Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.administrative region Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''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. The ...

, and in the historic

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition attributes it to Theuderic IV, the penultimate

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gaul ...

king, who was imprisoned by

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...

, without a reliable source. Château-Thierry is the birthplace of

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...

and was the location of the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

and

Second Battle of the Marne The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by s ...

. The region of Château-Thierry (the arrondissement, to be exact) is called the country of

Omois Omois or the Omois (french: l'Omois) is the old name of a region in the extreme south of the department of Aisne in northern France, corresponding to the present arrondissement of Château-Thierry. It was formerly owned by the Counts of Omois. T ...

. Château-Thierry is one of 64 French towns to have received the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

History

George Eastman House - Bouvigny (French) - Emplacement d-une Bertha (pd)

In the late years of the western Roman empire, a small town called Otmus was settled on a site where the

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital o ...

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near ...

road crossed the Marne river. During the 8th century,

kept king Theuderic IV prisoner in the castle of Otmus. At this time, the town took the name of Castrum Theodorici, later transformed in Château-Thierry (''Castle of Thierry'', Thierry is the French or early Roman language translation of Theuderic). In 946, the castle of Château-Thierry was the home of Herbert le-Vieux, Count of

of the House of

Vermandois Vermandois was a French county that appeared in the Merovingian period. Its name derives from that of an ancient tribe, the Viromandui. In the 10th century, it was organised around two castellan domains: St Quentin (Aisne) and Péronne (Somme ...

and Soissons. Château-Thierry was the site of two important battles: the

Battle of Château-Thierry (1814) The Battle of Château-Thierry (12 February 1814) saw the Imperial French army commanded by Emperor Napoleon attempt to destroy a Prussian corps led by Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg and an Imperial Russian corps under Fabian Wilhelm von O ...

in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

between France and Prussia, and the

Battle of Château-Thierry (1918) The Battle of Château-Thierry was fought on July 18, 1918 and was one of the first actions of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) under General John J. Pershing. It was a battle in World War I as part of the Second Battle of the Marn ...

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, ...

between the United States and Germany. In 1918, a mounting for the

Paris Gun The Paris Gun (german: Paris-Geschütz / Pariser Kanone) was the name given to a type of German long-range siege gun, several of which were used to bombard Paris during World War I. They were in service from March to August 1918. When the guns w ...

was found near the castle, though the cannon itself had apparently been moved prior to the emplacement's discovery.

Geography

Château-Thierry is situated on the river Marne, at from

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 ...

Transport

Château-Thierry station Château-Thierry (french: Gare de Château-Thierry) is a railway station serving Château-Thierry, Aisne department, northern France. It is situated on the Paris–Strasbourg railway between Paris-Est and Épernay Épernay () is a commune in t ...

is the terminus station of a regional

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

line starting from the Gare de l'Est in Paris. Furthermore, it has rail connections to Châlons-en-Champagne, Nancy and Strasbourg. It is also one of the exits of the

A4 autoroute The A4 Autoroute, also known as autoroute de l'Est (), is a French '' autoroute'' that travels between the cities of Paris and Strasbourg. It forms parts of European routes E25 and E50. It is France's second longest after the A10 autorout ...

that links Paris with the east part of France. Transval operates the local bus routes.

Personalities

Château-Thierry was the birthplace of: * Walter of Château-Thierry (died 1249) a French theologian and scholastic philosopher. *

Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise was a French rabbi, a tosafist of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. His French name was Sir Morel, by which he is often designated in rabbinical literature. He was a pupil of Judah Sir Leon of Paris and of Isaac ...

13th-century rabbi (one of the proponents of the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

during the

Disputation of Paris The Disputation of Paris ( ''Mishpat Pariz''; ), also known as the Trial of the Talmud (), took place in 1240 at the court of King Louis IX of France. It followed the work of Nicholas Donin, a Jewish convert to Christianity who translated the ...

). *

(1621–1695), a fabulist and poet, known best for his '' Fables''. * Jean-Baptiste Dumangin (1744–1826), French physician who performed the autopsy of Louis XVII. * (1774–1818), army general of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...

and the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

. *

Chevalier de Saint-Georges Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (25 December 1745 – 10 June 1799), was a French Creole virtuoso violinist and composer, who was conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris. Saint-Georges was born in the then-French colo ...

