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Commune of Saint-Dizier |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne-Ardenne |
| Department | Haute-Marne (sous-préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Dizier |
| Canton | Chief town of 4 cantons |
| Mayor | François Cornut-Gentille (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 146 m (avg.) |
| Land area¹ | 47.69 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
30,900 |
| - Density | 647.9/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 52448/ 52100 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
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Saint-Dizier is a town and commune in the Haute-Marne department in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It has a population of 31,000 (2003 figure) and is a subprefecture of the department. Although Saint-Dizier is marginally the most populous commune in Haute-Marne, the préfecture (capital) resides in the somewhat smaller commune of Chaumont.
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Geography
Located approximately 120 miles east of Paris, halfway to Strasbourg, it is five miles from Western Europe's largest man-made lake, Lake Der-Chantecoq.
History
The town originated as a fortified settlement around a thirteenth century château, eventually becoming a royal fortress to guard the French kingdom's eastern approaches. The town was besieged and captured by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in the summer of 1544. A fire in 1775 destroyed two-thirds of the town centre. The château was owned by the Orléans family until the French Revolution, was a base for German troops during World War II, and currently houses the Municipal Museum.
Famous People
Saint-Dizier is the birthplace of
- Baroque-era musicologist André Pirro
- Organist André Isoir
- Conductor Jean-Paul Penin
- Former world middleweight boxing champion Marcel Thil. A street is named in his honor.
External links
