Compiègne - WikiHQ

Compiègne (; ) is a commune in the Oise department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise, and its inhabitants are called Compiégnois ().

Administration

Compiègne is the seat of two cantons:

1557 - Battle of St. Quentin, where Habsburg Spanish forces defeat a French army in the Italian War of 1551–1559
1558 - The English occupy Compiègne
1624 - Compiègne gave its name to the Treaty of Compiègne, a treaty of alliance concluded by Cardinal Richelieu with the Dutch.
11 November 1918 - The Armistice with Germany, agreed at Le Francport near Compiègne, ends fighting in World War I.
22 June 1940 - The Second Compiègne Armistice was signed between Nazi Germany and the defeated France in Le Francport, in the same place as in 1918, in the same railroad carriage, but with the seats swapped.
1941 - During the German occupation of France, the Compiègne internment camp was established in Compiègne. A memorial of the camp, and another along the railway tracks, commemorate the tragedy.
1972 - Creation of the University of Technology of Compiègne
1977 - The starting location of the Paris–Roubaix bicycle race was changed from Paris to Compiègne.

Population

Compiègne is the central commune of an urban unit with 71,598 inhabitants, and a larger commuter zone with 142,230 inhabitants as of 2022. The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Compiègne proper.

Sights

thumb|View of Compiègne

thumb|Compiegne-Noyon Hospital

The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) was completed in 1530.

Museums

Château de Compiègne - the castle itself, and museums of the Second French Empire and of motoring and tourism within its walls
Musée Antoine Vivenel
Museum of historic figurines
Memorial of internment and deportation

Compiègne Forest

The Glade of the Armistice in the Compiègne Forest was the site of the signing of two armistices; those of 11 November 1918 and 22 June 1940. Hitler specifically chose the location of the second, and had the original signing carriage moved from Paris to Compiègne, as an irony for the defeated French.

The site still houses several memorials to the 1918 armistice, including a copy of the original railway carriage. The original, Marshal Foch's Carriage, was taken to Germany as a trophy of victory following the second armistice. Various rumors about what happened to this railway carriage thereafter have flourished ever since. Some believe it was destroyed by the SS in Thuringia in April 1945; others say this happened in Berlin, but most likely it was destroyed during an Allied air-raid on Berlin. The latter version seems most plausible, since Ferdinand Foch's carriage actually was displayed at a Berlin museum.

The University of Technology of Compiègne

Compiègne is home to the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC), one of the top ranking engineering school in France, founded as a Technology University in 1972 to provide an alternative to the traditional "grandes écoles" for students interested in technologies and applied science.

Transport

Compiègne station offers connections with Paris, Amiens, Cambrai and several regional destinations. The nearest motorway is the A1 Paris-Lille. The nearest airport is Charles de Gaulle Airport, located south west of the commune.

Cycling

Since 1977, Compiègne is the traditional start city of the famous Paris–Roubaix bicycle race. It was also the finish city of the 3rd stage in the 2007 Tour de France.

Notable people

Compiègne has been home to:

Roscellinus (~1050 - ~1122), philosopher and theologian, often regarded as the founder of Nominalism
Pierre d'Ailly (1350–1420), theologian and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
Albert Robida (1848–1926), illustrator, etcher, lithographer, caricaturist, and novelist
Eugène Albertini (1880–1941), teacher in Latin literature, historian of ancient Rome, and epigrapher of Latin texts
Marcel Tabuteau (1887–1966), Oboist, regarded as the founder of American oboe playing.
Suzanne Lenglen (1899–1938), tennis player, international female sport star
Lucas Debargue (1990–), pianist and composer who works in both the classical and jazz fields.
The Martyrs of Compiègne

International relations

Compiègne is twinned with:

{|class="wikitable"

|- valign="top"

Arona, Italy, since 1962
Bury St Edmunds, England, since 1967
Elbląg, Poland, since 2002
Guimarães, Portugal, since 2006
Huy, Belgium, since 1959

Kiryat Tivon, Israel, since 1988
Landshut, Germany, since 1962
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, since 1989
Shirakawa, Fukushima, Japan, since 1988
Vianden, Luxembourg, since 1964

Compiègne is also partnered with: