Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a commune in the Nord department,

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...

, France. It lies on the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

() river. Although the city and region experienced a steady population decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded.

History

Early history

In 923, it passed to the Duchy of Lower Lotharingia dependent on the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. 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. In 1259, Valenciennes was the site of a General Chapter of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

at which

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

together with masters Bonushomo Britto, Florentius, Albert, and Peter took part in establishing a ''ratio studiorum'' or program of studies for the

that featured the study of philosophy as an innovation for those not sufficiently trained to study theology. This innovation initiated the tradition of Dominican scholastic philosophy put into practice, for example, in 1265 at the Order's ''studium provinciale'' at the convent of Santa Sabina in Rome, out of which would develop the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, ''Angelicum''.

1500–1793

In 1524,

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

, arrived at Valenciennes, and – even when Henry II of France allied with him against the Protestants in 1552 – Valenciennes became () an early center of

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

and in 1562 was location of the first act of resistance against persecution of Protestants in the

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

. On the "Journée des Mals Brûlés" (Bad Burnings Day) in 1562, a mob freed some

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

s condemned to die at the stake. In the wave of iconoclastic attacks called the '' Beeldenstorm'' that swept the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...

in the summer of 1566, the city was the furthest south to see such an attack on August 24, 1566. It was also one of the first to feel the hand of repression after the siege and fall of the city on March 23, 1567. One of the victims of that repression was Guido de Bres, the author of the Belgic Confession. Following the " révolte des gueux's victory at Brielle, the army of Louis of Nassau, one of the major commanders of the Dutch rebel forces and supported by the Huguenot leader Gaspard de Coligny, invaded the

with an army composed of German, English, Scottish and French soldiers, and took Valenciennes on 21 May 1572.The Eighty Years War (1568-1648)
/ref>Tracy p.82 However, Louis went on to Mons, and the Protestant garrison left behind offered only a feeble defence to the Duke of Alba, at the head of the bulk of the Spanish army, who recaptured Valenciennes in early June 1572, depriving Louis' French allies, of one of their main bases.Duffy. Siege Warfare: Fortress in the Early Modern World
/ref> The French army laid siege to the city in 1656 ( Vauban participated in this siege without a command). 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 LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

(this time led by Vauban) 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 A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in half.

1793–1914

The city was besieged by the First Coalition against Revolutionary France in 1793. F

First World War

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the German army occupied the town in 1914. They were finally driven out by British forces at the Battle of Valenciennes in 1918, 'in which seven British divisions attacked eleven German divisions'. One dramatic first-hand experience of this battle is provided by A. S. Bullock who fought at a section of the front near Maresches.

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. In 2005, a local resident, Isabelle Dinoire, became the first person to have a partial face transplant.

Geography

Climate

Valenciennes has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Valenciennes is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Valenciennes was on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 7 January 2009.

Population

Main sights

The Hindenburg Line ran through Valenciennes during

, leading to extensive destruction. Valenciennes was again almost completely destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and has since been rebuilt in concrete. A few surviving monuments are: 1) The façade of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), which managed to survive the bombardments of the war; 2) the Basilica of Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon, to which there is an annual pilgrimage; 3) La Maison Espagnole, the remains of the Spanish occupation, which ended in 1678. The building is now used as the town's tourist information office; 4) The Dodenne Tower, the remaining part of the medieval fortifications after Charles V ordered them reduced; 5) Théâtre le Phenix, a theatre and performing arts venue constructed in 1998; 6) The " Beffroi", a large, pin-like monument in height, built in 2007 on the site of the former belfry.

Economy

Valenciennes is historically renowned for its lace. Until the 1970s, the main industries were

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

and

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

s. Since their decline, reconversion attempts focus mainly on

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

production. In 2001,

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

built its Western European

assembly line An assembly line, often called ''progressive assembly'', is a manufacturing process where the unfinished product moves in a direct line from workstation to workstation, with parts added in sequence until the final product is completed. By mechan ...

for the Toyota Yaris in Onnaing near Valenciennes. Because of this and other changes, the average unemployment in the region is now below the national average. On 15 July 2004, the Administrative Board of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

'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. Valenciennes was picked as the European Railway Agency headquarters in December 2003. International conferences are held in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

Public transport

Line No. 1 of the Tramway de Valenciennes was put into service on 3 July 2006. long, this tramway crosses the five communes in the Valenciennois Metropolitan area, at a cost of 242.75 million

Euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s. Valenciennes railway station offers connections with Lille, Paris and several regional destinations.

Administration

Valenciennes is a

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

of the Nord ''département''.

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 *2002–2012: Dominique Riquet *2012–present: Laurent Degallaix

Notable people

* Arnulf of Valenciennes, lord of the fort of Valenciennes * Louis Auvray (1810–1890), sculptor * Louis Bailly (1881–1974), French-Canadian violist and music educator *

Baldwin I, Latin Emperor Baldwin I (; ; July 1172 – ) was the first Emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople; Count of Flanders (as Baldwin IX) from 1194 to 1205 and Count of Hainaut (as Baldwin VI) from 1195 to 1205. Baldwin was one of the most prominent le ...

