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Asfeld

Coordinates:49°28′11″N4°07′09″E/ 49.4697°N 4.1192°E/49.4697; 4.1192
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Asfeld
Commune
Town hall and square
Town hall and square
Coat of arms of Asfeld
Coat of arms
Location of Asfeld
Map
Asfeld is located in France
Asfeld
Asfeld
Asfeld is located in Grand Est
Asfeld
Asfeld
Coordinates:49°28′11″N4°07′09″E/ 49.4697°N 4.1192°E/49.4697; 4.1192
CountryFrance
RegionGrand Est
DepartmentArdennes
ArrondissementRethel
CantonChâteau-Porcien
IntercommunalityCC Pays Rethélois
Government
• Mayor(2020–2026)Aline Beaujard[1]
Area
1
22.19 km2(8.57 sq mi)
Population
(2021)[2]
1,078
• Density49/km2(130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+02:00(CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
08024/08190
Elevation60–118 m (197–387 ft)
1French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2(0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Asfeld(French pronunciation:[asfɛld]) is acommunein theArdennesdepartmentin theGrand Estregion of north-easternFrance,formerly named Ecry or Ecri.

The commune has been awardedone flowerby theNational Council of Towns and Villages in Bloomin theCompetition of cities and villages in Bloom.[3]

Geography

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Asfeld is located some 35 km east by south-east ofLaonand 8 km north-east ofNeufchâtel-sur-Aisne.Access to the commune is by road D 926 fromVieux-lès-Asfeldin the south-west passing through the town and continuing north-east toAire.The D 37 also goes from the town north-west toVillers-devant-le-Thour.The D 18 from Villers-devant-le-Thour to the D 926 north ofBalhampasses through the north-east corner of the commune. The D 137 road branches off the D 18 in the commune and goes south-west toAvaux.The D 237 goes from the town south-east toRoizy.Apart from the town there is also the village of Juzancourt in the north of the commune. The commune is mainly farmland with some forested areas near the river and in the north.[4]

The riverAisnepasses through the commune from east to west forming a part of the eastern border and continuing south-west to eventually join theOiseatCompiègne.TheCanal des Ardennesalso passes through the commune parallel to the Aisne. The Ruisseau des Barres forms the eastern border of the commune as it flows south to join the Aisne.

Neighbouring communes and villages

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History

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Farm in the centre of the commune

A fortified point beside the Aisne

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Asfeld was a village formerly calledEcrywhere theVikingswere defeated in 883.

On 28 November 1199 a tournament was held in Ecry, in which several ofPope Innocent III's papal legates recruitedTheobald III, Count of Champagne,the tournament host,Louis of Blois,Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of LeicesterandReynald of Montmirailfor theFourth Crusade.Historians have debated whether one of the Pope's most controversial papal legatesFulk of Neuillywas one of the aforementioned recruiters.[5][6]

In theMiddle Ages,the Lords of Escry built a fortified residence. It was passed to the Grandpré family then to the Bossut. The chateau suffered numerous assaults: in 1359 it was sacked by the troops ofEdward IIIriding fromCalaistoReimsthen again by theBurgundiansaround 1425.

In 1625 it was again attacked byCharles IV, Duke of Lorraine,profiting from theFrondeto plunderChampagneand threatenÎle-de-France.

In 1671,Jean-Jacques de Mesmes,Count ofAvauxbought the fief of Ecry after it had been devastated by these successive invasions to complete his territory. The main town ofEcrywas then renamedAvaux-la-ville.

From Avaux-la-Ville to Asfeld

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Jean-Jacques de Mesmes stimulated the local economy by establishing a weekly market and two annual fairs. He strengthened and enlarged the chateau and its approaches.

In 1680 he decided to build a new church as the existing church was in a particularly bad state. This construction was part of an overall plan for the surroundings of the château.[7]The new church building was blessed on 15 June 1685.

