Armentières

Geography

Armentières is located on the Lys (river), in the western north of the Urban community of Lille to 14 km of Lille. The city is also frontier Belgium.

Heraldic

History

It is in 1668 that the city becomes French like all the French part of the Flandres.

At the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of 20th, Armentières acquires a fame, that of the " City of Toile". The industrial activities of Weaving and spinning settle in Armentières, benefitting from the presence of the Eau, just as the linked activities with the Brasserie.

Armentières particularly suffered at the time of the two world wars. So the city obtained the two Military Crosses (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) and the Légion of honor. In Armentières and in the neighborhoods, the Cimetière S soldiers constitute places of memory of the two particularly fatal world wars.

Administration

Demography

Economy

At the Beautiful time, it is the prosperity and also the time of the workers' struggles. Industrial town, Armentières saw its development registered in this history. In the years 1950 begins the long decline of the Textile.

Today, the city is in change. Other employment is created in particular in the field of health. The Industrie jointly remains present at the new activities of the tertiary sector. Armentières builds now a varied economic panorama.

Armentières is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Armentières - Hazebrouck. It manages the Aéroport of Merville - Calonne.

Places and monuments

the Belfry of the Town hall (Inheritance UNESCO)
Festival of Nieulles with the giant Francoise of Luxembourg and Jean II of Luxembourg.
the giants " historiques" of Armentières which is Gambrinus (pointing out the secular tradition brewery of the city) and the Count Phil (pointing out, by a word game, its textile tradition). They are for the moment in sleep.

Personalities related to the commune

Of ARTAGNAN: Charles de more known Batz-Castelmore under the name of Artagnan (truth!) is born between 1611 and 1615 in Castelmore, close to Lupiac, and enters initially like junior the regiment by the French guards then at Mousquetaires.Au beginning of the year 1667, it obtains the load of lieutenant of the first Company of the Musketeers. The same year, it takes part in Flandres in the war known as of " Dévolution". Is it with the head office of Armentières? One is unaware of it. But from April in December 1672, the King names of Artagnan: Governor of Lille and Armentières. D' Artagnan will be killed on June 25th, 1673, with the head office of Maastricht.Si no document does not specify if it resided at Armentières during the nine months when he was governor, it however fictitiously came there under the feather from Alexandre Dumas.Dans his novel “the three Musketeers” fringant it from Artagnan appears indeed in Armentières, in August 1628 (in reality, he would have been then 17 years old with more). Accompanied by the 3 musketeers, it catches up with MILADY, which is carried out in close to Hem then thrown in the Lily by the torturer of Lille.
Dany Boon (born in 1966), Humoriste French.
Jean Delobel: Politician
Gerard Haesebroeck: (born in 1923), Mayor of Armentières of 1959 to 1999
Paul Gadenne: writer
Pierre Dhainaut: Poet and a writer
Francoise Gerard
Like-Damien Degland: Doctor and a Zoologist
Jules Vandooren: Football or and trainer of football
Edouard Dhorme: Erudite French, assyriologist 1881-1966, professor at the Collège de France, he is in particular the author of a translation of the Bible

" Armentières, poor but fière"

It is resulting from an anecdote of the end of the XVIIe century. The " King Soleil" Louis XIV had convened in Paris the representatives of many French cities, so that they show him their knowledge-faires. The representatives of Armentières had prepared many fabrics. However, victims of a ambush in a forest close to Versailles, they, had not arrived any more at the castle, that fabrics torn to present to the King. The mayor then decided to advance vis-a-vis the King despite everything. This last could not hide its surprise, and required " But from which these torn fabrics come? " , it with what the mayor answered, without sourciller: " D' Armentières, Lord… Armentières, poor but proud! "

corrective measure: it is not a question of an anecdote (one does not pass by Versailles to go from North to Paris!!) but of a historical fact which is the following: Armentières, city in the middle of Europe, was attached definitively to France by Louis XIV, following his countryside of Flandres, which will lead to the treaty of Aachen (Aachen) in 1668, thus putting a term at the supremacy of the Counts de Flandres, Dukes of Burgundy, House of Austria and that of Spain. In a step of allegiance, it is in Brussels that the king Louis XIV accepted a delegation of the municipal officials, magistrates and middle-class armentièrois. After several years of war, the city was ruined and the members of the delegation arrived at Brussels poorly vétus in spite of their row. They were made lend clothing worthy of their row to present itself in front of the king. But this one had been prevented trickery and exclaimed, by seeing them: " Armentières, Poor but Proud! " , which became and remained the currency of the city.

Since a few years with the historical currencies " Poor Armentières but fière" and " Armentières, city of the fabric and the bière" the city added a third of it there: " Armentières, the alliance of the caractères"

Culture

From its position of place chief of canton, Armentières inherited an in particular musical important cultural heritage, which it is advisable to make live and to perennialize. There is currently, independently of the school choral societies:

- 1 council school of music

- 4 choral societies in activity: the Vocal Circle of Lily (CVL), the Armentièrois Choral, the Choral society Good news and the Choral society of the groin (E) S.

- 1 harmony: the Harmony of the trade which is resulting from fusion, in 1967, of 2 companies, the Brass band Commercial and the Philharmonic society of Armentières, which was the oldest harmony of France, founded in 1788.

- 1 brass band, the Brass band of the Devoted Trumpets, which with the originality (and the scarcity) to be a fanfare of trumpets of cavalry (120 years of age).

- 1 orchestra, the orchestra of the golden age (of the club of the groins),

which it is advisable to add various other musical groups moreover small size.

Sports

the J.A.Armentières football club evolves/moves in CFA 2. Created in 1911 the Club rose at the national level in 1992. It is in 1996, that the flag team gains the title of " Main road 3" and since this date it evolves/moves in Championship of France Amateur.

On several occasions the JAA reaches the 32es of finale of the cut of France, in January 1999. " yellow and bleu" had then made tremble champions of France in title, the RC Lens, in their stage Felix-Bollaert (victory of Lens after prolongation, 5-2, 2-2 in the prescribed time). Then lately in 2003 against Bordeaux, the match had taken place in the old Grimonprez-Jooris stage of Lille where the armentièrois had inclined 0-3 vis-a-vis the Of Gironde ones.

the female section of the club of Basket-ball SO Armentières obtained, in 2006, its place in female Nationale 1 (the 2nd division).
Since 2004, Armentières is the town of departure of the Rallye of the Roads of North.
FC Colmar Close to Hem - Football (UFOLEP)

Twinnings

See too

Flat of the Lily
Giant Good-Wire
of North
Common of North
War of Devolution
Romance Flanders
Rally of the Roads of North

College

College Paul Hazard
College Gustave Eiffel
College St Jude

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