Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the

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 ...

region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Populations légales 2019: 02 Aisne
INSEE

Geography

The department borders Nord (to the north),

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

and

Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 ...

(to the west),

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

and Marne (east), and

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

(south-west) and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

(Province of Hainaut) (to the north-east). The river Aisne crosses the area from east to west, where it joins the

. The Marne forms part of the southern boundary of the department with the department of Seine-et-Marne. The southern part of the department is the geographical region known as ''la Brie poilleuse'', a drier plateau known for its dairy products and Brie cheese. According to the 2003 census, the forested area of the department was 123,392 hectares, or 16.6% for an average metropolitan area of 27.4%. The landscape is dominated by masses of rock which often have steep flanks. These rocks appear all over the region, but the most impressive examples are at

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territori ...

and the Chemin des Dames ridge.

Principal towns

The department of Aisne includes one medium-sized city (Saint-Quentin) and three small cities (Laon, Soissons and Château-Thierry) to which may be added the conglomeration formed by Chauny and Tergnier. There are many other agglomerations of an urban character because Aisne has been densely populated since before the 19th century. The villages are numerous and rather small. The most populous commune is Saint-Quentin; the prefecture

is the third-most populous. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants: See also: List of the

communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020): The

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

(which takes its source near Le Catelet), the Aisne, the Marne, the

Ourcq The Ourcq (, ''Urc'' in 855) is an river in France, a right tributary of the Marne. Its source is near the village Ronchères, and its course crosses the departments of Aisne, Oise, and Seine-et-Marne. It flows southwest through the towns of ...

, the

Vesle The Vesle () is the river on which the city of Reims stands. It is a fourth order river of France and a left-bank tributary of the Aisne. It is long, and rises in the ''département'' of Marne through which it flows most of its course. Geograp ...

, the

(which rises in Fonsommes), the

, and the Serre. In the south of the department, there is the ''Surmelin'', the Verdonnelle, and the ''Dhuys'' (this river is channeled into the Dhuis Aqueduct, 131 km long, to supply drinking water to Paris since 1 October 1865 and also more recently the Leisure Park of Marne-la-Vallée). The department is also crossed by numerous canals (e.g. the Canal of Saint-Quentin, 93 km).

Railways

The department is crossed by three railway lines from Paris: the first two from the Gare du Nord and the third from the Gare de l'Est: * the line from Paris to Maubeuge, serving cities including Chauny,

Tergnier Tergnier () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Its location on the Canal de Saint-Quentin and the Creil–Jeumont railway ( Tergnier station) supported its development as an industrial centre in the secon ...

and Saint-Quentin * the line from Paris to

, serving cities including Soissons, Anizy-le-Château, and

(prefecture) * the line from Paris to Strasbourg, serving the city of Château-Thierry. In 1873, the department of Aisne had 10 railway companies with a total length of 382 km.

Climate

There is an average of 500 to 750 mm precipitation annually. Weather Data for Saint Quentin – Roupy

History

Aisne developed from the ancient settlement of Acinum, from which its name derives. The

Battle of the Axona The Battle of the Axona was fought in 57 BC, between the Roman army of Gaius Julius Caesar and the Belgae. The Belgae, led by King Galba of the Suessiones, attacked, only to be repelled by Caesar. Fearing an ambush, the Romans delayed their pur ...

was fought nearby in 57 BC. Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

(Laon, Soissons, Noyon, and Valois),

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hist ...

(Thiérache Vermandois), and Champagne (Brie, and Omois). Most of the old growth forests in the area were destroyed during battles in

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, ...

. The French offensive against the Chemin des Dames in spring 1917 is sometimes referred to as the '' Second Battle of the Aisne''.

Heraldry

Economy

Agriculture dominates the economy, especially cereal crops. Beet sugar is one of the most important industrial crops of the area. Silk, cotton, and wool weaving flourish in Saint-Quentin and other towns. Saint-Gobain is known for its production of mirrors, which started in the 17th century. Guise is the agricultural centre of the northern area of Aisne. Volkswagen Group France has headquarters in

Villers-Cotterêts Villers-Cotterêts () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France, France. It is notable as the signing-place in 1539 of the '' Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts'' discontinuing the use of Latin in official French documents, and as ...

Politics

The department is a mixture of rural areas and working-class towns. As a place of residence for some families working in Paris or

, Aisne was for many years a department rather oriented to the left, with a majority on the General Council on the left since 1998, and the same for the majority of parliamentary seats representing the department in the National Assembly. The smaller cities of the northern department such as Guise, Hirson, Vervins and the railway city of

are sources of support for left-wing parties.

