spacious port, a theatre, a large public library, and a museum of natural history.

The inhabitants of Mézières were known as Macerians (Macériens or Macériennes).

By the mid-19th century, the two towns were linked by a suspension bridge. The present commune was established in 1966. Another commune, Le Theux, had already been merged into Mézières in 1965. It has a population of about 51,000.

Panorama of Place ducale

Climate

With an annual average of 9 °C (48,1 °F), Charleville-Mézières is generally the coolest city of France. Winters are long, cold and gloomy while summers are hot enough but sometimes, even in the middle of July, night temperatures can drop below 5 °C (41 °F). Under the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, Charleville-Mézières features a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) with strong continental influences (Dfb).

Climate data for Charleville-Mézières (1981–2010 averages)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	15.0 (59)	17.5 (63.5)	22.0 (71.6)	28.1 (82.6)	30.7 (87.3)	34.9 (94.8)	39.2 (102.6)	37.0 (98.6)	30.7 (87.3)	27.7 (81.9)	19.9 (67.8)	15.6 (60.1)	39.2 (102.6)
Average high °C (°F)	5.1 (41.2)	6.6 (43.9)	10.8 (51.4)	14.6 (58.3)	18.8 (65.8)	21.6 (70.9)	24.1 (75.4)	23.7 (74.7)	19.6 (67.3)	14.9 (58.8)	9.1 (48.4)	5.7 (42.3)	14.6 (58.3)
Average low °C (°F)	−0.5 (31.1)	−0.7 (30.7)	1.6 (34.9)	3.3 (37.9)	7.3 (45.1)	10.2 (50.4)	12.1 (53.8)	11.7 (53.1)	8.9 (48)	6.2 (43.2)	2.7 (36.9)	0.5 (32.9)	5.3 (41.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.5 (0.5)	−16.7 (1.9)	−13.8 (7.2)	−8.5 (16.7)	−4.4 (24.1)	−2.4 (27.7)	1.7 (35.1)	0.4 (32.7)	−2.0 (28.4)	−6.7 (19.9)	−11.8 (10.8)	−16.4 (2.5)	−17.5 (0.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	102.3 (4.028)	77.0 (3.031)	82.5 (3.248)	62.7 (2.469)	69.4 (2.732)	70.4 (2.772)	74.6 (2.937)	70.8 (2.787)	67.2 (2.646)	88.3 (3.476)	86.9 (3.421)	106.3 (4.185)	958.4 (37.732)
Average precipitation days	13.7	11.3	13.3	10.9	11.3	10.4	10.0	9.6	10.2	11.8	12.9	14.1	139.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours	53.6	66.5	118.5	163.5	186.6	195.2	206.3	196.9	143.5	97.2	45.6	42.6	1,515.9
Source: Météo France

Population

In the table and graph below, data for 1962 and earlier refer to the old commune of Charleville, before the merger with Étion, Mézières, Mohon and Montcy-Saint-Pierre.

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 7,240 —     1800 7,724 +0.93% 1806 8,430 +1.47% 1821 8,320 −0.09% 1831 7,773 −0.68% 1836 8,878 +2.69% 1841 9,875 +2.15% 1846 9,353 −1.08% 1851 9,162 −0.41% 1866 11,244 +1.37% 1872 12,676 +2.02% 1876 13,759 +2.07% 1881 16,185 +3.30% 1886 16,906 +0.88% 1891 17,390 +0.57% 1896 17,805 +0.47% 1901 18,772 +1.06%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1906 20,702 +1.98% 1911 22,654 +1.82% 1921 21,689 −0.43% 1926 22,634 +0.86% 1931 22,708 +0.07% 1936 22,557 −0.13% 1946 20,193 −1.10% 1954 22,536 +1.38% 1962 24,668 +1.14% 1968 55,543 +14.49% 1975 60,176 +1.15% 1982 58,667 −0.36% 1990 57,008 −0.36% 1999 55,490 −0.30% 2007 51,070 −1.03% 2012 49,759 −0.52% 2017 46,428 −1.38%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

Culture

Puppetry is an important part of the cultural life of Charleville-Mézières, which is called the "World Capital of Puppetry Arts". An international puppet festival has been held there every three years since 1961, and became a biennial event in 2011. The town is also home to the world headquarters of UNIMA as well as the International Puppetry Institute (French: Institut International de la Marionnette), which is housed in a historic building featuring a giant automaton of a puppeteer who performs a puppet show every hour on the hour. The École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette (ESNAM), a college which offers a higher education in puppetry, is also situated in Charleville-Mézières.

The poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891) was born in Charleville. The Rimbaud museum is located in the old water mill (Le Vieux Moulin) to the north of the town.

Transport

City buses are run by TAC, Transports de l’Agglomération de Charleville-Mézières. The Gare de Charleville-Mézières railway station offers connections to Paris (by TGV), Reims, Lille, Metz and regional destinations.

Sport

OFC Charleville represent the town at association football. Étoile de Charleville-Mézières is a basketball club.

Famous residents

• Louis Dufour, the abbé of Longuerue, was born in Charleville.
• Arthur Rimbaud, the French poet, was born in Charleville.
• Natalis de Wailly, 19th-century historian and palaeographer was born in Charleville
• Louise Bellocq, French writer, winner of the 1960 Prix Femina, was born in Charleville

International relations

Charleville-Mézières is twinned with:

• Dülmen, Germany
• Euskirchen, Germany
• Nordhausen, Germany
• Nevers, France
• Mantua, Italy
• Tolosa, Spain

See also

• Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard
• Clément-Bayard
• Communes of the Ardennes department

References

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External links

• Official website

1. REDIRECT Template:Prefectures of French departments