- Montereau-Fault-Yonne
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For other uses, see Montereau (disambiguation).
Montereau-Fault-Yonne
Bridges over rivers Seine (foreground), Yonne (background) and statue of Napoléon 
Montereau-Fault-YonneLocation within Île-de-France region
Montereau-Fault-YonneAdministration Country France Region Île-de-France Department Seine-et-Marne Arrondissement Provins Canton Montereau-Fault-Yonne Intercommunality Deux Fleuves Mayor Yves Jégo (PR)
(2008–2014)Statistics Elevation 47.2–120 m (155–390 ft)
(avg. 53 m/174 ft)Land area1 9.70 km2 (3.75 sq mi) Population2 16,993 (2006) - Density 1,752 /km2 (4,540 /sq mi) INSEE/Postal code 77305/ 77130 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. Coordinates: 48°23′07″N 2°57′03″E / 48.3853°N 2.9508°E
Montereau-Fault-Yonne, or simply Montereau, is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.
Contents
Name
The city takes its name from its geographical position on the confluence of the Yonne and the Seine rivers. Fault, also spelled faut comes from the verb faillir ("to fail") in its old meaning to fall. Montereau is where the Yonne falls into the Seine.
Sights
John XXIII Square, in Surville.
The town is split in three by the rivers, ville basse situated on the southern shore and Surville on the hill to the north. The old town centre is located in ville basse while Surville is an assembly of high rise buildings, erected after World War II, and is in many ways a typical cité in the Île-de-France. Some of these high rise buildings are now (2005) going to be destroyed and replaced by individual houses. The old château-park in Surville (now the site of a high school Lycée André Malraux) however gives a very nice view over the confluent and the Seine-et-Marne region. On the east side, between the two rivers, are the port and an industrial park.
History
In 1359, the King of Navarre Charles II of Navarre, who held the town because of his Champagne ascent, lost it in front of the regent of France (the future king Charles V).
Plaque commemorating the murder of John the Fearless, on the bridge crossing the Yonne river.John the Fearless was killed on the town's in September, 1419 by Tanneguy du Chastel and the sire de Barbazan, during an interview whith the dauphin (who became in 1422 Charles VII).
In the collegiate church Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Loup there is a sword which has long been said to be John the Fearless'. But actually this sword is certainly more recent[1].
The Geographer Malte-Brun reported, in La France illustrée[citation needed] (1882), the existence of an inscription on the bridge where the duke was murdered.
In 1420, Philip the Good, the son of John the Fearless, seized the town, which remained for eight years in the hands of the Anglo-Burgundian coalition. However, at the end of a long siege, the king Charles VII, helped by Chabannes and Dunois, managed to take it again.
In 1567, during the Wars of Religion, Condé briefly seized the town.
In 1587, the inhabitants of Montereau took of party of the Catholic League, but in 1590 accepted the legitimacy of the new king Henry IV.
Statue of Napoleon, erected during the Second Empire on the bridge of Montereau.Montereau was also the place of one of the last victories of Napoleon on 14 February 1814.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Montereau-Fault-Yonne are called Monterelais[2].
Date of Population 1793 1800 1806 1820 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851 3 115 3 364 3 453 - 3 945 4 153 4 494 4 450 4 942 5 465 1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896 6 063 6 217 6 748 6 714 7 041 7 306 7 709 7 672 8 041 1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954 7 929 8 213 8 617 8 853 9 314 9 965 9 322 8 962 10 119 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2004 2007 2008 14 121 19 789 21 568 19 413 18 657 17 625 - 16 802 16 275[3] For the census of 1962 to 1999 the official population corresponds with the population without duplicates according to the INSEE. Datas since 2006 : population municipale *Source (French) EHESS Cassini Histogramme
(Graph by Wikipedia)
The canton, which belonged to the arrondissement of Fontainebleau in the beginning, was attached to Provins in 1926. It has 14 communes and 33,646 inhabitants.
Economy
Historically, the city has sported a strong industrial base and thus has strong blue collar roots. In recent decades, unemployment has become an increasing problem, especially within the immigrant community in Surville.
Twin towns
Montereau is twinned with the British town of Otley, north of Leeds.
See also
References
External links
- 1999 Land Use, from IAURIF (Institute for Urban Planning and Development of the Paris-Île-de-France région (English)
- French Ministry of Culture list for Montereau-Fault-Yonne (French)
- Map of Montereau-Fault-Yonne on Michelin (English)
Categories:- Communes of Seine-et-Marne
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