View source for Meaux

{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Meaux
|commune status     = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Meaux (Seine-et-Marne).svg
|image              = 0864ayuntamiento.JPG
|caption            = Main façade of the Meaux City Hall, completed in 1900
|coordinates        = {{coord|48.9603|2.8883|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|arrondissement     = Meaux
|canton             = Meaux
|INSEE              = 77284
|postal code        = 77100
|mayor              = [[Jean-François Copé]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality   = [[Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux|Pays de Meaux]]
|elevation m        =
|elevation min m    = 39
|elevation max m    = 107
|area km2           = 14.95
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
'''Meaux''' ({{IPA|fr|mo|-|Fr-Paris--Meaux.ogg}}) is a [[Communes of France|commune]] on the river [[Marne (river)|Marne]] in the [[Seine-et-Marne]] [[Departments of France|department]] in the [[Île-de-France]] [[Regions of France|region]] in the [[Functional area (France)|metropolitan area]] of [[Paris]], France. It is {{convert|41.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} east-northeast of the [[Kilometre zero|centre of Paris]].
Meaux is, with [[Provins]], [[Torcy, Seine-et-Marne|Torcy]] and [[Fontainebleau]], one of the four [[Subprefectures in France|subprefectures]] (''sous-préfectures'') of the department of [[Seine-et-Marne]], [[Melun]] being the [[prefecture]]. In France a subprefecture is the [[chef-lieu]] (the seat or administrative capital) of an ''[[Arrondissements of France|arrondissement]]'': Meaux is the subprefecture of the [[arrondissement of Meaux]].<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/77284-meaux Commune de Meaux (77284)], INSEE, the French official statistics institute</ref> It is also the chef-lieu of a smaller administrative division: the [[canton of Meaux]]. Finally, since its creation in 2003, Meaux has been the centre and the main town of an [[Agglomeration communities in France|agglomeration community]], the [[Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux]].
==Demographics==
With a population of 55,416 inhabitants in 2018, Meaux is the most populous city in the Seine-et-Marne department, just before [[Chelles, Seine-et-Marne|Chelles]] (55,148 inhabitants in 2018).<ref name=pop2018>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/4989724/ensemble.pdf Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2018], [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]]</ref>
{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|21801|Meaux}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-77284#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |6860
|1800 |6648
|1806 |6573
|1821 |7375
|1831 |8537
|1836 |7809
|1841 |9000
|1846 |9382
|1851 |9900
|1856 |10491
|1861 |10762
|1866 |11343
|1872 |11202
|1876 |11739
|1881 |12525
|1886 |12291
|1891 |12833
|1896 |13520
|1901 |13690
|1906 |13921
|1911 |13600
|1921 |13541
|1926 |14190
|1931 |14169
|1936 |14429
|1946 |14223
|1954 |16767
|1962 |22251
|1968 |30167
|1975 |42243
|1982 |45005
|1990 |48305
|1999 |49421
|2007 |48466
|2012 |53623
|2017 |54991
}}
==History and culture==
Inhabitants of Meaux are called ''Meldois''. Both names ''Meaux'' and ''Meldois'' originated with the ''[[Meldi]]'', the [[Latin]] name of the original [[Gaul]]ish tribe who occupied this area of the valley of the [[Marne (river)|Marne river]]. Although during the Roman period the city was called Iantinum by the Romans,<ref>[http://tabbourt.perso.sfr.fr/meaux/page29.html ''A Meaux, qui s'appelait alors Iantinum'' in Tabbourt.com, a history specialised website]</ref> the name of the Meldi persisted and was finally kept for naming both the city and its inhabitants.
[[File:Meaux 140708 01.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The episcopal palace (bishop's palace). [[Meaux Cathedral]] can be seen behind the palace.]]
