Fismes | |
|---|---|
 The Town Hall Square | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Fismes | |
  Fismes  Fismes | |
| Coordinates:49°18′28″N3°40′53″E / 49.3078°N 3.6814°E /49.3078; 3.6814 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Marne |
| Arrondissement | Reims |
| Canton | Fismes-Montagne de Reims |
| Intercommunality | CU Grand Reims |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Charles Gossard[1] |
Area 1 | 16.75 km2 (6.47 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 5,850 |
| • Density | 349/km2 (905/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 51250 /51170 |
| Elevation | 57–179 m (187–587 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Fismes (French pronunciation:[fim]ⓘ) is acommune in theMarnedepartment in theGrand Est region of north-easternFrance.
The commune has been awarded three flowers in theCompetition of cities and villages in Bloom.[3]
Fismes is located 25 km west by northwest ofReims and some 12 km east by southeast ofBraine. Access is by National Highway N31 from Reims through the heart of the commune and the town and continuing west toSoissons. There is also the D967 road fromLongueval-Barbonval in the north to the town and continuing southwest toChery-Chartreuve. There is also the D386 going south from the village toSaint-Gilles. Apart from Fismes there are three hamlets: Fismette and Baslieux are continuations of the urban area of Fismes while Villette is in the east of the commune.[4]Fismes station has rail connections to Reims.
TheVesle river flows through the commune from east to west with theRuisseau du Moulin and theRuisseau Saint-Marie flow from the north into theVesle. TheArdre river flows from the south to join theVesle west of the town.
Places adjacent to Fismes | |
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Fismes, on the right bank of the Vesle, developed from a Gallic ancient town named, during the Gallo-Roman era, "Ad Fines Suessionum" (limit of the Suessiones' territory) or "Ad Fines Remorum" (limit of the Remi's territory), as the city was situated on the boundary of the two Gallic tribesSuessiones andRemi.
AsCharles Rostaing indicates, the Latin word "fines" is a translation from the Gallic toponymequoranda which means "boundary" or "limit".[5]
The barbaric period did not spare Fismes. During the first half of the Middle Ages, the Normands and the Hungarians, destroyed the city of Fismes multiple times. These ravages pushed the agglomeration of the city towards the heights of the Vesle's right bank.
In 1226Thibault IV, theChansonnier (songwriter), helped Fismes become a free city, thanks to hard work of natives that participated in the war led by Thibault. By a charter and a seal that bears the emblem of the commune and under the aegis of amayor and two deputies, Fismes became autonomous. Thus, the village was able to develop its artisanship, businesses, festivals and markets.
The walls of the city continued to expand; a church of stone, a château which occupied the current plaza of the post office and would one day house as governor, the poet Eustache Deschamps, as well as the City Hall, that continues to occupy the same place, were all constructed in this formative epoch.
TheHundred Years War between the English and the French brought, once again, the city of Fismes to ruins. Later thereligious wars and theFronde completely destroyed the walls of the city and the chateau of Fismes.
FromLouis XIII toCharles X almost all the futureKings of France passed through Fismes which was their last stop on the way to their coronation at theCathedral of Reims. TheCoronation of Charles X was the final time this happened as theJuly Revolution brought an end to the traditional coronation ceremony.
In 1646,Louis II de Bourbon acquired the manorial rights to Fismes and bestowed them on César de Costentin de Tourville for his good services to the King. In 1647, the land was passed on to the eldest son of Cesar, François-Cesar.
During theFronde, the ramparts of the city and the chateau were completely destroyed.
After the revolution, a time of much inner conflict among the people of Fismes,Napoleon came to Fismes in order to sign two important declarations. Following Napoleon and theFrench Revolution, 30,000 Prussians arrived in Fismes and, once again, plundered the village.
In the 19th century, France experienced the rapidly expanding industrial revolution.Sugar beet, porcelain of Fismes (which was rare and expensive), the foundry, the railway, hat making, tanneries and mills mark the advancements of the region and the economic history of this century.
The 20th century began in worse conditions than the preceding finished. Fismes was greatly affected by theFirst World War. The Germans invaded the city, then remained on theChemin des Dames before they completely demolished the city in 1918.
Fismes attempted to reconstruct itself slowly. Unfortunately, due to its position as arailway town through which passed trains filled with deportees being sent to Germany, the city suffered during the course of theSecond World War. 14 residents of Fismes, who were seized for acts of resistance, died inNazi concentration camps. Among them was themayor of Fismes, Doctor Genillon.
| Blazon: Quarterly, 1 and 4 of Gules a dexter arm of argent armed with a sword the same surmounted by a helmet of azure quarter turned from profile; 2 and 3 barry of argent and azure of 10 pieces debruised by 3 chevrons of gules, the first écimé; over all an inescutcheon of azure with 3 persons armed in Or: at dexter with a lance, at centre with a sword and at sinister with a halberd, bordered in argent charged with the legend SIGILL. MAIORIS ET IURATORIUN COMMUNIE DE FIMES in capital letters plain of sable. |
The town has been the capital of the Canton of Fismes since its inception during the French Revolution. It belongs to thearrondissement of Reims (district of Reims until 1801).[6]
Fismes is part of theCommunauté urbaine du Grand Reims.
