Charleville-Mézières

Sister cities

• Nordhausen
• Dülmen
• Mantua
• Euskirchen
• Iida
• Nevers

History

Charleville and Mézières were originally separate communities on opposite banks of the Meuse, about from one another. Charleville was founded by Charles Gonzaga, the 8th duke of Mantua, in 1606. Its inhabitants were known as Carolopolitans ( or Carolopolitaines). It was prosperous from the 17th century, although its fortifications were dismantled under Louis XIV in 1687 and it passed into French hands in 1708. It was plundered by the Prussians in 1815. France's royal armaments factory was formerly located there and gave its name to the Charleville musket, before being relocated and divided between Tulle and Châtellerault. In the 19th century, the city continued to produce arms through private firms, as well as nails, hardware, wine, spirits, coal, iron, and slate. It boasted a spacious port, a theatre, a large public library, and a museum of natural history. The name Mézières derives from the Latin maceriae, meaning 'ramparts'. The inhabitants of Mézières were known as Macerians ( or Macériennes). By the mid-19th century, the two towns were linked by a suspension bridge. It was occupied by the German Empire in the First World War and by Nazi Germany in World War II - the town served as the center of the Oberste Heeresleitung (OHL) for 26 days during World War I. The present commune was established in 1966, the year after another commune, Le Theux, had been merged into Mézières. The entire resultant commune has a population of about 51,000. The Hôtel de Ville was completed in July 1933.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  716
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  659
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  645
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  617
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  615
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  608
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  569
• Indian Balsam

  Impatiens glandulifera Royle · Magnoliopsida
  544

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2008-12-20
  1 km WSW of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
• M 3.3 — 2008-09-13
  3 km SSE of Florennes, Belgium
• M 2.8 — 2008-09-12
  1 km NNW of Court-Saint-Étienne, Belgium
• M 2.7 — 2008-08-09
  1 km SW of Ottignies, Belgium
• M 2.5 — 2008-08-08
  1 km SSW of Ottignies, Belgium
• M 2.6 — 2008-08-08
  1 km SSE of Boussu, Belgium