Historical buildings and monuments in Meaux are mainly located in the old city, inside the old defensive walls, still nowadays partially kept thanks to an important segment of the original surrounding wall from the [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman period]]. A [[meander]] of the Marne river divides the old city into the North Quarter (called among the ''Meldois'' as the Cathedral Quarter) and the South Quarter (known among the locals as the Market Quarter). In the North Quarter there is the [[Meaux Cathedral]], the episcopal palace and its gardens (outlining the shape of a [[bishop]]'s [[mitre]]), the old seat of the [[Chapter (religion)|chapter]] (''le vieux chapitre''), part of the defensive walls (as mentioned), some keeps and towers, and the archaeological remains of the sanctuary of La Bauve, all-embracing the Gaulish period (4th, 3rd and 1st centuries [[Anno Domini|BC]]), the era of the early Roman Empire (Gallo-Roman: 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries [[Anno Domini|AD]]) and the early Christian Era and subsequent centuries (from the 3rd to the 18th centuries, with the remains, among others, of the [[Saint Faro|Saint-Faron Abbey]], demolished during the [[French Revolution]]). The South Quarter of the old city mainly includes the historic covered market and the [[Canal]] Cornillon, built during the Middle Ages, in the year 1235.<ref>[http://projetbabel.org/fluvial/rica_marne-riviere.htm History and heritage of the rivers and canals of France] (in French)</ref> Centuries later, in 1806, during the [[Napoleonic era]], was built the [[Canal de l'Ourcq]], destined to the [[inland navigation]] when the Marne river is not navigable because of temporary sandbanks.
At 73, Rue du Marché stood the house of Etienne Mangin in which he started the first Calvin-inspired Protestant church in France. The house was ordered by the Parliament in Paris to be razed and a chapel built in its place following the execution at the stake of [[The Fourteen of Meaux|fourteen members of the congregation]] for heresy in 1546.<ref>{{Cite book |last= Bower |first= H. M. |year= 1894 |title= Fourteen of Meaux |url= https://archive.org/details/fourteenofmeauxa00bowe/page/n6/mode/1up |location= London |publisher= Longmans, Green, & Co. }}</ref> Rather than a chapel, there remains a fairly nondescript building on the site to this day with a plaque which bears the following inscription (translated): "Here stood the house of ETIENNE MANGIN in which was constructed the first Reformed Church of France. In front of this location 14 Reformists, arrested during a cult, were burned on 8 October 1546 at the decree of the Parliament in Paris on 4 October 1546. Offered by the City of Meaux 1985."<ref>{{Cite book |title= Histoire Ecclesiastique des eglises reformees |year= 1883 |edition= New |volume= 5 |page= 67 }} Meaux produced strictly the first "Eglise Reformee", in the accepted sense, in France proper.</ref>
Meaux is nowadays mainly known for [[Brie de Meaux]] (a variety of [[Brie|Brie cheese]]) and the local variety of [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]]. Following the official administrative French [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|AOC]] there are two designations of Brie de Meaux: ''Brie de Meaux fermier'' ("farm Brie de Meaux", made out of the milk from the cows of a single unique producer) and ''Brie de Meaux laitier'' (''laitier'', that is from the French ''lait'', "milk", which designates here an agreement, a mixture of the milk of different producers). The ''Moutarde de Meaux'' ("Meaux Mustard") recipe is since the 18th century a label commercially owned by the Pommery company and is nowadays derived not only in its traditional well known form but also in a variety of new different ingredient combinations: Honey Mustard, Green Pepper Mustard, ''Moutarde Royale'' (that latter including [[Cognac]] in its composition) etc.
Several festivals and concerts are celebrated in Meaux, venues for live music like the Music Festival "Musik'elles" (usually at the end of every summer). There's a local public [[concert band]] in Meaux: ''L'Harmonie du Pays de Meaux''. It is constituted by three different ensembles, following different ages: ''Les Minimes'' (children), ''Les Juniors'' (teenagers) and ''L'Harmonie de Meaux'' (adults). The band is also one of the two official music academies of the town. The other one is the conservatory of the city.
Also, every summer for more than 30 years, during several weekends per summer, a show is played by stage actors in the esplanade situated between the cathedral and the episcopal palace: the ''Spectacle historique'' ("History show"). The show represents the history of Meaux all along the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and also, more recently, during [[World War I]] (the German advance had been halted at Meaux in 1914 during the [[First Battle of the Marne]]).