(1745–1799), a French Creole virtuoso violinist and composer * (1762-1829), army general of the

and the

, born in Lyon and died in Château-Thierry. * (1777-1825), cavalry colonel of the armies of the

and the

. *

Jean Macé Jean François Macé (22 August 1815 in Paris – 13 December 1894 in Monthiers) was a French educator, journalist, active freemason and politician. He was perhaps best known as the founder of Ligue de l'enseignement to promote free, univers ...

(1815–1894), an educator, journalist, active freemason and politician. *

Maurice Holleaux Maurice Holleaux (15 April 1861 – 21 September 1932) was a 19th–20th-century French historian, archaeologist and epigrapher, a specialist of Ancient Greece. Biography Années de formation Admitted in the École normale supérieure in 18 ...

(1861–1932), 19th– to 20th-century French historian, archaeologist and epigrapher. * (1870-1965), parasitologist and medical historian, was born in the city. * (1874-1958), sculptor. * François Aman-Jean (1894–1986) physician, surgeon, writer and playwright *

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

's son

Quentin Quentin is a French male given name from the Latin first name ''Quintinus'', diminutive form of '' Quintus'', that means "the fifth".Albert Dauzat, ''Noms et prénoms de France'', Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-T ...

(1897–1918) was shot down while flying a French SPAD plane during WWI. * (1881-1953), glassworker. *

Ba Jin Ba Jin (Chinese: 巴金; pinyin: ''Bā Jīn''; 1904–2005) was a Chinese writer. In addition to his impact on Chinese literature, he also wrote three original works in Esperanto, and as a political activist he wrote '' The Family''. Name He ...

(1904–2005), a Chinese writer and intellectual, stayed here in 1927 and 1928. *

Auguste Jordan August "Auguste" Jordan (21 February 1909 – 17 May 1990) was a French football midfielder, who became a coach after his playing career. Playing career Born in Austria as August Jordan, he moved to France in 1933 and became French in 1938. ...

(1909-1990), Austrian professional footballer who played on the French national team. * Léon Hess, creator of the "Le Castel"

gâteau du voyageur Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...

, who won a gold medal at the 1912 ''Exposition Culinaire Internationale'' in Paris. * Nadia Tagrine (1917-2003), pianist. * Manu Dibango (1933–2020) a Cameroonian musician and songwriter *

Yves Bot Yves Bot (August 22, 1947 – June 9, 2019) was a French magistrate who served until his death as Advocate General at the European Court of Justice. Biography In 1995, Yves Bot was nominated by Jacques Toubon, then Minister of Justice, as pr ...

(1947–2019), magistrate. *

Pierre Bensusan Pierre Bensusan (born 30 October 1957) is a French-Algerian acoustic guitarist. As Sephardic Jews, his family came from Spain, Spanish Morocco, and French Algeria. His music has been characterized as Celtic, folk, world music, New-age, and cha ...

(born 1957) a French-Algerian acoustic guitarist. * The novel

The Greengage Summer ''The Greengage Summer'' (called ''The Loss of Innocence'' in the U.S.) is a 1961 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Kenneth More and Susannah York (in her first leading role). It was based on the novel ''The Greengage S ...

(1958) of

Rumer Godden Margaret Rumer Godden (10 December 1907 – 8 November 1998) was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably ''Black Narcissus'' in 1947 and '' The River'' in ...

(1907–1998) is set in Château-Thierry. ; and * , actor and stuntman, died in Château-Thierry. * . * . * . * .

Population

Sights

* Castle walls * Saint-Crépin church (15th century) * Balhan tower * Marne River * World War I

Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War I cemetery in Belleau, Northern France. It is located at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought, with many American fatalities. The cemetery also contains b ...

(south of the village of Belleau) * Chateau-Thierry American Monument (overlooking the town) *

vineyards * Several churches

Twin towns – sister cities

Château-Thierry is twinned with: *

Cisnădie Cisnădie (; german: Heltau; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''Hielt''; hu, Nagydisznód) is a town in Sibiu County, Transylvania, central Romania, approximately south of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). One village, Cisnădioara (german: Michelsbe ...

, Romania (1997) * Grybów (rural gmina), Poland *

Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, N ...

, Germany (1974) *

Pößneck Pößneck (also spelled ''Poessneck'') is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 19 km east of Rudolstadt, and 26 km south of Jena. History Pößneck, which is of Slavonic origin, passed about ...

, Germany (1989)

References

External links

*
Official site

American Battlefield Monument Commission

Local Bus Route

Photo of city during WWI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateauthierry Communes of Aisne Subprefectures in France Champagne (province) Aisne communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia

History

Geography

Transport

Personalities

Population

Sights

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

References

External links