Argentan

Argentan (French: [aʁʒɑ̃tɑ̃] (listen)) is a commune and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in northwestern France.[3]

Argentan
The château of the dukes in the centre of Argentan
The château of the dukes in the centre of Argentan
Coat of arms of Argentan
Location of Argentan
Argentan is located in France
Argentan
Argentan
Argentan is located in Normandy
Argentan
Argentan
Coordinates: 48°45′N 0°01′W
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentOrne
ArrondissementArgentan
CantonArgentan-1
Argentan-2
IntercommunalityArgentan Intercom
Government
  Mayor (2020–2026) Frédéric Leveillé[1]
Area
1
18.18 km2 (7.02 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
13,401
  Density740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
61006 /61200
Elevation152–228 m (499–748 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Argentan is located 180 km (110 mi) NE of Rennes, 131 km (81 mi) ENE of the Mont Saint-Michel, 188 km (117 mi) SE of Cherbourg, 58 km (36 mi) SSE of Caen, 133 km (83 mi) SW of Rouen and 100 km (62 mi) N of Le Mans. Argentan station has rail connections to Caen, Le Mans, Paris and Granville.

History

Heavy fighting in August 1944, following the Allied invasion of Normandy, left the town in ruins.

Argentan is situated near the river Orne. Although the region was heavily populated during the Gallo Roman period the town is not mentioned until 1025–1026. The toponym comes from the Gaulish words argentos ("silver") and magos ("market").[4] The town grew in importance during the Middle Ages.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Argentan alternated between prosperity and destruction, as English forces occupied the city several times. The Plantagenets had considered this town as one of the most important of Normandy.

During the reign of Louis XIV, Colbert set Alençon against Argentan in an economic competition on lace making. Thus, the point d'Argentan ("Argentan stitch") and the point d'Alençon ("Alençon stitch") were created. Argentan became a very important town for traditional industry. It also gained in religious importance with the building of a Benedictine Abbey and two churches, Saint-Martin and Saint-Germain. Several mansions (hôtels particuliers) were also built.

During World War I, the French 104th Infantry Regiment/14th Infantry Brigade was stationed at Argentan. It participated in the battle of Verdun in 1916.

During World War II, the city was almost totally destroyed. On 5 June 1944, on the eve of the Allied D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy, the city suffered an important air raid in which the train station was destroyed.[5] The city suffered further damage when it was bombed on 6 and 7 June by B-17 and B-24 bombers of the U.S. Eighth Air Force.[6] The greatest part of the city was, however, left in ruins two and a half months later, at the end of August, during the battle of the Argentan-Falaise Pocket. The U.S. Third Army, under the command of general George S. Patton liberated Argentan after eight days of violent combat against the German 9th Panzer Division and the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. The U.S. 80th Infantry Division liberated the city in the morning of 20 August.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 5,598    
1800 5,618+0.05%
1806 6,013+1.14%
1821 5,457−0.64%
1836 5,772+0.37%
1841 5,611−0.56%
1846 5,634+0.08%
1851 5,673+0.14%
1856 5,833+0.56%
1861 5,638−0.68%
1866 5,401−0.86%
1872 5,725+0.98%
1876 5,788+0.27%
1881 6,300+1.71%
1886 6,285−0.05%
1891 6,247−0.12%
1896 6,309+0.20%
1901 6,291−0.06%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1906 6,387+0.30%
1911 6,870+1.47%
1921 6,753−0.17%
1926 7,129+1.09%
1931 7,038−0.26%
1936 7,204+0.47%
1946 6,711−0.71%
1954 8,339+2.75%
1962 12,757+5.46%
1968 14,558+2.23%
1975 16,774+2.04%
1982 17,327+0.46%
1990 16,413−0.68%
1999 16,596+0.12%
2007 14,642−1.55%
2012 14,219−0.58%
2017 13,823−0.56%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE (1968–2017)[8]

Main sights

  • Donjon of Argentan
  • Tour Marguerite, a medieval tower
  • Ducal Castle (14th century), now a court house. It houses the St. Nicholas Chapels (late 11th century), built by Pierre II of Alençon
  • Saint Martin church (15th–16th centuries)
  • Saint Germain church (16th–18th centuries)
  • Saint Roch Chapel
  • Museum of the Argentan lace

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Argentan is twinned with:[9]

See also

References

  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. INSEE commune file
  4. MOULIN, Marie-Anne; CHAVE, Isabelle; FAJAL, Bruno; FOUCHER, Jean-Pascal; et al. (2008). Argentn et ses environs au Moyen Âge: Approche historique et archéologique. Public Library: Conseil général de l'Orne. p. 38. ISBN 978-2-86061-032-2.
  5. Destruction of Argentan SNCF train station in August 1944: http://argentan.vapeur.free.fr/gare_guerre.html (French site)
  6. Freeman, Roger A., The Mighty Eighth, Motorbooks International, 1981, 1990, pp. 259 & 260.
  7. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Argentan, EHESS. (in French)
  8. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  9. "Villes jumelées". argentan.fr (in French). Argentan. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
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