There is only one cinema in Meaux: The Majestic, a former stage theatre. In modern days there are three stage theatres in the city. One is the ''Théâtre Gérard Philippe'', a private theatre, situated close to the covered market.<ref>[http://www.theatregerardphilipe.fr/tgp/ Théâtre Gérard Philippe] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630184636/http://www.theatregerardphilipe.fr/tgp/ |date=2013-06-30 }}, official website</ref> Not far from the market, in the same area but in a bigger and more recent building, there is the official subsidised theatre of the city, the ''Théâtre Luxembourg'', divided in two separated [[auditorium]]s in the same building: the ''Salle Luxembourg'' (601 seats) and the ''Salle du Manège'' (107 seats). In an eastern area of Meaux, the Beauval quarter, there is the third stage theatre of the town, the ''Salle Champagne'' (200 seats), located in the ''Espace Caravelle'', a building dedicated to cultural activities.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100825003004/http://www.theatre-meaux.fr/pages/infos-pratiques/le-theatre-et-la-caravelle.html Official website of both Théâtre Luxembourg and Salle Champagne]</ref> Private theatre companies and [[community arts]] associations play in all three theatres.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071018144418/http://www.ville-meaux.fr/-Espace-Caravelle-.html The Espace Caravelle, as described in the official website of the city of Meaux]</ref>
Two museums can be found in Meaux: the ''[[Musée Bossuet]]'' (located in the episcopal palace, this is the art and history museum of Meaux) and the ''[[:fr:Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux|Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux]]'' [fr] (the largest World War I Museum in the world).
==Relevant historical episodes==
[[Image:Jacquerie meaux.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Defeat of the Jacquerie in Meaux on 9 June 1358]]
[[File:Meaux (77), monument de la Liberté éploré (mémorial américain) 2.jpg|thumb|200px|{{Lang|fr|La Liberté éplorée}} or "The [[American Monument]]", erected to the memory of the French casualties during the Battle of the Marne]]
[[File:Meaux (77), monument de la Liberté éploré (mémorial américain) 5.jpg|thumb|200px|The inscription in the slab, at the pedestal of the monument, in the rear side. The front side inscription is in French]]
===Middle Ages: Siege of Meaux===
The [[Siege of Meaux]] took place between October 1421 and May 1422, during the [[Hundred Years' War]] between England and France. The besiegers were the English, under Henry V. The town's defence was led by the Bastard of Vaurus, notorious for his savagery.<ref name="Allmand2014">{{cite book|author=Christopher Allmand|title=Henry V|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x28eBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA165|date=1 November 2014|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-21293-8|pages=165}}</ref> The siege commenced on October 6, 1421, and mining and bombardment soon brought down the walls. Casualties began to mount in the English army, including [[John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford]] who had been at the siege of Harfleur, the Battle of Agincourt, and received the surrender of Cherbourg. The English also began to fall sick rather early into the siege, and it is estimated that one sixteenth of the besiegers died from dysentery and smallpox. On 9 March 1422, the town surrendered, although the garrison held out. Under continued bombardment, the garrison gave in as well on 10 March, following a siege of six months. The Bastard of Vaurus was decapitated, as was a trumpeter named Orace, who had once mocked King Henry. Sir [[John Fortescue (Captain of Meaux)|John Fortescue]] was then installed as English Captain of Meaux Castle.<ref>As the 1638 Fortescue mural monument in [[Weare Giffard]] Church, Devon, relates</ref>
===World War I: First Battle of the Marne===
During the [[First Battle of the Marne]] (September 1914), the German troops were stopped at the gates of Meaux. This heroic action not only prevented the city from being taken by the Germans but also changed the course of the war. In 1932, at the place of the battlefield, the people of the [[United States|United States of America]] had a monument erected in the memory of the French soldiers fallen in action. Called, in French, {{Lang|fr|La Liberté éplorée}} ("The Tearful Liberty"), the sculpture by [[Frederick William MacMonnies|Frederick MacMonnies]] is popularly known among the French as ''Le Monument américain'' ("the [[American Monument]]"). <small>Coordinates: {{Coord|48.973|2.905|display=inline}}</small><br />
In 2011, beside the monument was built the Museum of the Great War (''[[:fr:Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux|Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux]]'' [fr]).
[[File:The battle of Meaux September 1914.jpg|thumb|The battle of Meaux September 1914]]
==Sports==
The town is represented by the [[CS Meaux]] [[association football]] club. Many other sports are also practiced in Meaux like rugby or field hockey, especially water sports. There are in Meaux, for example different sporting clubs dealing with [[canoeing]] (mainly practiced in the Canal de l'Ourcq), [[scuba diving]] (the club "Asterina", named after a starfish [[genus]], trains in the swimming pools of the city), swimming (''Club sportif Meaux Natation'')
==Transport==
Meaux is served by [[Gare de Meaux|Meaux station]] on the [[Transilien Paris – Est]] suburban rail line and on several national rail lines. The rail line connecting Paris to Meaux was established in 1849. The nowadays [[SNCF]] train station, still in use, was built in 1890.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061110033507/http://www.ville-meaux.fr/Le-centre-ancien.html ''Ligne de chemin de fer (1849)'' and ''Gare de chemin de fer (1890)'']. Source: Meaux official website.</ref>
Alongside the Meaux rail station there is also the main [[bus station]] in the city, with more than 30 bus lines serving the whole eastern Paris metropolitan area.
