Meaux () is a commune on the river Marne in the

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

department in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, France. It is east-northeast of the centre of Paris. Meaux is, with Provins, Torcy and

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissemen ...

, one of the four subprefectures (''sous-préfectures'') of the department of

, Melun being the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

. In France a subprefecture is the

chef-lieu An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

(the seat or administrative capital) of an ''

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements ...

'': Meaux is the subprefecture of the

arrondissement of Meaux The arrondissement of Meaux is an arrondissement of France in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region. It has 142 communes. Its population is 337,296 (2019), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondissement of M ...

. It is also the chef-lieu of a smaller administrative division: the

canton of Meaux The canton of Meaux is an administrative division of the Seine-et-Marne department, in northern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Meaux. It consists of the commune of Mea ...

. Finally, since its creation in 2003, Meaux has been the centre and the main town of an

agglomeration community An agglomeration community (french: communauté d'agglomération) is a government structure in France, created by the Chevènement Law of 1999. It is one of four forms of intercommunality, less integrated than a métropole or a communauté u ...

, the

Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux The Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux (CAPM) is a ''communauté d'agglomération'' in the Seine-et-Marne ''département'' and in the Île-de-France ''région'' of France. The 4 communes of the former Communauté de communes des Monts ...

Demographics

With a population of 55,416 inhabitants in 2018, Meaux is the most populous city in the Seine-et-Marne department, just before Chelles (55,148 inhabitants in 2018).Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2018
INSEE

History and culture

Inhabitants of Meaux are called ''Meldois''. Both names ''Meaux'' and ''Meldois'' originated with the '' Meldi'', the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

name of the original

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

ish tribe who occupied this area of the valley of the Marne river. Although during the Roman period the city was called Iantinum by the Romans, the name of the Meldi persisted and was finally kept for naming both the city and its inhabitants. Meaux 140708 01

Historical buildings and monuments in Meaux are mainly located in the old city, inside the old defensive walls, still nowadays partially kept thanks to an important segment of the original surrounding wall from the Gallo-Roman period. A

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ban ...

of the Marne river divides the old city into the North Quarter (called among the ''Meldois'' as the Cathedral Quarter) and the South Quarter (known among the locals as the Market Quarter). In the North Quarter there is the Meaux Cathedral, the episcopal palace and its gardens (outlining the shape of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

), the old seat of the chapter (''le vieux chapitre''), part of the defensive walls (as mentioned), some keeps and towers, and the archaeological remains of the sanctuary of La Bauve, all-embracing the Gaulish period (4th, 3rd and 1st centuries BC), the era of the early Roman Empire (Gallo-Roman: 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries AD) and the early Christian Era and subsequent centuries (from the 3rd to the 18th centuries, with the remains, among others, of the Saint-Faron Abbey, demolished during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

). The South Quarter of the old city mainly includes the historic covered market and the

Canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

Cornillon, built during the Middle Ages, in the year 1235. Centuries later, in 1806, during the

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislativ ...

, was built the Canal de l'Ourcq, destined to the inland navigation when the Marne river is not navigable because of temporary sandbanks. Meaux is nowadays mainly known for Brie de Meaux (a variety of Brie cheese) and the local variety of mustard. Following the official administrative French AOC there are two designations of Brie de Meaux: ''Brie de Meaux fermier'' ("farm Brie de Meaux", made out of the milk from the cows of a single unique producer) and ''Brie de Meaux laitier'' (''laitier'', that is from the French ''lait'', "milk", which designates here an agreement, a mixture of the milk of different producers). The ''Moutarde de Meaux'' ("Meaux Mustard") recipe is since the 18th century a label commercially owned by the Pommery company and is nowadays derived not only in its traditional well known form but also in a variety of new different ingredient combinations: Honey Mustard, Green Pepper Mustard, ''Moutarde Royale'' (that latter including

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

in its composition) etc. Several festivals and concerts are celebrated in Meaux, venues for live music like the Music Festival "Musik'elles" (usually at the end of every summer). There's a local public

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion fami ...

in Meaux: ''L'Harmonie du Pays de Meaux''. It is constituted by three different ensembles, following different ages: ''Les Minimes'' (children), ''Les Juniors'' (teenagers) and ''L'Harmonie de Meaux'' (adults). The band is also one of the two official music academies of the town. The other one is the conservatory of the city. Also, every summer for more than 30 years, during several weekends per summer, a show is played by stage actors in the esplanade situated between the cathedral and the episcopal palace: the ''Spectacle historique'' ("History show"). The show represents the history of Meaux all along the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and also, more recently, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

(the German advance had been halted at Meaux in 1914 during the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

