Everything about Sedan France totally explained
» For other uses of Sedan, see Sedan (disambiguation).
Sedan is a town and
commune in
France, a
sous-préfecture of the
Ardennes département.
The historic centre is built on a peninsula formed by an arc of the
Meuse River. A centre of cloth production, begun under the patronage of
Cardinal Mazarin, supported the town until the late 19th century.
History
Sedan was founded in 1424. In the 16th century Sedan was an asylum for Protestant refugees from the
Wars of Religion.
Until
1651, the Principality of Sedan belonged to the
La Tour d'Auvergne family. It was at that time a sovereign principality. Their most illustrious representative,
Marshal Turenne, was born at Sedan on
September 11,
1611.
During the
Franco-Prussian War, on
September 2,
1870 the French emperor
Napoleon III was taken prisoner with 100,000 of his soldiers at the
Battle of Sedan.
Due to this major victory, which also made the "Second Reich" of
Germany possible,
September 2 was declared "Sedan Day" (
Sedantag) and a national German holiday in 1871. It remained a holiday until
1919.
During
World War II the German troops first invaded neutral
Belgium and crossed the
Meuse River in Sedan. This allowed them to bypass the French fortification system, the
Maginot Line.
Castle
Today Sedan is known for its
castle, that's claimed to be the largest fortified medieval castle in Europe with a total surface of 30.000 m2 on 7 levels. It is the only remaining part of the once enormous fortifications in and around the town.
Construction started in
1424 and the castle's defences were constantly improved over the ages.
Miscellaneous
Births
Sedan was the birthplace of:
Twin town
Sedan is twinned with Eisenach, Germany since 1991Further Information
Get more info on 'Sedan France'.
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