La Ferté-Milon (French pronunciation: [la fɛʁte milɔ̃]) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France, northern France.

La Ferté-Milon
Chateau
Chateau
Coat of arms of La Ferté-Milon
Location of La Ferté-Milon
Map
La Ferté-Milon is located in France
La Ferté-Milon
La Ferté-Milon
La Ferté-Milon is located in Hauts-de-France
La Ferté-Milon
La Ferté-Milon
Coordinates: 49°10′42″N 3°07′26″E / 49.1783°N 3.1239°E / 49.1783; 3.1239
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentAisne
ArrondissementSoissons
CantonVillers-Cotterêts
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Céline Le Frère[1]
Area
1
18.35 km2 (7.08 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,047
 • Density110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
02307 /02460
Elevation62–156 m (203–512 ft)
(avg. 67 m or 220 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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La Ferté-Milon is situated on the river Ourcq, 27 km southwest of Soissons and 30 km northeast of Meaux. La Ferté-Milon station has rail connections to Meaux and Paris.

Sights

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In La Ferté-Milon stand the ruins of an unfinished castle, whose façade was 200 m long and 38 m high. The singular form of the tower walls was probably designed to resist cannons and protect the gate. The façade is preceded by a moat. On the right is a square tower of which two bare walls remain. The top of the ramparts is adorned with machicolation. Access to the town was protected by a former gate of which two towers remain.

Behind the ramparts, two 160 mm cannons from 1909 sit facing towards the valley. One is annotated in Russian with the number 5085.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,629—    
1975 1,695+0.57%
1982 1,948+2.01%
1990 2,208+1.58%
1999 2,109−0.51%
2007 2,300+1.09%
2012 2,199−0.89%
2017 2,085−1.06%
Source: INSEE[3]

Personalities

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The dramatist Jean Racine (1639–1699) was born in La Ferté-Milon.[4] He was one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France.

A statue of Racine as a child is located at the bottom of the paved Ruelle des rats. Nearby is a slate-roofed church with a square belfry with four turrets in each corner, one of which serves as a staircase.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  4. ^ Saintsbury, George (1911). "Racine, Jean" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). pp. 775–779.
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