==Education==
The commune has 36 public preschools and elementary schools.<ref>"[http://www.ville-meaux.fr/fr/education/etablissements-scolaires.html Etablissements Scolaires]." Meaux. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.</ref>
Public junior high schools in Meaux:<ref name=Secschools>"[http://www.ville-meaux.fr/fr/education/etablissements-scolaires/les-colleges-et-lycees.html Les collèges et lycées]." Meaux. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.</ref>
* C.E.S. Beaumarchais
* C.E.S. Camus
* C.E.S. Henri Dunant
* C.E.S. Frot
* C.E.S. Henri IV
Public senior high schools in Meaux:<ref name=Secschools/>
* [[Lycée Jean-Vilar (Meaux)|Lycée Jean-Vilar]]
* [[Lycée Moissan]]
* [[Lycée Pierre de Coubertin]]
* [[L.E.P. Charles Beaudelaire]]
[[Lycée du Gué A Tresme]] is in nearby [[Congis-sur-Thérouanne]].
Private Catholic secondary schools:<ref name=Secschools/>
* Collège International Sainte-Marie
* [[Lycée Technologique, Professionnel et Post-Bac Jean Rose et son UFA]]
* [[Lycée Général International Bossuet et sa Filière Supérieure]]
==People==
*[[Yechiel of Paris]], rabbi and [[Tosafist]], originally from Meaux
*[[John de Cheam]] died and is buried in Meaux.
*[[Philippe de Vitry]], bishop of Meaux as of 1351, musical composer and author of the ''[[Ars nova|Ars Nova Notandi]]'' treatise.
*[[Jean Mocquet]], traveller and royal apothecary.
*[[Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet]], bishop of Meaux from 1681 to 1704, referred to as the "eagle of Meaux" ("l'aigle de Meaux").
*[[Jean-Baptiste de La Noue]] (1701–1760), 18th-century French playwright
*[[Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo]], CNRS research director, biologist
*[[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette]] (1757-1834), French ''[[député]]'' (delegate) and mayor of Meaux. One of the most trusted aides of George Washington during the [[American Revolutionary War]], he was a general based in Virginia and led French and American troops against the British.
*[[Albert Guillon]] (1801–1854), composer
*[[Alexis Soyer]] (1810-1858), celebrated chef in Victorian London, was born here.
*[[Léon Charles Thévenin]] (1857-1926), engineer, developed a famous theorem (under his name) for electrical circuits.
*L'Aigle de Meaux – fictional character. L'Aigle de Meaux (also [[Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet|Bossuet]]'s nickname) was a character in [[Victor Hugo]]'s ''[[Les Misérables]]'', who petitioned for a post office to be created in Meaux.
*[[Joop Zoetemelk]] – [[Tour de France]], [[Vuelta a España]] and UCI World Champion cyclist. Zoetemelk and his French wife owned and operated a hotel in Meaux, still open nowadays: ''Le Richemont''.
*[[Jean-François Copé]], current mayor of Meaux, ''[[député]]'' (delegate) for the 6th [[Constituency#France|constituency]] of [[Seine-et-Marne]], president (2012–2014) of the UMP ([[Union for a Popular Movement]]) group in the [[French National Assembly]].
*[[Éric Judor]], actor and comedian.
*[[Olivier N'Siabamfumu]], footballer.
*[[Chris Mavinga]], footballer.
*[[Lucas Digne]], footballer.
*[[Djadja & Dinaz]], rap duo.