Departmental Council

The President of the General Council is the Liberal Nicolas Fricoteaux. In the 2021 departmental election, the Departmental Council of Aisne was elected as follows:

Presidential elections 2nd round

In the second round of the French presidential elections of 2017 Aisne was one of only two departments (along nearby Pas-de-Calais) in which the candidate of the Front National,

Marine Le Pen Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician who ran for the French presidency in 2012, 2017, and 2022. A member of the National Rally (RN; previously the National Front, FN), she served as its p ...

, received a majority of the votes cast: 52.91%. In the second round of the 2022 French presidential election, Aisne was the mainland departement with the highest percentage support for her.

Representatives in the National Assembly

Administration

Aisne is divided into five

arrondissements An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'' ...

and 21 cantons. The department has 799 communes and five parliamentary constituencies.

Demography

Aisne lost some of its population in the second half of the 19th century, due to the rural exodus but this was limited by the industrial development in the north of the department (Saint-Quentin, Chaunois, Thiérache). Greatly affected by 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 fig ...

, the department has seen its population grow slightly to the same level as in 1900. For thirty years, the industrial decline has caused stagnation of the population (526,346 in 1968, 535,489 in 1999). Only the south-west of the department, close to the Paris conurbation, has seen much population growth. Population development since 1791:

Tourism

The

boat tour A boat tour is a short trip in a relatively small boat taken for touristic reasons, typically starting and ending in the same place, and normally of a duration less than a day. This contrasts with river cruising, yacht cruising, and ocean cru ...

s relates in part to the Canal de Saint-Quentin with its electric towage and two tunnels (Lesdins and Riqueval/Vendhuile). In 2007, a large infrastructure for tourist accommodation, the Center Parcs, was built on the Lake of

Ailette The ailette (French language for ''little wing'') was a component of late thirteenth and early to mid fourteenth century knightly armour Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to pro ...

, close to many tourist attractions such as the Cathedral of Laon, the Chemin des Dames and the

Château de Coucy The Château de Coucy is a French castle in the commune of Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, in Picardy, built in the 13th century and renovated by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. During its heyday, it was famous for the size of its c ...

. Among the many places to explore are: ; Monuments * Castle of Villers-Cotterets at Château-Thierry * Château de Condé *

* Castle Oigny-en-Valois * Dungeon of

Septmonts Septmonts () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population Donjon de Septmonts In the heart of the village lies the remains of the Château de Septmonts, of which the principal remains are of the ...

* Château of Guise ; Cathedrals * Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon * Soissons Cathedral ; Churches and abbeys *

Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache Abbey The former Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache is located in Saint-Michel, in the Thiérache (Aisne, Picardy), between Paris and Brussels. History The first chapel was founded in 693 A.D on the initiative of Ursmar. All current abb ...

* Abbaye du Tortoir de Saint Nicolas aux Bois * Abbaye Saint-Vincent de Laon * Abbaye Saint-Martin de Laon *

Longpont Abbey Longpont Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Longpont) was a Cistercian monastery, in present-day Longpont, Aisne, France. It existed from 1131 to 1793, being founded by monks from the abbey of Clairvaux, at the behest of Jocelin of Soissons. There is now ...

Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes The Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes was a monastery of Augustinian canons in Soissons, France, southwest of the city center. Only ruins remain, of which the west facade remains one of the more outstanding examples of architecture in the town. It is a ...

* Vauclair Abbey * Church of Saint-Caprais * Abbey church of Saint-Yved de

Braine Braine may refer to: People * Braine (surname) Places * Braine, Aisne, a commune in the department of Aisne, France * Braine-l'Alleud, a municipality in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium * Braine-le-Château, a municipality in the province ...

; War memorials of the

* Chemin des Dames * The Caverne of the Dragon * The Landowski Ghosts, Margival * Bois de Belleau/Bois de la Brigade de Marine ; Musées * Musée Henri Matisse à Bohain-en-Vermandois * Quentin de Latour Museum in Saint-Quentin * Musée du cheminot, the ''Familistère de Godin'' at Guise. In 2019, the department had 3.5% of second homes.

