Sedan, France

Sedan is a town and commune in France, a sub-prefecture of the Ardennes department in northern France.

Geography

The historic centre is built on a peninsula formed by an arc of the Meuse River.

History

Sedan was founded in 1424. In the 16th century Sedan was an asylum for Protestant refugees from the Wars of Religion.

Until 1651, the Principality of Sedan belonged to the La Tour d'Auvergne family. It was at that time a sovereign principality. Their most illustrious representative, Marshal Turenne, was born at Sedan on September 11, 1611. With help from the Holy Roman Empire, it managed to defeat France at the Battle of La Marfée, though immediately afterwards it was besieged and its prince, Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon, submitted to France. Only a year after that submission, it was annexed to France in return for sparing his life after he became involved in a conspiracy against France.

During the Franco-Prussian War, on September 2, 1870 the French emperor Napoleon III was taken prisoner with 100,000 of his soldiers at the Battle of Sedan.

Due to this major victory, which also made the "Second Reich" of Germany possible, September 2 was declared "Sedan Day" (Sedantag) and a national German holiday in 1871. It remained a holiday until 1919.

During World War II the German troops first invaded neutral Belgium and crossed the Meuse River in Sedan. This allowed them to bypass the French fortification system, the Maginot Line.

Points of interest

Castle

Main article: Château de Sedan

Today Sedan is known for its castle, that is claimed to be the largest fortified medieval castle in Europe with a total surface of 30.000 m2 on 7 levels. Construction started in 1424 and the castle's defences were constantly improved over the ages. It is the only remaining part of the once enormous fortifications in and around the town.