(1172–c.1205), first Emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople * Yves Balmer (born 1978), French and Swiss composer *

Charles Barbier Charles Barbier de la Serre (; 18 May 1767 – 22 April 1841) was the French inventor of several forms of shorthand and alternative means of writing, one of which became the inspiration for Braille. Barbier was born in Valenciennes and served in ...

(1767–1841), inventor of several forms of

shorthand Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to Cursive, longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Gr ...

* Émile Basly (1854–1928), trade unionist * André Beauneveu (c.1335–c.1400), sculptor and painter * Jean-Baptiste Bélanger (1790–1874), mathematician * Yassin Ben Balla (born 1996), footballer * Martin Berteau (1691–1771), cellist and composer * Benjamin Berton (born 1974), writer * Jean-Louis Borloo (born 1951), politician * Alfred-Alphonse Bottiau (1889–1951), sculptor * Eugène Bozza, (1905–1991), composer and violinist * Hubert Cailleau (1526–1590), painter *

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (; 11 May 1827 – 12 October 1875) was a French sculptor and painter during the Second Empire under Napoleon III. Life Born in Valenciennes, Nord, son of a mason, his early studies were under François Rude. Carpe ...

(1827–1875), sculptor, painter and tutor * Louis Cattiaux (1904–1953), philosopher, painter and poet * William Chambers (1809–1882), Welsh politician * Bruno Chérier (1817–1880), decorative painter * Bernard Chiarelli (born 1934), footballer * Alphonse Chigot (1824–1917), historical painter, soldier and art tutor, particularly associated with the city of Valenciennes * Eugène Chigot (1860–1923), post impressionist painter and official painter for the Marine Nationale * Gustave Crauck (1827–1905), sculptor and painter * Louise d'Épinay (1726–1783), writer * Jean d'Oisy (1310–1377), architect * Philippe d'Outreman (1585–1652), Jesuit writer * Gérald Darmanin (born 1982), politician * Felipe-Emmanuel de Bette (1677–1742), soldier and noble from the Spanish Netherlands * Philippe III de Croÿ (1526–1595), Stadtholder of Flanders *

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

(1837–1880), poet * Emanuel Philibert de Lalaing (1557–1590), noble and army commander * Charles de Lannoy (c.1487–1527), soldier and statesman * Giovanni de Macque (1548/1550–1614), composer * Abel de Pujol (1785–1861), painter * Jennifer de Temmerman (born 1977), politician * Herman de Valenciennes, 12th-century poet *

Marc Antoine René de Voyer Marc Antoine René de Voyer, Marquis de Paulmy and Marquis d'Argenson (1757) (22 November 1722, Valenciennes13 August 1787), was a French ambassador to Switzerland, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Republic of Venice and to the Holy See, ...

(1722–1787), diplomat and politician * Patrick Defossez (born 1959), Belgian composer and pianist * Laurent Degallaix (born 1965), politician * Grégoire Delacourt (born 1960), advertiser and writer * Marine Deleeuw (born 1994), model * Bruno Deletré (born 1961), banker * Jules Delsart (1844–1900), cellist * Léon Delsarte {1893–1963), gymnast * Yohan Demont (born 1978), footballer * Béatrice Descamps (born 1951), politician * Hyacinthe François Joseph Despinoy (1764–1848), general * Félix-Alexandre Desruelles (1865–1943), sculptor * Collingwood Dickson (1817–1904), British Army officer * Arthur Dinaux (1795–1864), journalist * Isabelle Dinoire (1967–2016), first person to undergo a partial face transplant * Louis Dorus (1812–1896), classical flautist * Pierre Dubois (born 1945), author * Michel Duchaussoy (1938–2012), film actor * Julie Dufour (born 2001), footballer * Léon Dumont (1837–1877), psychologist and philosopher * Geordan Dupire (born 1993), footballer * Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel (1774–1846), soldier and entomologist * François-Joseph Duret (1729–1816), sculptor * Christophe Dussart (born 1976), footballer * Victor Duvant (1889–1963), gymnast * Martine Duvivier (born 1953), middle distance runner * Charles-Dominique-Joseph Eisen (1720–1778), painter and engraver * François Eisen, painter and engraver * Lara Escudero (born 1993), ice hockey player * Léon Fagel (1851–1913), sculptor * Denis Flahaut (born 1978), road cyclist * Henry of Flanders (c.1178–1216), Latin emperor of Constantinople * Jean Froissart (1337–1405), historian and poet * Albert Gazier (1908–1997), trade union leader and politician * Bernard Gérard (born 1953), politician * Jacques Gestraut (born 1939), cyclist * Alfred Mathieu Giard (1846–1908), zoologist * Valérie Gomez-Bassac (born 1969), politician * Pierre Gossez (1928–2001), jazz musician * René Guilleré (1878–1931), lawyer * Isabella of Hainault (1170–1190), Queen of France as the first wife of King Philip II *

Philippa of Hainault Philippa of Hainault (sometimes spelled Hainaut; Middle French: ''Philippe de Hainaut''; 24 June 1310 (or 1315) – 15 August 1369) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted a ...

