department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
Located 35 km north east of Lyon and 10 km from Ambérieu-en-Bugey, the town is where the Dombes plateau meets the plain of the river Ain. Historically, Meximieux was part of the former province of Bresse. Over the centuries, its importance has developed from its location on the main route between Lyon and Geneva, and it now lies on the Autoroute 42 from Lyon.
Meximieux—Pérouges station
Meximieux—Pérouges station (French: ''Gare de Meximieux—Pérouges'') is a railway station located in the commune of Meximieux, Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. As its name suggests the station is located within p ...
has rail connections to Lyon, Ambérieu-en-Bugey and Chambéry.
History
Records of Meximieux date back to Roman times when it home to a small farming settlement called ''Maximiacus''.
Population
Its inhabitants are known as ''Meximiards''.
International relations
The commune has developed a
twin town
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
The town was the birthplace of Claude Favre de Vaugelas, a 17th-century grammarian and man of letters.
Resistance
Meximieux is one of the 17 French cities to be awarded with the medal of resistance ( Médaille de la Résistance). The French resistants of Meximieux fought with the allies in an outstanding collaboration with the U.S. army. This resulted in the victory against a German counter offensive on Meximieux the 1 and 2 September 1944.
U.S. Army General, Michael S. Davison, became an honorary citizen of Meximieux.