Culture

During World War I a number of significant architectural monuments were destroyed. Of the buildings that survived, the medieval churches in Laon,

, and

Urcel Urcel () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The river Ailette The ailette (French language for ''little wing'') was a component of late thirteenth and early to mid fourteenth century knigh ...

are the most significant. The ruined castle of La Ferté-Milon escaped further damage during the war. Of the castles that survived, some were used as prisons, such as the Castle of Vadancourt, near Saint-Quentin (500 prisoners). It is thought that the Aisne River was the birthplace of the trench warfare seen in the First World War. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had initial early successes driving the Germans back to the Aisne River; the German troops dug in and managed to hold out against both British and French attacks. This German entrenchment was to mould the entire face of World War One as both sides began digging in and fortifying their positions. Thus began the stalemate that became a significant feature of the First World War.

Languages

* Picard in the north * Champenois dialect in the south * the French of Île-de-France in the centre and the south. This linguistic variance probably explains the difficulty for residents south of Aisne to identify themselves as belonging to the Picardy region.

Gastronomy

* Rustic cuisine. The north of the department is a farming area and there are products made from cow's milk such as Maroilles cheese and

Dulce de leche ''Dulce de leche'' (; pt, doce de leite), also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. The resulting substance, w ...

. There are also typically Picardy specialties such as "ficelle", a sort of rolled crêpe with cream cheese, béchamel, ham, and mushrooms.

Foie gras Foie gras (, ; ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a duck or goose. According to French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage (force feeding). Foie gras is a popular and well-known delica ...

is a product developed in Thiérache of the highest quality. * The cultivation of red fruit (strawberries) is beginning to develop. * Trade shows for: cheeses (La Capelle), blood sausage (Saint-Quentin). * Tastings in flea markets and many opportunities to discover local products in a traditional atmosphere. * In the south there are kidney beans form Soissons and the Tourist route of Champagne where some champagnes produced in the Chateau-Thierry region, like the maroilles, are recognized by the

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...

(AOC). * Thiérache cider and its eau-de-vie and the production of beer (mostly craft) give the department of Aisne real identity. * Large swarms of bees mean that the flavours of honey, mead, gingerbread, vinegar etc. can be found.

Notable people linked to the department

Camille Desmoulins Lucie-Simplice-Camille-Benoît Desmoulins (; 2 March 17605 April 1794) was a French journalist and politician who played an important role in the French Revolution. Desmoulins was tried and executed alongside Georges Danton when the Committee o ...

((1760–1794)), revolutionary politician and journalist, was from Guise *''Achille Jacopin'' is a sculptor born in 1874 and died in 1958 at Château-Thierry * Paul and Camille Claudel came from Tardenois * Jean de la Fontaine was from Château-Thierry * Paul Doumer, French president from 1931 to 1932, founder of the journal ''La tribune de l'Aisne'' and long time deputy for the departement *

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...

was from Villers-Cotterets * The fictional character Jean Valjean was born in Faverolles, Aisne *

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western tradit ...

was from

La Ferte-Milon LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

Maurice Quentin de la Tour Maurice Quentin de La Tour (5 September 1704 – 17 February 1788) was a French Rococo portraitist who worked primarily with pastels. Among his most famous subjects were Voltaire, Rousseau, Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour. Biography Maurice Q ...

was born in Saint-Quentin *

Louis Antoine de Saint-Just Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just (; 25 August 17679 Thermidor, Year II 8 July 1794, was a French revolutionary, political philosopher, member and president of the French National Convention, a Jacobin club leader, and a major figure of the Fren ...

((1767–1794)), revolutionary politician and member of the

Committee of Public Safety The Committee of Public Safety (french: link=no, Comité de salut public) was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution ...

, was from Blérancourt * François-Noël Babeuf, called Gracchus Babeuf (1760–1797) was from Saint Quentin * ''Guillaume-Benoît Houdet'', lawyer, MP, and Mayor of Château-Thierry (1800–1805) *

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

, painter, spent his childhood in Bohain-en-Vermandois * ''Sébastien Cauet'', host-producer of television and radio French, is from Marle * Jean-Baptiste André Godin (1817–1888), an industrialist and French philanthropist, creator of ''Familistère de Guise'' * Nicolas de Condorcet (1743–1794), a philosopher, mathematician and political scientist was from

Ribemont Ribemont () is a Communes of France, commune in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is the birthplace of Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794), figure of the French Revolution History Two treaties ...

* Leo Lemoine, mayor of

Saulchery Saulchery () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of ...

member of the

Resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

in February 1941 and died for France in exile at Buchenwald Dora with his son Jacques (17 years old) * Kamini, a rapper, is from Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache