Melun

Melun

Melun

Hôtel de ville.jpg
Town Hall
Coat of arms of Melun
Melun is located in France
{{{alt}}}
Melun
Administration
Country France
Region Île-de-France
Department Seine-et-Marne
Arrondissement Melun
Canton Melun-Nord and Melun-Sud
Intercommunality Melun – Val de Seine
Mayor Gérard Millet (UMP)
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 37–102 m (121–335 ft)
(avg. 54 m/177 ft)
Land area1 8.04 km2 (3.10 sq mi)
Population2 37,835  (2007)
 - Density 4,706 /km2 (12,190 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 77288/ 77000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 48°32′26″N 2°39′36″E / 48.5405555556°N 2.66°E / 48.5405555556; 2.66

Melun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement. Its inhabitants are called Melunais.

Contents

History

Meledunum began as a Gaulish town; Caesar noted Melun as "a town of the Senones, situated on an island in the Seine"; at the island there was a wooden bridge, which his men repaired.[1] Roman Meledunum was a mutatio where fresh horses were kept available for official couriers on the Roman road south-southeast of Paris, where it forded the Seine.[2]

The Normans sacked it in 845. The castle of Melun became a royal residence of the Capetian kings. Hugh Capet (See also: House of Capet) gave Melun to Bouchard, his favorite. In the reign of Hugh's son, Robert II of France, Eudes, the count of Champagne, bought the city, and the king took it back for the viscount in 999. Le Chatelain and his wife, who had sold the city, were hanged. Robert died there in July 1031.

Counts of Melun

  • Donatus (?-834)
  • Bouchard I (956/967–1005), also Count of Vendôme and Count of Paris

Vicounts of Melun

The early viscounts of Melun were listed by 17th and 18th century genealogists, notably Père Anselme. Based on closer reading of the original documents, Adolphe Duchalais constructed this list of viscounts in 1844:[3]

  • Salo (c. 993; possibly legendary)
  • Joscelin I (c. 998)
  • William (possibly c. 1000)
  • Ursio (c. 1067–1085)
  • William the Carpenter (c. 1094)
  • Hilduin, Garin, Ursio II, Jean (unknown dates, possibly not viscounts)
  • Adam (c. 1138–1141; married Mahaut, daughter of his predecessor)
  • Joscelin II (c. 1156)

The title eventually became an honorary peerage. Such viscount include Honoré-Armand de Villars and Claude Louis Hector de Villars.

Melun water colored postcard showing Melun in the 1920s and circa 1095.

Transport

Melun Shield dating from the 15th century – "Melun (Seine-et-Marne): Azure on a semy-de-lys or a castle with three towers argent. Melun was one of the original strongholds of the royal domain. Motto: fida muris usque ad mures, recalling the siege of 1420 when inhabitants had to eat rats." http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/frcitdep.htm

Melun is served by Melun station, which is an interchange station on Paris RER line D, on the Transilien R suburban rail line, and on several national rail lines.

Main sights

The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, Melun was the original home of the Melun Diptych.

The nearby chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte is considered a smaller predecessor of Palace of Versailles.

The officers' school of the French Gendarmerie is located in Melun.

People

Melun was the birthplace of:

  • Willy Boly footballer
  • Pierre Certon (c.1510-1520-1572), composer of the Renaissance (probably born in Melun)
  • Jacques Amyot (1513–1593), writer
  • Chimène Badi (1982–), singer
  • Samir Beloufa (1979–), professional footballer
  • Raphael Desroses,basketball player
  • Stephane Dondon,basketball player
  • Yvan Kibundu, footballer
  • Steven Mouyokolo footballer
  • Granddi Ngoyi footballer
  • Yretha Silete figure skater

Twin towns – sister cities

Melun is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ^ Gallic War vii. 58, 60.
  2. ^ Meledunum appears in the Antonine Itinerary almost halfway between Lutetia (Paris) and Condate (Rennes) ('Meledunum").
  3. ^ Adolphe Duchalais, "Charte inedité de l’an 1138, relative à l’histoire des viscomtes de Melun" (Bibliothèque de l’école des chartes vol. 6 no. 6, 1845).

Sources

  • INSEE
  • Initial text from the "Carpenters' Encyclopedia of Carpenters 2001" Compiled by John R. Carpenter.
  • The Viscounts and Counts of Melun are listed in Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln, Neue Folge, Volume VII, Tafels 55 & 56.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Melun — Escudo …   Wikipedia Español

  • Melun — Melun …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • MELUN — MELUN, capital of the department of Seine et Marne, 26 mi. (42 km.) S. of Paris. The first explicit reference to Jews in Melun dates from the middle of the 12th century: in his will, Simon of Beaugency mentions a Jew of Melun among his creditors …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Melun — (spr. mölöng), Hauptstadt des franz. Depart. Seine et Marne, an der Seine und der Lyoner Eisenbahn gelegen, besteht aus der eigentlichen Stadt auf dem rechten Ufer, dem ältesten Stadtteil auf einer Insel und der modernen Vorstadt St. Ambroise auf …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Melun —   [mə lœ̃], Stadt in Frankreich, Verwaltungssitz des Départements Seine et Marne, in der südlichen Brie an der Seine, 35 300 Einwohner; landwirtschaftlicher Handel (Weizen, Käse), Bau von Flugmotoren (mit Versuchsgelände), Autokarosserien und… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Melun — (spr. Melöng), 1) Bezirk des französischen Departements Seine Marne; 20,3 QM., 87,000 Ew.; 2) sonst Melodunum, Hauptstadt darin u. des Departements, an der Eisenbahn von Paris nach Dijon, durch die Seine in drei Theile getheilt; Collège,… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Melun — (spr. löng), Hauptstadt des franz. Dep. Seine et Marne, an der Seine, (1901) 13.059 E …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • melun — MELUN, Ville pres de Paris, Melodunum …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Melun — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Melun (homonymie). 48° 32′ 26″ N 2° 39′ 36″ E …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Melun — Original name in latin Melun Name in other language Gorad Meljon, Melen, Meljon, Melodunum, Melun, mo lun, muran, mwln, Горад Мелён, Мелен, Мелён State code FR Continent/City Europe/Paris longitude 48.53333 latitude 2.66667 altitude 55 Population …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”