Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.INSEE commune file
/ref> It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''.

Administration

Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with 19 communes and part of Compiègne) * Compiègne-2 (with 16 communes and part of Compiègne)

History by year

: 665 - Saint Wilfrid was consecrated Bishop of York. Wilfrid refused to be consecrated in Northumbria at the hands of Anglo-Saxon bishops. Deusdedit, Archbishop of Canterbury, had died, and as there were no other bishops in Britain whom Wilfrid considered to have been validly consecrated, he travelled to Compiègne, to be consecrated by Agilbert, the Bishop of Paris. : 833 -

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqu ...

(also known as King Louis I, the Debonair) was deposed in Compiègne. : February 888 - Odo, Count of Paris and king of the Franks was crowned in Compiègne. : 23 May 1430 - During the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians while attempting to free Compiègne. They then sold her to the English. : 1557 - Bataille de Saint Quentin : 1558 - Les Anglais occupe Compiegne : 1624 - Compiègne gave its name to the Treaty of Compiègne, a treaty of alliance concluded by Cardinal Richelieu with the Dutch. : 1630 - Marie de' Medici's attempts to displace Richelieu ultimately led to her exile to Compiègne, from where she escaped to Brussels in 1631. : 17 July 1794 - The Martyrs of Compiègne are executed in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

during the Reign of Terror. : 1900 - The golf events for the 1900 Summer Olympics took place. : 11 November 1918 - The Armistice with Germany (Compiègne), agreed at Le Francport near Compiègne, ends fighting of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

: 22 June 1940 - Another Armistice with France (Second Compiègne) was signed between

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and the defeated France in Le Francport, near Compiègne, in the same place as in 1918, in the same railroad carriage, but with the seats swapped. : 1941 - During the German occupation of France, the Compiègne internment camp was established in Compiègne. A memorial of the camp, and another along the railway tracks, commemorate the tragedy. : 1968 - The starting location of the Paris–Roubaix bicycle race was changed from

to Compiègne. : 1972 - Creation of the University of Technology of Compiègne

Population

Compiègne is the central commune of an urban unit with 70,699 inhabitants, and a larger commuter zone with 141,504 inhabitants as of 2017. The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Compiègne proper.

Sights

Museums

* Château de Compiègne - the castle itself, and museums of the Second French Empire and of motoring and tourism within its walls * Musée Antoine Vivenel * Museum of historic figurines * Memorial of internment and deportation

Compiègne Forest

The

Glade of the Armistice The Glade of the Armistice (french: Clairière de l'Armistice) is a French national and war memorial in the Forest of Compiègne in Picardy, France, near the city of Compiègne approximately north of Paris. It was built at the location wh ...

in the Compiègne Forest was the site of the signing of two armistices; those of 11 November 1918 and 22 June 1940. Hitler specifically chose the location of the second, and had the original signing carriage moved from Paris to Compiègne, as an irony for the defeated French. The site still houses several memorials to the 1918 armistice, including a copy of the original railway carriage. The original, Marshal Foch's Carriage was taken to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

as a trophy of victory following the second armistice. Various rumors about what happened to this railway-carriage thereafter, have flourished ever since. Some believe it was destroyed by the SS in Thuringia in April 1945; others say this happened in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

, but most likely was it destroyed during an allied air-raid on Berlin. The latter version seems most plausible, since Ferdinand Foch's carriage actually was displayed at a Berlin museum.

The University of Technology of Compiègne

Compiègne is home to the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC), one of the top ranking engineering school in France, founded as a Technology University in 1972 to provide an alternative to the traditional " grandes écoles" for students interested in technologies and applied science.

Transport

Compiègne station Compiègne station ( French: ''Gare de Compiègne'') is a railway station serving Compiègne, in the Oise department of northern France. The station is on the Creil–Jeumont railway. It is served by regional trains to Creil, Amiens, Saint-Qu ...

offers connections with Paris, Amiens, Cambrai and several regional destinations. The nearest motorway is the A1 Paris-Lille.

Cycling

Since 1968 Compiègne is the traditional start city of the famous Paris–Roubaix

bicycle race "Bicycle Race" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album ''Jazz'' and written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was released as a double A-side single together with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls", rea ...

. It was also the finish city of 3rd stage in the 2007 Tour de France.

Notable People

Compiègne has been home to: *

Roscellinus Roscelin of Compiègne (), better known by his Latinized name Roscellinus Compendiensis or Rucelinus, was a French philosopher and theologian, often regarded as the founder of nominalism. Biography Roscellinus was born in Compiègne, France. L ...

(~1050 - ~1122), philosopher and theologian, often regarded as the founder of Nominalism * Pierre d'Ailly (1350–1420), theologian and

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

* Albert Robida (1848–1926), illustrator, etcher, lithographer, caricaturist, and novelist *

Eugène Albertini Eugène Albertini (2 October 1880 – 15 February 1941) was a 20th-century French teacher in Latin literature, a historian of ancient Rome, especially for North Africa and an . He was a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres ...

(1880–1941), teacher in Latin literature, historian of ancient Rome, and epigrapher of Latin texts *

Marcel Tabuteau Marcel Tabuteau (2 July 18874 January 1966) was a French-American oboist who is considered the founder of the American school of oboe playing. Life Tabuteau was born in Compiègne, Oise, France, and given a post in the city's municipal wind band ...

(1887–1966), Oboist, regarded as the founder of American oboe playing. *

Suzanne Lenglen Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (; 24 May 1899 – 4 July 1938) was a French tennis player. She was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926, winning eight Grand Slam titles in singles and twenty-one in total. She was also a four-time World ...

(1899–1938), tennis player, international female sport star *

Lucas Debargue Lucas Debargue (born 23 October 1990) is a French pianist and composer. He was awarded fourth prize at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition. Early life and education Debargue was born in Paris, France, on 23 October 1990. Growing up in ...

(1990–), pianist and composer who worked in both the classical and jazz fields. * The Martyrs of Compiègne

International relations

Compiègne is twinned with: Compiègne is also partnered with:

References

External links

City council website
(in French)
Le musée du château/The Château museum

Memorial to Nazi/French Internment Camp and Deportations During WW2

Universite de Technologie de CompiegneJoan of Arc Captured At Compiegne

customized transport in compiègne

Concerts in Compiègne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Compiegne Venues of the 1900 Summer Olympics Communes of Oise Subprefectures in France World Heritage Sites in France