Tighten (river)

The Serre is a French river, tributary of left bank of the Oise, therefore tributary of a tributary of the the Seine. It runs in the departments of the the Ardennes and the Aisne.

Geography

The Greenhouse is born in the department from the the Ardennes, with Férée (locality located at two kilometers in the west of Liart), and takes from the start the direction of south-west, direction which it roughly speaking maintains throughout its course of 96 kilometers. It runs then in the Département of Aisne. It has its confluence with the Oise in the commune of Achery, close to Fère.

The Greenhouse is the principal affluent of the higher course of the Oise (i.e. before the confluence of the latter with the Aisne). Born in Thiérache, it crosses little populated zones, and bathes in particular Rozoy-sur-Serre, Montcornet and Marle-on-Greenhouse.

Affluents

Hurtaut
Vilpion and its affluent the Brown
the Stock
Péron

Crossed cities

Rozoy-sur-Serre, Montcornet, Marle, Crécy-on-Greenhouse

Hydrology

The discharge of river measured to Nouvion-and-Catillon little before its confluence with the Oise, and observed with the one 59 years period length, is of 13,2 m ³ a second. The Blade of water being worth of this fact 255 mm annually, and Qsp being of 8,1 liters/second/square kilometer.

The Greenhouse presents moderate and rather typical seasonal fluctuations of flow of the area of the North-East of Picardy. The high waters are located in winter and at the beginning of spring, and carry the average monthly flow on a level from 17 to 20 m ³ a second, from January to April included (with an in February maximum), and low waters of summer, July to October, with a fall of the average monthly flow up to 7,63 m ³ in September. These monthly averages hide more important variations of course.

In period of low water level, the VCN3 can fall until 3,3 m ³, in the event of dry period quinquennial, which remains very substantial. Let us recall that the VCN3 is the past minimal quantity or minimal flow over three days consecutive.

In addition the risings are seldom important. The QIX 2 and QIX 5 are worth repectivement 38 and 51 m ³. The QIX 10, or calculated flow of decennial rising, is of 59 m ³ a second, the QIX 20 of 68 m ³ a second. As for the QIX 50, it is of 78 m ³ (see note).

The maximum instantaneous flow recorded with Nouvion-and-Catillon was of 96,4 m ³ a second on December 23rd, 1993, while the value maximum day laborer was of 89 m ³ a second at the same date. The first of these figures being largely higher than the calculated QIX 50 of the Greenhouse, one can say that it was about an episode which occurs theoretically only once per century, or more rarely still…

Shortly after its confluence with the Greenhouse, the Oise rolls 33,3 m ³ /s to Sempigny in the Département of Oise, vis-a-vis Noyon, which implies that the Greenhouse provided him 40% of its flow (on this section).

Curiosities - Tourism

The basin of the Greenhouse is mainly located in Thiérache, and particularly the area of its tributary of a tributary the Brune (affluent of Vilpion). Moved away from the great tourist centers of France, its basin is not less rich of an important especially religious architectural heritage. The area of the basin of the Greenhouse has several superb strengthened churches.

History

It was a time indeed where Thiérache, border region located close to hostile and disturbed areas (southernmost Netherlands or current Belgium dominated by Germany of Charles-Quint, then Spain, then Austria) and deprived of effective military protection, lived under the threat of armed bands and plunderers, lansquenets and gueux come from the Netherlands close to the time. This goes back to XVIe and XVIIe centuries, particularly during the Wars of religion (1550-1650 especially) and during the ceaseless wars between Spain and France of the Louis XIII and XIV.

Threatened in their life and their goods, the inhabitants solved the problem by strengthening their churches, framing them of true Donjon S, turrets of military design with Meurtrière S and Bretèche S, and by equipping them with reserves of vivres, ammunition and various weapons. They thus transformed their churches into small fortresses and thus managed to resist seats of a few days, to even dissuade the bands which ground in their trimmings.

Currently, the majority of these remarkable buildings remain in the area, and in enough good state, considering the awakening (in the years 1970-1980) of their specificity and financial asset having engaged programs of restoration, certainly still insufficient and too slow to implement.

Monuments and sites to be visited

It is unrealistic to plan to discover and visit the churches strengthened in once. One counts some more than sixty, and it is necessary to envisage the time of way between the villages, served sometimes only by very sinuous roads. Here 3 examples of visits, realizable according to the serviceable time and including the turn external of the building, the visit of the interior, guided or not (with time necessary to possibly obtain the key), and why not, few steps until the laundrette:

en one hour environ

Liart: superb church strengthened (registered with the Historic buildings) with turn porch on two floors provided with drain-holes and a Bretèche of the XVIIe century. The bedside is surrounded by two bored turrets of loopholes. Couleuvrine S out of cast iron of XVIe century.

en approximately 2 hours until a demi-journée

Jeantes
Plomion : the Notre-Dame church (registered with the historic buildings) is a superb example of the strengthened churches of Thiérache. The Transept is flanked of watch tower S and the massive bell-tower of frontage in form of Donjon is protected by two round towers equipped with Meurtrière S. the keep comprises large a room-refuge communicating with the roofs. Market of wood (also registered with the Historic buildings) and beautiful old houses of Thiérache. Not far from there, a beautiful pond (fishing) is. A recreational center with nautical base, tennis courts and other sporting infrastructures were established there.

en approximately 5 hours until a journée

Prisces : the Romance church of XIIe century was equipped with enormous a 25 meters high keep. The church comprises 4 stages able to lodge a hundred combatants.

Gronard

Hary

Burelles

Notes, sources and references

Random links: