commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
Grand Est
Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten;
Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administra ...
in northeastern France.
It is located in the
Vôge Plateau
The Vôge plateau is a sandstone plateau in north east France, straddling the departments of Vosges and Haute-Saône, between Vittel, Saint-Loup-sur-Semouse and Remiremont. It covers approximately 700 km² of Lorraine and Franche-Comté, and ...
, around the location of the
source
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...
of the river
Saône
The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île.
The name ...
. Darney is known for its forest of oak and beech trees.
History
Darney is built on a promontory dominating the valley of the Saône. The
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
built a castle here to control the area, and watch the forested countryside. As a fortified town in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, Darney had towers and two fortified gates, and was known as the "city of thirty towers".
Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine
Theobald II (french: Thiébaud or ''Thiébaut''; 1263 – 13 May 1312) was the Duke of Lorraine from 1303 until his death in 1312. He was the son and successor of Frederick III and Margaret, daughter of King Theobald I of Navarre of the Royal Ho ...
gave the town its church in 1308. The town suffered during the
Thirty years war
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
, being razed by the Swedes led by Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, who were allies of the French, in 1634. The castle of the time was destroyed in 1639. Remnants of this castle still exist, as well as the current, smaller castle, which was built in 1725.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Darney was the rallying point for
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
and Slovak volunteers, where they were stationed at Camp Kleber. Due to their presence, on 30 June 1918,
French President
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
, Raymond Poincaré inspected 6,000 Czech and Slovak legionnaires, before handing over the Czechoslovakian army flag to
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 194 ...
, Minister of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs within the Provisional Czechoslovak government. This flag became the flag of the 21st rifle regiment.
The former town hall is now a Franco-Czechoslovak museum, dedicated to Camp Kleber, the Czechoslovak troops stationed there, and the birth of the Czechoslovak state.
Twin towns
Darney is twinned with the town of
Slavkov u Brna
Slavkov u Brna (; historically known in German as Austerlitz) is a town in Vyškov District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,000 inhabitants. The town gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz which took place seve ...
, also known as Austerlitz, in
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The m ...
.
Points of interest
*
Arboretum de la Hutte
The Arboretum de La Hutte (3 hectares) is an arboretum located in the Vallée de l'Ourche, variously described as within the towns of Darney or Hennezel, Vosges, Grand Est, France. It is open daily without charge.
The Ourche river flows across ...
Exceptional Darney forest and wilderness assets of Ourche Valley: Oak trees, roe deers, red deers, wild cats. The Ourche river. Scenic views at La Hutte with peaceful pond and lakes, the old chapel and of course the giant trees of the Arboretum. Scenic views at Abbaye de Droiteval.
Natives of Darney
*
Antoine Argoud
Antoine Argoud (26 June 1914 – 10 June 2004) was a French Army officer specializing in counter-insurgency during the Algerian War of Independence. Argoud's opposition to Algerian independence from France resulted in his joining of the Organisati ...
*
Nicolas-Sylvestre Bergier
Nicolas-Sylvestre Bergier (; 31 December 1718 – 9 April 1790) was a French Catholic theologian, known for his engagement with the atheist ''philosophes'' of eighteenth-century France.
Life
Bergier was born at Darney in Lorraine. After a co ...
*
Xavier Breton
Xavier Breton (born 25 November 1962 in Darney, Vosges) is a French politician of The Republicans (LR) who has been deputy for Ain's 1st constituency since 2007 and regional councillor of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes since 2016.
In the Republicans’ ...
*
Louis Morizot Louis Morizot (1874–1957) was an influential French bow maker of great reputation.
Biography
Louis was born in Darney (Vosges), and worked in Mirecourt, France where he started a family dynasty.
Louis Morizot began his apprenticeship with Eu ...