On 20 March 1728Claude François Bidal d'Asfeldbought the County of Avaux which was created from Avaux-le-Château, Avaux-la-Ville, Aire, Vieux, and Vauboison. In 1730 this lordship was raised to amarquisate.Avaux-la-Ville, which had been calledEcryuntil 1671, again changed its name and took the current name ofAsfeld.

Claude François Bidal Asfeld wasLieutenant-General of the armies(equivalent toGeneral of divisionof the King and Director-general of fortifications, succeeding to this function fromVauban.

At the same time, Nicolas Bidet fromReims,a winemaker and author of a botanical treatise on the nature and the culture of grapevines, became Lord of Juzancourt, now a hamlet in Asfeld commune.

Revolutions and political upheavals

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The son of Claude François Bidal d'Asfeld, Claude Étienne, the second Marquis of Asfeld lived mainly inParisbut had strong relationships with the inhabitants of Asfeld. TheFrench Revolutionof 1789 accentuated the conflicts.

The gates of the château were forced open on 13 June 1790. The Marquis of Asfeld condemned the leaders but on 25 August 1792, hearing of the fall of the monarchy, mobs again entered the property of the Marquis and symbolically burned hisCharter.[7]The Marquis preferred to emigrate toAachenfollowing theFrench Revolution.His assets were seized and sold asBiens nationaux(national property). The castle was demolished the following year. The church was spared.

During the Revolution the commune took the name ofÉcry-le-FrancorEscry-le-Franc.[8]

In 1814, during the Battle for France, the region ofBerry-au-Bacin Asfeld was the scene of fighting betweenField Marshal Blücher,theDuke of Ragusa,and General Ricard.[9]

In February 1848 a native of Asfeld, the botanist Jean-Baptiste Payer, participated in the revolutionary events in Paris, became Chief of staff forLamartinethen enjoyed a burgeoning popularity in his native region and was elected MP for Ardennes in theFrench Second Republicalthough it was ephemeral.

At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century the construction of railways was encouraged by freight traffic from thesugar beetindustry. Spurred by the brothers Jules and Désiré Linard, the railway was quickly built and created potential for further diversification for farmers.

Conflicts of the 20th century

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Throughout the 1914-1918 war the area was close to combat zones until the final days[10]and suffered extensive damage. In 1940 after thebreakthrough at Sedanin May, it was along theAisneand in particular at Asfeld that a line of defence against the German invasion was attempted to be organized in early June without much success. In the years that followed, resistance movements emerge, such as theFTP.

Heraldry

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Arms of Asfeld
Arms of Asfeld
 The official status of the blazon remains to be determined

Blazon:
Quarterly, at 1 and 4 Gules, with a bend of Azure charged with three antique crowns of 3 points of Or between two palm branches the same; at 2 and 3 a lion issuant of Argent crowned the same, that at 3 counter-rampant; over all an inescutcheon of Or with four pales of Gules, the inescutcheon crowned with a Ducal crown of Or with a crest of a griffin issuant the same.






TheCroix de guerre 1914-1918was awarded to the commune on 17 September 1921.



Administration

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List of Successive Mayors[11]

From To Name
2001 2020 Jean-Marc Briois
2020 current Aline Beaujard

Demography

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The inhabitants of the commune are known asAsfeldoisin French.[12]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793947—
18001,056+1.57%
18061,084+0.44%
18211,121+0.22%
18311,248+1.08%
18361,284+0.57%
18411,221−1.00%
18461,220−0.02%
18511,238+0.29%
18661,151−0.48%
18721,102−0.72%
18761,057−1.04%
18811,078+0.39%
1886961−2.27%
1891965+0.08%
1896950−0.31%
1901913−0.79%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1906932+0.41%
1911907−0.54%
19211,020+1.18%
1926849−3.60%
1931840−0.21%
1936812−0.68%
1946772−0.50%
1954812+0.63%
1962843+0.47%
1968803−0.81%
1975926+2.06%
19821,015+1.32%
19901,061+0.56%
1999976−0.92%
2007999+0.29%
20121,104+2.02%
20171,116+0.22%
Source: EHESS[8]and INSEE[13]