(1310/1315–1369), Queen of England * Marie of Hainaut (1280–1354), daughter of John II, Count of Holland and Philippa of Luxembourg * Henri Harpignies (1819–1916), painter and watercolourist * John Hay Drummond Hay (1816–1893), United Kingdom's Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Morocco * Henry VII (c. 1273–1313), Holy Roman Emperor * Ernest-Eugène Hiolle (1834–1886), sculptor * Georges Huisman (1889–1957), historian and politician * Jérémie Janot (born 1977), footballer * Jean-Baptiste Janson (1742–1803), cellist and composer * Fabrice Jaumont, author, educator, advocate for dual-language bilingual education * Éric Joly (born 1972), footballer * Catherine Kamowski (born 1958), politician * Marie Kubiak (born 1981), footballer * Edmond Marin la Meslée (1912–1945), fighter pilot in World War II * Sofian Laidouni (born 1995), kickboxer * Charles Joseph Lambert (1804–1864), explorer and engineer * Bruno Lanvin (born 1954), business academic * Joseph Layraud (1834–1912), painter * Claude Le Jeune (1528 to 1530–1600), Franco-Flemish composer * Olivier Le May (1734–1797), painter and engraver * Jean-René Lecerf (born 1951), politician * Violette Leduc (1907–1972), writer * Jean Lefebvre (1919–2004), film actor * Julien Leghait (born 1994), footballer * Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire (1798–1880), sculptor * Rosalie Levasseur (1749–1826), soprano * Pierre Joseph Michel Lorquin (1797–1873), entomologist * Nathalie Lupino (born 1963), judoka * Hélène Mannarino (born 1990), journalist, television, and radio presenter * Julien Masson (born 1998), footballer * Rudy Mater (born 1980), footballer * Edma Morisot (1839–1921), artist * Éric Mouquet (born 1960), musician * Sarah Moussaddak (born 2000), kickboxer * Freeman Murray (1804–1885), British Army general * Christian Nau (1944–2022), land sailor and writer * Frédéric Nihous (born 1967), politician * Cécile Nowak (born 1967), judoka * Charles Nungesser (1892–1927), ace pilot and adventurer * Henri Parent (1819–1895), architect * François Paris (born 1961), composer * T. J. Parker (born 1984), basketballer * Jean-Baptiste Pater (1695–1736), painter * Vendémiaire Pavot (1883–1929), sculptor * Raymond Pech (1876–1952), composer * Sylvie Pétiaux (1836–1919), feminist and pacifist * Jane Pierny (1869–1913), soprano * Marcel Pinte (1938–1944), member of the French Resistance * Arnauld Pontier, writer * Jacob Farrand Pringle (1816–1901), Canadian judge, soldier, and politician * Joris Jansen Rapelje (1604–1662/63), member of the Council of Twelve Men * André Renard (1911–1962), Belgian trade union leader * Léon Renard (1836–1916), politician * Véronique Renties (born 1960), middle distance runner * Pierre Richard (born 1934), actor, film director and screenwriter * Léon Richet (1843–1907), landscape painter *

Dominique Riquet Dominique Riquet (born 18 September 1946 in Valenciennes, Nord (French department), Nord) is a French surgeon and politician of the Radical Party (France), Radical Party who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the 2009 Europe ...

(born 1946), surgeon and politician * Auguste Désiré Saint-Quentin (1838–1906), painter * Jacques Saly (1717–1776), sculptor * Rémi Sénéca (born 1995), rugby union player * Elinor Sneshell, English barber-surgeon * Fred Soyez (born 1978), field hockey coach * Jean Stablinski (1932–2007), cyclist * Clément Tainmont (born 1986), footballer * Fabien Thiémé (1952–2019), politician * Théophile Tilmant (1799–1878), violinist * Renier of Trit, knight from Trith-Saint-Léger, Hainaut * Jean Baptiste Vanmour (1671–1737), Flemish-French painter * Julia Wagret (born 1999), ice dancer * Henri-Alexandre Wallon (1812–1904), historian and statesman * Mallory Wanecque (born 2006), actress * Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721), painter * Louis Joseph Watteau (1731–1798), painter * Robert Witchitz (1924–1944), volunteer soldier in the French liberation force * Bruno Wojtinek (born 1963), racing cyclist

Sport

Valenciennes FC Valenciennes Football Club (; commonly known as Valenciennes, VA or VAFC) is a French professional football club based in Valenciennes. The club was founded in 1914 and currently play in Championnat National, the third tier of French footbal ...

is based in the city.

Twin towns – sister cities

Valenciennes is twinned with: * Agrigento, Italy * Central AO (Moscow), Russia *

Düren Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne, on the river Rur (river), Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the ter ...

, Germany *

Gliwice Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

, Poland *

Medway Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Yichang Yichang ( zh, s= ), Postal Map Romanization, alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a prefecture-level city located in western Hubei province, China. Yichang had a population of 3.92 million people at the 2022 census, making it the third most pop ...

, China

References

External links

* {{Authority control Communes of Nord (French department) Subprefectures in France