List of Successive Mayors[7]
| From | To | Name | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1793 | 1794 | François Bonde | ||
| 1794 | 1795 | Henri Servant | ||
| 1795 | 1798 | Claude Louis le Tellier | ||
| 1798 | 1805 | Henri Servant | ||
| 1805 | 1805 | Pierre Edmé Barbey | ||
| 1806 | 1810 | Henri Servant | ||
| 1810 | 1811 | Barbey de Chambrecy | ||
| 1811 | 1814 | Louis Heurtevin | ||
| 1814 | 1814 | Antoine or Jean Baptiste Pilloy | ||
| 1814 | 1814 | Gérard Billet | ||
| 1814 | 1815 | Antoine Clement | ||
| 1815 | 1822 | Gérard Billet | ||
| 1822 | 1829 | Pierre Barbey de Chambrecy | ||
| 1829 | 1836 | Jean Philippe Brule | ||
| 1836 | 1871 | Pierre Louis Regnault | ||
| 1871 | 1890 | Jean Philippe Brule | ||
| 1890 | 1919 | Constantin Couvreur | ||
| 1919 | 1919 | Henri Goumant | ||
| 1919 | 1929 | Edgard Maquerlot | ||
| 1929 | 1932 | Lucien Laplanche | ||
| 1932 | 1934 | Paul Bouche | ||
| 1934 | 1936 | Fernand Genillon | Doctor | |
| 1936 | 1937 | Louis Cochoit |
| From | To | Name | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | 1944 | Fernand Genillon | Arrested in the exercise of his duties. Died for France atBuchenwald in 1944 | |
| 1944 | 1945 | Ernest Guyomar | ||
| 1945 | 1947 | Henri Bertho | ||
| 1947 | 1948 | Edmond Launoy | ||
| 1948 | 1971 | Marc Olivier | ||
| 1971 | 1977 | Aimé Bouchez | ||
| 1977 | 2001 | Paul Caffe | PS | Teacher |
| 2001 | 2020 | Jean Pierre Pinon | PS | Craftsman carpenter retired, General Counsel for the Canton of Fismes |
| 2020 | 2026 | Charles Gossard |
The inhabitants of the commune are known asFismois orFismoises in French.[8]
Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE[9] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The local economy was dominated by the presence of a sugar factory which ceased operations in 1978. The activity of light metalworking has also been present for a long time.
Since 2008 the commune of Fismes has been integrated into the production zone forChampagne. The parcels of land authorized for planting vineyards are not yet known.
The main business enterprises areCampa (manufacturing premium electric heaters),Finaxo (methods for water treatment and waste),Profinox,Fimaluplast (Aluminium Joinery and PVC), and Experton-Revollier (wire mesh surfaces); a family group recently took over the Ghent company.
The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
is registered as an historical monument.[17]
TheFismes Memorial site is located along the Vesle river, near the memorial bridge that was constructed with the help of the State of Pennsylvania.[18]
TheBattle of Fismes and Fismette that occurred during World War I sparked a lasting friendship between the City of Fismes and the United States, particularly Pennsylvania. This bloody battle took place from 3 August to 1 September 1918 and was the last major German attack on the Allies during World War I. The 32nd American Division lost 2,000 men during its first attempt to cross the Vesle and attack the Germans. The 28th American Infantry Division, consisting of soldiers mostly from Pennsylvania, replaced the former division, forced the Germans to retreat, and proceeded to liberate Fismes.
As a result of the aid Fismes received from the American armies during World War I, the city constructed a memorial to honor the lives of the men in the 28th American Infantry Division. The main intentions of this memorial are to commemorate the soldiers' sacrifices and strengthen the ties that exist between Fismes and the United States, specifically Pennsylvania. The memorial site is the result of a collaboration of the City of Fismes with the Fismes Office of Tourism and the Association of Leisure and Recreation Services.[19]
The memorial consists of informational plaques and a set of sculptures from renowned artist Christian Lapie.Christian Lapie[20][circular reference]
The memorial was officially inaugurated on 15 September 2018. The mayor of Meadville, Pennsylvania, one of Fismes' sister cities, was present at the ceremony along with Meadville government and community members. Fismes' sister cities of Triuggio, Italy and Bad Oeynhausen, Germany were represented as well.
Fismes is twinned with:
Wem,England[21]
Bad Oeynhausen, Germany[22]
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