Péronne, Somme
Encyclopedia
Péronne is a commune of the Somme
department in Picardie
in northern France
.
It is close to where the Battles of the Somme
took place during World War I
.
The Museum of the Great War
(known in French as the Historial de la Grande Guerre) is located in the chateau.
, home of the early French kings.
Hidden in the Somme valley, between lakes and huge fields of crops, the town is known as a paradise for fishing and hunting.
The autoroutes A1 and A16 pass close by. The national road, the N17, traverses the town
and its lakes, Péronne was a well-fortified place during the early Middle Ages. The ramparts were built in the 9th century. All that remains today of the ancient fortress is the Porte de Bretagne.
Few towns have been as involved in the history of France, few towns so often devastated, as Péronne. Burned and pillaged in the time of the Normans; Gravely damaged during the time of the Spanish occupation; Devastated by the Germans in 1870; Totally destroyed in 1917; Bombarded and burned in May 1940 by the German airforce. Péronne was awarded two Croix de Guerre
and the Legion d'honneur
.
Its founder, the former mayor Charles Alfred Danicourt, created the museum as a cultural beacon of the Somme around 1900. Nowadays one can find one of the finest collections of early Gallic coins, antique gold jewelry, Merovingian funeral artefacts, a panorama of sand production during prehistoric times and some local examples of 19th and 20th century paintings.
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
department in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is close to where the Battles of the Somme
Battle of the Somme (disambiguation)
-Battles:Battle of the Somme commonly refers to the major Anglo-French offensive in 1916 during World War I; however, the postwar Battles Nomenclature Committee divided this campaign into a series of battles...
took place during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
The Museum of the Great War
Museum of the Great War
The Museum of the Great War is in Péronne, France, near the heart of the World War I Somme battlefields. The museum looks mostly at the Great War, and the years just before and just after...
(known in French as the Historial de la Grande Guerre) is located in the chateau.
Geography
Péronne is situated in the old region of SanterreSanterre (region)
Santerre is a natural region of France, located in the center of the French region of Picardie.Located between Amiens and Saint-Quentin, the Santerre is a territory covering an area of about 3 000 km², including 242 communes and with a population of 106 489 inhabitants.Still covered with...
, home of the early French kings.
Hidden in the Somme valley, between lakes and huge fields of crops, the town is known as a paradise for fishing and hunting.
The autoroutes A1 and A16 pass close by. The national road, the N17, traverses the town
Demography
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7146 | 8568 | 9129 | 8497 | 8387 | 8213 | 8754 |
| Starting in 1962: Population without duplicates | ||||||
History
On a hill, dominating the Somme riverSomme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
and its lakes, Péronne was a well-fortified place during the early Middle Ages. The ramparts were built in the 9th century. All that remains today of the ancient fortress is the Porte de Bretagne.
Few towns have been as involved in the history of France, few towns so often devastated, as Péronne. Burned and pillaged in the time of the Normans; Gravely damaged during the time of the Spanish occupation; Devastated by the Germans in 1870; Totally destroyed in 1917; Bombarded and burned in May 1940 by the German airforce. Péronne was awarded two Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and the Legion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
- King Charles the SimpleCharles the SimpleCharles III , called the Simple or the Straightforward , was the undisputed King of France from 898 until 922 and the King of Lotharingia from 911 until 919/23...
, prisoner of Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy died here, a captive in the dungeons, in 929. He was buried in the abbey - In the 12th century, Philippe IIPhilip II of FrancePhilip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
built the towers of the château, surrounded by ditches, with a portcullis to defend the main gate. - In 1468, Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy forced a treaty from Louis XILouis XI of FranceLouis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
, who was held prisoner in the castle. Much land was ceded, but eventually won back by Louis. - in 1536, Charles Quint unsuccessfully besieged the town. Catherine of Poix, also known as “Marie Fouré" led the defence of the town, throwing a Spaniard of the top of the wall.
- 14 September 1641, Louis XIII and Honoré II, Prince of MonacoHonoré II, Prince of MonacoHonoré II was Sovereign Prince of Monaco. He was the first to be called Prince, but started his reign as Lord of Monaco....
signed a treaty at Péronne, placing the principality of MonacoMonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
under the protection of France.
Places and monuments
- Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Péronne: Destroyed between 1914 and 1918, then slightly damaged in 1944, the west front, is built in ‘’gothique flamboyant’’ style.
- In front of the church stands the statue of Marie Fouré, local heroïne.
- The Alfred Danicourt, Museum, founded in the Hôtel-de-villeSeat of local governmentIn local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
in 1877, is the only museum of the Somme to have been pillaged and destroyed by the Germans between 1916 and 1918. It lost 98% of its collection. A few archeological treasures were saved by the museum curator, who hid them from the Germans when they took the town in 1914. These treasures were again subject to German interest in 1941. Overlooked by the first reconstruction in 1955, it wasn’t until the second reconstruction of the building that the museum was back in use.
Its founder, the former mayor Charles Alfred Danicourt, created the museum as a cultural beacon of the Somme around 1900. Nowadays one can find one of the finest collections of early Gallic coins, antique gold jewelry, Merovingian funeral artefacts, a panorama of sand production during prehistoric times and some local examples of 19th and 20th century paintings.
- The city of Péronne is equally known for its “Monument to the Dead”, work of the architect Louis FailleLouis FailleLouis-Michel-Clément Faille was a French architect from Picardie. He was responsible for much reconstruction in the eastern Somme département of northern France after the end of World War I.-Professional career :...
, representing a Picardy woman with clenched fist raised above the body of her son or husband killed by the war. - Monument of the Sailor Delpas, recalling the defense of the city and its fall at the time of the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
in the winter 1870-1871. - The Australian Monument, that recalls the heroic actions in a neighborhood of the town by Australian soldiers in 1918.
- The Brittany Gate, with its strengthened stonework, reminiscent of the defensive aspect of Péronne
- Within the walls of the ancient château, nowadays run by the Somme département, the “Historial de la Grande Guerre” museum is a ‘must visit’ for those with a passion for the horrors of the Great War. Created in 1992, by architect Henri CirianiHenri CirianiHenri Ciriani is a Peruvian architect and teacher. Ciriani was born and worked in Lima, Peru before moving to Paris in 1964. He has worked on modernist experimental living projects in the 1970s and the Noisy II in 1980 housing plan for Marne-la-Vallée, designed the St...
, it illustrates the development of the conflict. The building is characterised by the stark whiteness of the cement, inset with small cylinders, symbolic of military graves.
Personalities
- Saint FurseySaint FurseySaint Fursey was an Irish monk who did much to establish Christianity throughout the British Isles and particularly in East Anglia...
, Patron saint of the town. - Louis Alexandre Vinchon
- Pierre Mac OrlanPierre Mac OrlanPierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan, was a French novelist and songwriter.His novel Quai des Brumes was the source for Marcel Carné's 1938 film of the same name, starring Jean Gabin...
- Béranger
- Louis XI
- Francis Tattegrain
- Hector Crinon
- Alfred Danicourt
- Louis-Mathieu LanglèsLouis-Mathieu LanglèsLouis-Mathieu Langlès was a French academic, philologist, linguist, translator, author, librarian and orientalist. He was the conservator of the oriental manuscripts at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Napoleonic France and he held the same position at the re-named Bibliothèque du Roi after the fall...