Maubeuge

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Maubeuge
Commune
Porte de Mons
Porte de Mons
Coat of arms of Maubeuge
Coat of arms
Location of Maubeuge
Maubeuge is located in France
Maubeuge
Maubeuge
Coordinates: 50°16′39″N 3°58′24″E / 50.2775°N 03.9734°E / 50.2775; 03.9734Coordinates: 50°16′39″N 3°58′24″E / 50.2775°N 03.9734°E / 50.2775; 03.9734
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentNord
ArrondissementAvesnes-sur-Helpe
CantonMaubeuge
IntercommunalityCA Maubeuge Val de Sambre
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Arnaud Decagny[1]
Area
1
18.85 km2 (7.28 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2018)[2]
29,632
 • Density1,600/km2 (4,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
59392 /59600
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Maubeuge (French pronunciation: ​[mobøʒ]; historical Dutch: Mabuse or Dutch: Malbode) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

It is situated on both banks of the Sambre (here canalized), 36 km (22 mi) east of Valenciennes and about 9 km (5.6 mi) from the Belgian border.

History[]

Maubeuge (ancient Malbodium, from Latin, derived from the Old Frankish name Malboden, meaning "assizes of Boden") owes its origin to Maubeuge Abbey, a double monastery, for men and women, founded in the 7th century by Saint Aldego, the relics of whom are preserved in the church. It subsequently belonged to the territory of Hainaut.

The town was part of the Spanish Netherlands and changed hands a number of times before it was finally ceded to France in the 1678 Treaty of Nijmegen.[3] As part of Vauban's pré carré plan that protected France's northern borders with a double line of fortresses, it was extensively fortified as directed by Louis XIV of France.

Besieged in 1793 by Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, it was relieved by the victory of Wattignies, which is commemorated by a monument in the town. It was unsuccessfully besieged in 1814, but was compelled to capitulate, after a vigorous resistance, in the Hundred Days.

As a fortress, Maubeuge has an old enceinte of bastion trace which serves as the center of an important entrenched camp of 18 miles perimeter. The fortress was constructed after the War of 1870 but has since been modernized and augmented.

The forts were besieged in World War I by the German Empire. Maubeuge suffered heavily in World War II: 90% of the town centre was destroyed by bombardments in May 1940. Fighting again occurred in early September 1944, in and around the outskirts of Maubeuge, involving units of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division during the American push toward Belgium.[4][5]

Heraldry[]

Arms of Maubeuge
 The arms of Maubeuge are blazoned :
Or, 4 lions, 2 in bend sable armed and langued gules, 2 in bend sinister gules armed and langued azure, in chief an eagle sable beaked langued membered and armed gules, overall a crozier Or bendwise.



Population[]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 4,841—    
1800 4,726−0.34%
1806 5,020+1.01%
1821 5,736+0.89%
1831 6,240+0.85%
1836 6,363+0.39%
1841 7,431+3.15%
1846 7,328−0.28%
1851 7,719+1.05%
1856 8,663+2.33%
1861 10,557+4.03%
1866 10,877+0.60%
1872 13,234+3.32%
1876 14,398+2.13%
1881 17,221+3.65%
1886 18,329+1.25%
1891 18,863+0.58%
1896 19,799+0.97%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 20,826+1.02%
1906 21,520+0.66%
1911 23,209+1.52%
1921 21,173−0.91%
1926 23,338+1.97%
1931 24,221+0.75%
1936 23,622−0.50%
1946 20,859−1.24%
1954 24,215+1.88%
1962 27,214+1.47%
1968 32,028+2.75%
1975 35,399+1.44%
1982 36,061+0.27%
1990 34,989−0.38%
1999 33,546−0.47%
2007 32,667−0.33%
2012 30,994−1.05%
2017 29,944−0.69%
Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE (1968-2017)[7]

Economy[]

There are important foundries, forges and blast furnaces, together with manufactures of machine tools and porcelain.

The town has a board of trade arbitration, a communal college, a commercial and industrial school.

Transport[]

Being close to the Belgian border, the station has two lines to Belgium: one leading North towards Mons, the other Eastbound to Charleroi. Neither have seen passenger service for several years, however from December 2018 a limited service to Namur via Charleroi was announced.[8] Trains to the South-West are frequent.

There is an aerodrome in nearby Elesmes but it is purely recreational, with no facilities for commercial air transport of either passengers or cargo.

Tour de France[]

Maurice Garin, the winner of the inaugural 1903 Tour de France, began his cycling career in 1892 with the local Maubeuge cycling club, when he finished 5th in the Maubeuge-Hirson-Maubeuge, 200 kilometres (124 mi)race.[9] In 2003, on the 100th anniversary of his win, he was commemorated with a street named after him.

Personalities[]

  • Leandre Griffit, footballer
  • Jan Gossaert, painter
  • Benjamin Pavard, footballer

See also[]

Sources[]

  • http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/1stinfantry/
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Maubeuge". Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 903.

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Treaty of Peace between France and Spain, signed at Nimeguen, 17 September 1678" (PDF). Oxford International Public Law. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ Official site of the town of Maubeuge Archived 3 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  6. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Maubeuge, EHESS. (in French)
  7. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  8. ^ https://www.hgbtf.net/download/file.php?id=7279 Official announcement, in Dutch
  9. ^ Journal L'Alsace-Le Pays, 20 February 2001, Profile of Maurice Garin Archived 1 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine

External links[]

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