==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}
Meaux is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Jumelage|url=https://www.ville-meaux.fr/fr/culture/jumelage.html|website=ville-meaux.fr|publisher=Meaux|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-19}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Borough of Basildon|Basildon]], England, United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Heiligenhaus]], Germany
==Climate==
{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y
|collapsed = Y
|location = Meaux ([[Changis-sur-Marne]]) (1998–2020 normals, extremes 1998–present)
|Jan record high C = 16.7
|Feb record high C = 20.8
|Mar record high C = 25.5
|Apr record high C = 29.1
|May record high C = 32.0
|Jun record high C = 36.4
|Jul record high C = 42.2
|Aug record high C = 40.1
|Sep record high C = 35.8
|Oct record high C = 29.0
|Nov record high C = 22.8
|Dec record high C = 18.0
|Jan record low C = -14.2
|Feb record low C = -11.5
|Mar record low C = -9.6
|Apr record low C = -4.8
|May record low C = -0.5
|Jun record low C = 2.4
|Jul record low C = 6.8
|Aug record low C = 5.9
|Sep record low C = 1.8
|Oct record low C = -2.7
|Nov record low C = -10.4
|Dec record low C = -8.9
|Jan high C = 7.1
|Feb high C = 8.5
|Mar high C = 12.5
|Apr high C = 16.6
|May high C = 20.0
|Jun high C = 23.5
|Jul high C = 25.8
|Aug high C = 25.7
|Sep high C = 22.0
|Oct high C = 16.8
|Nov high C = 10.9
|Dec high C = 7.7
| year high C = 16.4
|Jan mean C = 4.6
|Feb mean C = 5.2
|Mar mean C = 8.0
|Apr mean C = 11.2
|May mean C = 14.6
|Jun mean C = 17.9
|Jul mean C = 19.9
|Aug mean C = 19.7
|Sep mean C = 16.5
|Oct mean C = 12.7
|Nov mean C = 7.9
|Dec mean C = 5.2
| year mean C = 11.9
|Jan low C = 2.0
|Feb low C = 1.9
|Mar low C = 3.5
|Apr low C = 5.8
|May low C = 9.2
|Jun low C = 12.3
|Jul low C = 14.0
|Aug low C = 13.7
|Sep low C = 10.9
|Oct low C = 8.7
|Nov low C = 4.9
|Dec low C = 2.6
| year low C = 7.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 56.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 53.2
|Mar precipitation mm = 54.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 44.2
|May precipitation mm = 65.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 59.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 64.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 67.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 50.4
|Oct precipitation mm = 61.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 58.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 74.5
|year precipitation mm = 710.1
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 12.0
| Feb precipitation days = 10.4
| Mar precipitation days = 10.4
| Apr precipitation days = 9.2
| May precipitation days = 9.8
| Jun precipitation days = 8.9
| Jul precipitation days = 8.5
| Aug precipitation days = 8.8
| Sep precipitation days = 8.2
| Oct precipitation days = 10.5
| Nov precipitation days = 10.8
| Dec precipitation days = 13.0
| year precipitation days =120.4
|source 1 = Meteociel<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=77084001
|title=Normales et records pour Changis (77)
|publisher=Meteociel
|access-date=21 November 2024}}</ref>}}
==See also==
{{Portal|France}}
* [[Counts of Meaux]]
* [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Meaux]]
* [[Meaux Abbey]] (UK)
* [[Battle of Mello]]
* [[Brie]], a cheese
* [[Communes of the Seine-et-Marne department]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Meaux}}
{{EB1911 poster|Meaux}}
*[http://www.ville-meaux.fr/ Official website] {{in lang|fr}}
*[https://visitmeaux.com Tourist Info Visit Meaux] {{in lang|en}}
*Pictures of Meaux Cathedral:[https://web.archive.org/web/20070629161528/http://daniel.combalbert.club.fr/images_photos/Cathedrale_meaux/meaux_7.jpg], [https://web.archive.org/web/20070629161525/http://daniel.combalbert.club.fr/images_photos/Cathedrale_meaux/meaux_6.jpg], [https://web.archive.org/web/20070629161523/http://daniel.combalbert.club.fr/images_photos/Cathedrale_meaux/meaux_1.jpg]
*[http://sigr.iau-idf.fr/amfphp/services/visiaurif/scripts/lite.php?idx=1299&layer=ficheCommunale&function=drawMos11_2003 2003 Land Use], from IAU ÎdF (Institute for Urban Planning and Development of the Paris-Île-de-France région {{in lang|fr}}
*{{Search Mérimée|77284}}
==Bibliography==
* Patrice Croisy: ''[http://bibliographie.meaux.free.fr/ Bibliographie de Meaux]'' (Meaux, 2006–2009). This database includes over 8 000 articles and books on Meaux and neighbourhood. Some of them are in English.
{{Paris Metropolitan Area}}
{{Seine-et-Marne communes}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Communes of Seine-et-Marne]]
[[Category:Subprefectures in France]]
[[Category:Gallia Lugdunensis]]
[[Category:Champagne (province)]]