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| Route nationale 2 | |
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| Country | France |
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TheRoute nationale 2 (N 2) is aroute nationale in northernFrance.[1]
Paris-Soissons-Laon-La Capelle-Belgium (N 6)
The N 2 was initially defined in 1811 asroute impériale 2, running from Paris all the way toAmsterdam viaBrussels,Antwerp,Breda andUtrecht. The territory north of the present border with Belgium was removed from France in the 1815Congress of Vienna, and thus route 2 was truncated to that line. In 1824 it was renamedroute royale 2, and in 1830 it becameroute nationale 2.
The former path to Amsterdam is now theN6 andN1 inBelgium and theN263 and unnumbered roads paralleling theA27 andA2 inthe Netherlands.
The RN 2 starts at the Porte de la Villette in north-east Paris. Called the Avenue Jean Jaurès toLe Bourget crossing theA 86 autoroute and thenA 1 autoroute (Paris toLille). The road passes theAéroport de Paris - Le Bourget. Where it turns east leaving theN 17. The road then crosses the A 1 andA 3 autoroute. The N 2 merges with theA 104 autoroute briefly as it passes south east ofCharles de Gaulle Airport. The original road ran through the airport site and is designated by the D 902 to the south and D 401 throughDammartin-en-Goële.
The road now by-passes many of the villages and small towns on the original route such asNanteuil-le-Haudouin. The road then passes through theForêt de Retz. The road passes open country and war cemeteries to the town ofSoissons on the riverAisne. The road crosses theN 31 (Rouen toReims).
North of the town the countryside is more wooded the road passes theMonument des Crapouillots. The road reaches the ridge on which the walled town ofLaon sits. The road crosses theN 44 (Reims toCambrai).
The road heads north east over theA 26 autoroute (Calais toTroyes). The countryside is now flat and open. The road turns north after the small town ofVervins. The road then crosses the upper reaches of theOise. AtLa Capelle the road meets theN 29 toLe Havre and theN 43 (Calais toMetz).
The countryside becomes more hilly on its way toAvesnes-sur-Helpe. AtMaubeuge the road crosses the riverSambre, and also theN 49 (Valenciennes toBelgium). The road continues north to the frontier withBelgium andMons becoming the N 6. The route eventually reachesBrussels.
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