Saint-Privat-the-Mountain

Saint-Privat-the-Mountain is a common French located in the department of the the Moselle.

Geography

Saint-Privat-the-mountain, is located in the department of the the Moselle (57), which has as a prefecture the town of Metz. Located in north east of France near Metz.

History

Commune of the Lorraine Country-High, possession of the Duchy of Bar, at the border of the évêché of Metz and the Duchy of Luxembourg (walk of barrier pillar), belonging to the baillage of Briey, parish (1704) equipped with a church since 1682, concerned with the archpriest of Hatrize, Saint-Privat-the-Mountain became French during the fastening of the Barrois to the crown of France (1766). The village was allotted to the department of the the Moselle, district of Briey (1790).

There was a battles with Saint-Privat-the-Mountain, the August 18th 1870, during the war which opposed France to Prussia and its allies. This battle showed a victory of the Prussian armies and saxonnes, in spite of the heroic defense of the village by the marshal Canrobert. The last combat took place in the cemetery of the village and the church was destroyed (see the table of Alphonse de Neuville with the Musée of Orsay gone back to 1881). It is claimed that, while its troops were done decimated, the marshal Bazaine, commander-in-chief, played billiards at the general headquarter. This decisive battle had as a consequence the surrounding of Metz by the German troops.

The abbot Jean-Nicolas Bauzin, priest of the parish helped the casualties of the two camps. After the Treated of Frankfurt, it furrowed France, Germany and the Benelux countries, collecting funds to rebuild the church destroyed during the engagements. The new building, called “the cathédrâle of the high plateau”, of neo-gothic style, was inaugurated in 1876.

Meanwhile, to the request express of Guillaume Ier, new German emperor who called the battle fields “the tomb of my guard”, Saint-Privat and the villages close were yielded to the German empire in exchange of Belfort which remained French. The battle fields became a commemorative place of pilgrimage (several monuments with the memory of the soldiers fallen to the field from honor). It was honoured with several imperial visits and was equipped with a museum today with Gravelotte.

The proximity of the careers of Pierre de Jaumont, the opening of iron mines in the villages close and construction to the frontier station of Amanvillers (1873) caused a change of activity for a mainly rural population then brought an important Polish and Italian immigration during first half of the twentieth century.

Again French in 1918 then reannexed by the Nazi Germany in July 1940. In the night of the 20 January 21st 1943, ten eight families were off-set in the Sudètes to have officially refused to belong to the possessions hitlériennes. The common one was released by the troops of the Patton general to the autumn 1944.

The centenary of the battle of 1870 was commemorated in 1970 in the presence of prince Henri of Saxony. Like all the population of the north of the Lorraine , Privatiens suffered from the crisis of the Sidérurgie in the following years.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

the church of 1876, built by the Bauzin abbot.
Of the monuments commemorating the battle of 1870 is disseminated in the village: the monument of the lion, the tower, the monument of the queen (of Prussia) as well as the old cemetery where the battle proceeded whose gate is classified.

Personalities related to the commune

External bonds

Saint-Privat-the-Mountain on the site of the national geographical Institute
Saint-Privat-the-Mountain on the site of INSEE
Saint-Privat-the-Mountain on the site of Quid
Localization of Saint-Privat-the-Mountain on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Saint-Privat-the-Mountain on Mapquest

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