Colombey-les-Deux-Églises

Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
The Church of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
Location within Champagne-Ardenne region  Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
Administration
Country	France
Region	Champagne-Ardenne
Department	Haute-Marne
Arrondissement	Chaumont
Canton	Juzennecourt
Statistics
Elevation	360 m (1,180 ft) avg.
Land area1	73.63 km2 (28.43 sq mi)
Population2	650  (1999)
- Density	9 /km2 (23 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	52140/ 52330
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°13′27″N 4°53′12″E / 48.2241666667°N 4.88666666667°E / 48.2241666667; 4.88666666667

Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (French pronunciation: [kɔlɔ̃bɛ le døz‿eɡliz]) is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.

The municipality Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises was created administratively in 1793, and it became part of the district of Chaumont and the canton Blaise^{[disambiguation needed ]}. In 1801, under the name Colombey, it passed to the canton Juzennecourt. In 1972, it absorbed the communes Argentolles, Biernes, Blaise, Champcourt, Harricourt, Pratz and Lavilleneuve-aux-Fresnes.

Charles de Gaulle

La Boisserie - The home of Charles De Gaule at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises

Colombey achieved fame as the home and burial site of the 20th century French soldier and statesman Charles de Gaulle who acquired a substantial property on the south-western edge of the village in 1934. He is buried in the cemetery in a humble grave with only the inscription "Charles de Gaulle 1890-1970" but at the western exit of the village a 145 ft (44.3 m) high Cross of Lorraine was built, commemorating his distinguished wartime role as commander of the Free French Forces.

After 1934 De Gaulle withdrew repeatedly to Colombey when his political fortunes waned; first on the establishment of the Fourth Republic in 1946, and then between 1953 and 1958 before he became President again at the height of the Algerian Crisis. His final withdrawal to Colombey came in 1969 and he died there the following year. Colombey became widely used as a political metaphor for a statesman's temporary withdrawal from political life, until his country would come calling for him again.

A memorial museum was inaugurated in October 2008 by Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. This joint Franco-German act marked the fiftieth anniversary of talks in Colombey, 14 September 1958, between Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer in the process of post-war reconciliation.

Geography

The river Blaise flows through the commune.

See also

• Communes of the Haute-Marne department

External links

• Official website, Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
• Official website, Mémorial Charles de Gaulle
• Mémorial Charles de Gaulle and other connected exhibitions (French)