Maubeuge (French pronunciation: [mobøʒ]; historical Dutch: Mabuse or Dutch: Malbode; Picard: Maubeuche) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.[3]
Maubeuge | |
|---|---|
 Porte de Mons | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Maubeuge  | |
  Maubeuge  Maubeuge | |
| Coordinates: 50°16′39″N 3°58′24″E / 50.2775°N 03.9734°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Nord |
| Arrondissement | Avesnes-sur-Helpe |
| Canton | Maubeuge |
| Intercommunality | CA Maubeuge Val de Sambre |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Arnaud Decagny[1] |
| Area 1 | 18.85 km2 (7.28 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 29,066 |
| • Density | 1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 59392 /59600 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
It is situated on both banks of the Sambre (here canalized), 36 km (22 mi) east of Valenciennes and about 9 km (5.6 mi) from the Belgian border.
History
editMaubeuge (ancient Malbodium, from Latin, derived from the Old Frankish name Malboden, meaning "assizes of Boden") owes its origin to Maubeuge Abbey, a double monastery, for men and women, founded in the 7th century by Saint Aldego, the relics of whom are preserved in the church. It subsequently belonged to the territory of Hainaut.
The town was part of the Spanish Netherlands and changed hands a number of times before it was finally ceded to France in the 1678 Treaty of Nijmegen.[4] As part of Vauban's pré carré plan that protected France's northern borders with a double line of fortresses, it was extensively fortified as directed by Louis XIV of France.
Besieged in 1793 by Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, it was relieved by the victory of Wattignies, which is commemorated by a monument in the town. It was unsuccessfully besieged in 1814, but was compelled to capitulate, after a vigorous resistance, in the Hundred Days.
As a fortress, Maubeuge has an old enceinte of bastion trace which serves as the center of an important entrenched camp of 18 miles perimeter. The fortress was constructed after the War of 1870 but has since been modernized and augmented.
The forts were besieged in World War I by the German Empire. Maubeuge suffered heavily in World War II: 90% of the town centre was destroyed by bombardments in May 1940. Fighting again occurred in early September 1944, in and around the outskirts of Maubeuge, involving units of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division during the American push toward Belgium.[5][6]
Heraldry
edit| |
The arms of Maubeuge are blazoned : Or, 4 lions, 2 in bend sable armed and langued gules, 2 in bend sinister gules armed and langued azure, in chief an eagle sable beaked langued membered and armed gules, overall a crozier Or bendwise.
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Geography
editClimate
editMaubeuge has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Maubeuge is 10.6 °C (51.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 880.8 mm (34.68 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 18.5 °C (65.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.2 °C (37.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Maubeuge was 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) on 7 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) on 16 January 1985.
| Climate data for Maubeuge (1981−2010 normals, extremes 1961−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
24.9 (76.8) |
29.5 (85.1) |
32.0 (89.6) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.5 (95.9) |
37.5 (99.5) |
34.5 (94.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
37.5 (99.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
6.9 (44.4) |
10.6 (51.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.3 (70.3) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.7 (74.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
9.5 (49.1) |
6.6 (43.9) |
14.7 (58.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
6.7 (44.1) |
9.4 (48.9) |
13.6 (56.5) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
6.5 (43.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
10.6 (51.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.6 (33.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
2.8 (37.0) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.6 (47.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.1 (55.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.7 (35.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.5 (0.5) |
−13.7 (7.3) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
3.3 (37.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 81.1 (3.19) |
64.7 (2.55) |
80.8 (3.18) |
54.7 (2.15) |
70.9 (2.79) |
79.1 (3.11) |
71.2 (2.80) |
73.1 (2.88) |
61.8 (2.43) |
79.5 (3.13) |
78.8 (3.10) |
85.1 (3.35) |
880.8 (34.68) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 14.0 | 11.0 | 13.4 | 10.0 | 12.2 | 11.0 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.2 | 140.1 |
| Source: Météo-France[7] | |||||||||||||
Population
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| Source: EHESS[8] and INSEE (1968-2017)[9] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
editThere are important foundries, forges and blast furnaces, together with manufactures of machine tools and porcelain.
The town has a board of trade arbitration, a communal college, a commercial and industrial school.
Transport
editBeing close to the Belgian border, Maubeuge station has two lines to Belgium: one leading North towards Mons, the other Eastbound to Charleroi. Neither have seen passenger service for several years; however, from December 2018 a limited service to Namur via Charleroi was announced.[10] Trains to the South-West are frequent.
There is an aerodrome in nearby Elesmes but it is purely recreational, with no facilities for commercial air transport of either passengers or cargo.
Tour de France
editMaurice Garin, the winner of the inaugural 1903 Tour de France, began his cycling career in 1892 with the local Maubeuge cycling club, when he finished fifth in the 200-kilometre (124 mi) Maubeuge-Hirson-Maubeuge race.[11] In 2003, on the 100th anniversary of his win, he was commemorated with a street named after him.
Notable people
edit- Leandre Griffit, footballer
- Jan Gossaert, painter
- Benjamin Pavard, footballer
- Benjamin Saint-Huile, politician
- Kevin Van Den Kerkhof, footballer
- André Lurçat, architect
- Karl Legris, musician
See also
edit- Siege of Maubeuge (24 August - 7 September 1914)
- Fortified Sector of Maubeuge
- Communes of the Nord department
- Un clair de lune à Maubeuge
Sources
edit- http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/1stinfantry/
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Maubeuge". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 903.
Footnotes
edit- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ "Treaty of Peace between France and Spain, signed at Nimeguen, 17 September 1678" (PDF). Oxford International Public Law. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "The First! The Story of the 1st Infantry Division: WWII G.I. Stories Booklet (Lone Sentry)".
- ^ Official site of the town of Maubeuge Archived 3 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- ^ "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1981-2010 et records" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Maubeuge, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ "NMBS lanciert nieuwe klassieke treinverbinding tussen Waalse steden en Parijs" [NMBS launches new classic train connection between Walloon cities and Paris] (Press release) (in Dutch). National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS). 29 June 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ Journal L'Alsace-Le Pays, 20 February 2001, Profile of Maurice Garin Archived 1 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine
External links
edit
- Official website (in French)
- Webpage about the fortifications