Culture and heritage

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Asfeld is a stage on theRoute de Porcien,a tourist route promoted by the Tourism Office of Ardennes

Civil heritage

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  • The formerArlot Flour Mill(17th century)[14]
  • TheGerman War cemetery
  • Asfeld Town Hall
    Asfeld Town Hall
  • Entrance to the German War cemetery
    Entrance to the German War cemetery
  • The German War cemetery
    The German War cemetery
  • Inside the German War cemetery
    Inside the German War cemetery
  • Commemorative Plaque at the German cemetery
    Commemorative Plaque at the German cemetery
  • The War Memorial
    The War Memorial
  • Asfeld college
    Asfeld college
  • Community of communes office
    Community of communes office
  • Police Station
    Police Station
  • Fire Station
    Fire Station

Religious heritage

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  • TheChurch of Saint-Didier(17th century)[15]contains a:
    • Painting: The Martyrdom of Saint-Sebastian[16]
  • TheChapel of Notre-Dame-de-Pitiécontains a Sculpture of the Virgin of Pity[17]
  • Church of Saint-Didier
    Church of Saint-Didier
  • Entrance to the Church of Saint-Didier
    Entrance to the Church of Saint-Didier
  • Plan of the church
    Plan of the church
  • Choir of the church
    Choir of the church
  • The church organ
    The church organ
  • The main Altar
    The main Altar
  • Stained glass in the church
    Stained glass in the church
  • Table in the church
    Table in the church
  • Chapel of Notre-Dame de la Pitié
    Chapel of Notre-Dame de la Pitié
Claude François Bidal d'Asfeld

Notable people linked to the commune

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Répertoire national des élus: les maires".data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises(in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^"Populations légales 2021"(in French).The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.28 December 2023.
  3. ^Asfeld in the Competition for Towns and Villages in BloomArchivedDecember 10, 2014, at theWayback Machine(in French)
  4. ^Google Maps
  5. ^McNeal, Edgar H. “Fulk of Neuilly and the Tournament of Écry.”Speculum, Volume 28, No. 2 (1953). pp. 371–375.
  6. ^de Villehardouin, Geoffroi(1908). "Introduction (by the translator)". In Marzials, Frank T. (ed.).Memoirs of the crusades.London: J. M. Dent. p. xii....Fulk went about preaching new efforts for the expulsion of the Saracens...as he addressed the nobles and lesser men assembled at Ecri, towards the end of November 1199, to take part in the great tournament instituted by Thibaut III., Count of Champagne.
  7. ^abPhilippe Seydoux,Country seats and fortified Houses in Champagne, Marne, and Ardennes,Éditions de La Morande, 1997, Vol. 1, 320 pages, p. 94-97,ISBN2-902091-30-3andPlan of the Château d'Avaux-la-Ville,p. 95(in French)
  8. ^abDes villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui:Commune data sheet Asfeld,EHESS(in French).
  9. ^Jean Baptiste Frédéric Koch,Memoir to serve as a history of the campaign of 1814,,volume 2, Paris, 1819,Read online(in French)
  10. ^Joseph Prudhon,Journal of a Soldier 1914-1918: Recalling the miseries of the Great War,L'Harmattan, 2010,ISBN978-2-296-12855-2,Read online(in French)
  11. ^List of Mayors of France(in French)
  12. ^Le nom des habitants du 08 - Ardennes,habitants.fr
  13. ^Population en historique depuis 1968,INSEE
  14. ^Ministry of Culture, MériméeIA08000312 Arlot Flour Mill(in French)
  15. ^Ministry of Culture, MériméePA00078333 Church of Saint-Didier(in French)
  16. ^Ministry of Culture, PalissyPM08000635 Painting: The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian(in French)
  17. ^Ministry of Culture, PalissyPM08000025 Sculpture: Virgin of Pity(in French)
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