Pont-à-Mousson | |
|---|---|
 The Moselle and the Premonstratensian abbey in Pont-à-Mousson. | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Pont-à-Mousson | |
  Pont-à-Mousson  Pont-à-Mousson | |
| Coordinates:48°54′19″N6°03′17″E / 48.9053°N 6.0547°E /48.9053; 6.0547 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Meurthe-et-Moselle |
| Arrondissement | Nancy |
| Canton | Pont-à-Mousson |
| Intercommunality | CC Bassin de Pont-à-Mousson |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Henry Lemoine[1] |
Area 1 | 21.6 km2 (8.3 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 73.3 km2 (28.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[3] | 14,383 |
| • Density | 666/km2 (1,720/sq mi) |
| • Urban (2018[2]) | 23,824 |
| • Urban density | 325/km2 (842/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 54431 /54700 |
| Elevation | 172–382 m (564–1,253 ft) (avg. 183 m or 600 ft) |
| Website | www |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Pont-à-Mousson (French pronunciation:[pɔ̃.t‿a.musɔ̃]) is acommune in theMeurthe-et-Moselledepartment in north-easternFrance. Its inhabitants are known asMussipontains in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the riverMoselle. Pont-à-Mousson has several historical monuments, including the 18th centuryPremonstratensian abbey.
In 2018, 14,434 people lived in the town, while itsagglomeration had a population of 23,824.[2]
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| Source: EHESS[4] andInsee[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 1572Cardinal Charles of Lorraine established aJesuit university at Pont-à-Mousson. Withthe Protestant Revolution building in the German-speaking lands, still part of theHoly Roman Empire, directly to the east, and theDuchy of Lorraine vulnerable to pressure from an increasingly assertiveFrench state directly to the west, the Duchy participated in thewars of religion on the side of theCounter-Reformation. TheTridentine strategy promulgated by theHoly See involved the creation of a "Roman Catholic backbone" (sometimes termed theLotharingian axis from the territories, including Lorraine, between France and the Habsburg Empire).
During the seventeenth century theuniversity of Pont-à-Mousson grew rapidly until there were about 2,000 students. There were four faculties covering theology, the arts, law and medicine. Students were drawn from across western and central Europe. Over time a rivalry grew up between students in the St Martin district, located on the right-bank of the riverMoselle and dominated by Jesuits, and the left-bank students based in the St Laurent quarter and considered the rowdier of the two student tribes. Rivalry peaked with the violent "printers' battles" when the rival factions were known respectively as the "Ponti Mussoni" and the "Mussiponti". The "Mussiponti" won, and in the region the inhabitants of the town became known thereafter as "Mussipontains/Mussipontines".
TheDuchy of Lorraine became French following the death in 1766 of DukeStanisław Leszczyński, and in 1769Louis XV had the Jesuit Academy transferred to Nancy. The only notable educational establishment remaining at Pont-à-Mousson was a military training school.
The town continued to flourish as a centre of the visual arts, however, rivallingÉpinal to the south in this respect. Apapier-mâché factory also contributed to the cultural development of Pont-à-Mousson.
It was the regional capital between 1790 and 1795, but underwent extensive destruction in the ensuing wars, and was subject to foreign occupation in 1814 and 1815. During theFranco-Prussian War it experienced severe street fighting.
The Pont-à-Mousson Company (PAM) was created in 1856 by a group of Lorraine businessmen to operate theMarbache iron mine and to use the ore to manufacture cast iron.[6] Xavier Rogé was the manager. In 1862 the enterprise was liquidated due to lack of sufficient capital to cover the high investment expenses. Rogé managed to raise capital in theSaarland and restart the business, selling most of its production to forges in the Ardennes and Champagne.
In 1866, Rogé visited England and became aware of the new and promising market for cast-iron water pipes. He focused the company on pipe production, and found a ready market when cities began to make large investment in water supply after 1871.[7] He adopted the English method of casting pipes in vertical rather than horizontal moulds.[8] He was succeeded byCamille Cavallier, who transformed the moderately sized cast iron pipe manufacturer into a giant, always concentrating on making pipes. Annual cast iron production rose from 80,000 to 183,000 tons between 1900 and 1913.[7]
The company, later known asSaint-Gobain PAM is still producing ductile cast iron pipes and fittings for drinking water, irrigation and sewage applications; its logo still reflects the multi-arched bridge over the river.[9] The plant of Pont-à-Mousson, having its 160th anniversary in 2016, is the largest employer in the city, with an average 1000 employees spread among two plants, a research center and the headquarters of the company.
Strategically positioned at an important river crossing, Pont-à-Mousson and the surrounding region saw terrible fighting during the twentieth century wars between France and Germany. In theWorld War Ifighting at Bois-le-Prêtre,Croix des Carmes, and Grand-Couronné are names that recall savage fighting between French and German soldiers. The town suffered further destruction in 1944, before being liberated by theU.S. Third Army under the command of Lieutenant GeneralGeorge S. Patton, supported by an active localresistance movement.
In 1921the President personally presented the town with theCroix de guerre, and shortly after thisDésiré Ferry, the local deputy, was awarded theLégion d'honneur. AfterWorld War II, Pont-à-Mousson was again honoured, this time with theCroix de Guerre.
Pont-à-Mousson was the birthplace of:
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