Sedan (by kerouac2)
May 2, 2012 18:34:51 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 2, 2012 18:34:51 GMT
It would not be very nice of me, after having made a report of the château-fort of Sedan and also the military cemeteries of Sedan, not to also show a few photos of the city of Sedan itself.
It isn't a very big city, with a population of about 21,000, but it has existed since about the year 997 as a "rural domain," the Villa Sedensi. Real development of the town only began in 1424 when the construction of the castle began. It can be presumed that all of the workers needed to build the castle were the first real residents of the town.
Sedan was a principality in the 16th century, under the La Marck family. Since Henri-Robert de La Marck was a Protestant, he had to swear assistance to the king of France in case of war, neutrality regarding the actions of the king and full access to its fortifications if required. In exchange, the Kingdom of France gave protection to Sedan and paid some of the expenses of the fortifications.
The emblem of Sedan is an oak tree with golden acorns and a triumphant wild boar standing below.
Wild boars are not the most elegant of creatures to most of us, but such a statement is to be avoided in the Ardennes, where the animal is revered.
I'm kind of dismayed to say this, but the fortified castle of Sedan is only the second most visited tourist site in the Ardennes. The most visited site is the statue of Woinic, the giant boar.
It is at a service station rest stop on the A34 motorway. It took the sculptor 11 years to create the sculpture and a total of 15 years for the giant boar to be finally installed along the motorway on a rotating platform. I already posted some photos of this surprising sight a few years ago on the "statues" thread of the Photo Bank, but here they are again.
However, I am well aware that most of you will prefer to fly your private jets to Sedan rather than drive there, so I will reassure you that you will also see wild boars in the city.
The French cock is also honoured here.
more coming
It isn't a very big city, with a population of about 21,000, but it has existed since about the year 997 as a "rural domain," the Villa Sedensi. Real development of the town only began in 1424 when the construction of the castle began. It can be presumed that all of the workers needed to build the castle were the first real residents of the town.
Sedan was a principality in the 16th century, under the La Marck family. Since Henri-Robert de La Marck was a Protestant, he had to swear assistance to the king of France in case of war, neutrality regarding the actions of the king and full access to its fortifications if required. In exchange, the Kingdom of France gave protection to Sedan and paid some of the expenses of the fortifications.
The emblem of Sedan is an oak tree with golden acorns and a triumphant wild boar standing below.
Wild boars are not the most elegant of creatures to most of us, but such a statement is to be avoided in the Ardennes, where the animal is revered.
I'm kind of dismayed to say this, but the fortified castle of Sedan is only the second most visited tourist site in the Ardennes. The most visited site is the statue of Woinic, the giant boar.
It is at a service station rest stop on the A34 motorway. It took the sculptor 11 years to create the sculpture and a total of 15 years for the giant boar to be finally installed along the motorway on a rotating platform. I already posted some photos of this surprising sight a few years ago on the "statues" thread of the Photo Bank, but here they are again.
However, I am well aware that most of you will prefer to fly your private jets to Sedan rather than drive there, so I will reassure you that you will also see wild boars in the city.
The French cock is also honoured here.
more coming