Montmedy
| Montmédy | |
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Place de l’Hôtel de Ville: the fountain and Saint-Martin's church
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 Montmédy
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Location within Grand Est region
Montmédy
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| Coordinates: 49°31′13″N 5°22′00″E / 49.5203°N 5.3667°ECoordinates: 49°31′13″N 5°22′00″E / 49.5203°N 5.3667°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Meuse |
| Arrondissement | Verdun |
| Canton | Montmédy |
| Area1 | 23.49 km2 (9.07 sq mi) |
| Population (2012)2 | 2,311 |
| • Density | 98/km2 (250/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 55351 /55600 |
| Elevation | 177–336 m (581–1,102 ft) (avg. 294 m or 965 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Montmédy (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃.me.di]) is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
In 1221 the first castle of Montmédy was built on top of a hill by the Count of Chiny. Montmédy soon became the capital of his territory – later it belonged to Luxembourg, Burgundy, Austria and Spain. The original castle was replaced with a fortress by Charles V in the 16th Century.
After Marville and Stenay had been occupied by the French, 30,000 soldiers, including King Louis XIV, attacked Montmédy, whilst 756 were defending it in 1657. They held it for 57 days and surrendered only after the death of the governor Jean V of Allamont. The military engineer Vauban advanced the outer fortifications, the moats and the walls after the siege of 1657.
During the French Revolution in 1791, the fortress was the anticipated destination of King Louis XVI and his family in their unsuccessful attempt to escape from the growing radical republicanism of Paris. The area at that time was overwhelmingly pro-monarchy. The royal party never arrived, however, because they were discovered en route at Varennes and escorted back to the capital city. The King had hoped to establish a counter-revolutionary military base of operations in the citadel from which he could reclaim the country. The citadel has also been used as a fortress during both World Wars.
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Wikipedia