). There is only one cinema in Meaux: The Majestic, a former stage theatre. In modern days there are three stage theatres in the city. One is the ''Théâtre Gérard Philippe'', a private theatre, situated close to the covered market. Not far from the market, in the same area but in a bigger and more recent building, there is the official subsidised theatre of the city, the ''Théâtre Luxembourg'', divided in two separated

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, communit ...

s in the same building: the ''Salle Luxembourg'' (601 seats) and the ''Salle du Manège'' (107 seats). In an eastern area of Meaux, the Beauval quarter, there is the third stage theatre of the town, the ''Salle Champagne'' (200 seats), located in the ''Espace Caravelle'', a building dedicated to cultural activities. Private theatre companies and

community arts Community art, also known as social art, community-engaged art, community-based art, and, rarely, dialogical art, is the practice of art based in and generated in a community setting. It is closely related to social practice and social turn. Wor ...

associations play in all three theatres. Two museums can be found in Meaux: the ''

Musée Bossuet The Musée Bossuet is the art and history museum of the town of Meaux, France. Situated in the old episcopal palace, it takes its name from the famous orator and theologian, Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux from 1681 to 1704. Building ...

'' (located in the episcopal palace, this is the art and history museum of Meaux) and the '' Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux'' r(the largest World War I Museum in the world).

Relevant historical episodes

Middle Ages: Siege of Meaux

The

Siege of Meaux The siege of Meaux was fought in 1421-1422 between the English and the French during the Hundred Years' War. The English were led by King Henry V. Henry became ill while fighting this long battle, which took place during the winter months. He di ...

took place between October 1421 and May 1422, during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

between England and France. The besiegers were the English, under Henry V. The town's defence was led by the Bastard of Vaurus, notorious for his savagery. The siege commenced on October 6, 1421, and mining and bombardment soon brought down the walls. Casualties began to mount in the English army, including

John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford (c. 1389 – 13 March 1422), also known as John, Lord Clifford, 7th Lord of the Honor of Skipton, KG, was an English peer. He was killed at the siege of Meaux, France. Family John Clifford, born about 13 ...

who had been at the siege of Harfleur, the Battle of Agincourt, and received the surrender of Cherbourg. The English also began to fall sick rather early into the siege, and it is estimated that one sixteenth of the besiegers died from dysentery and smallpox. On 9 March 1422, the town surrendered, although the garrison held out. Under continued bombardment, the garrison gave in as well on 10 March, following a siege of six months. The Bastard of Vaurus was decapitated, as was a trumpeter named Orace, who had once mocked King Henry. Sir John Fortescue was then installed as English Captain of Meaux Castle.

World War I: First Battle of the Marne

During the

(September 1914), the German troops were stopped at the gates of Meaux. This heroic action not only prevented the city from being taken by the Germans but also changed the course of the war. In 1932, at the place of the battlefield, the people of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

had a monument erected in the memory of the French soldiers fallen in action. Called, in French, ''La Liberté éplorée'' ("The Tearful Liberty"), the sculpture by

Frederick MacMonnies Frederick William MacMonnies (September 28, 1863 – March 22, 1937) was the best known expatriate American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts school, as successful and lauded in France as he was in the United States. He was also a highly accomplish ...

is popularly known among the French as ''Le Monument américain'' ("the American Monument"). Coordinates:
In 2011, beside the monument was built the Museum of the Great War ('' Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux'' r. The battle of Meaux September 1914

Sports

The town is represented by the CS Meaux

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club. Many other sports are also practiced in Meaux like rugby or field hockey, especially water sports. There are in Meaux, for example different sporting clubs dealing with

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other act ...

(mainly practiced in the Canal de l'Ourcq),

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

(the club "Asterina", named after a starfish

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

, trains in the swimming pools of the city), swimming (''Club sportif Meaux Natation'')

Transport

Meaux is served by Meaux station on the

Transilien Paris – Est Transilien Paris-Est is a railway line of the Paris Transilien suburban rail network. The trains on this line travel between Gare de l'Est in central Paris and the east of Île-de-France region. Transilien services from Paris-Est are part of the ...

suburban rail line and on several national rail lines. The rail line connecting Paris to Meaux was established in 1849. The nowadays

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffic ...

train station, still in use, was built in 1890. Alongside the Meaux rail station there is also the main

bus station A bus station or a bus interchange is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. While the term bus depot can also be used to refer to a bus station, it generally refers to a bus garage. A bus station is ...

in the city, with more than 30 bus lines serving the whole eastern Paris metropolitan area.

Education

The commune has 36 public preschools and elementary schools. Public junior high schools in Meaux:Les collèges et lycées
" Meaux. Retrieved on September 3, 2016. * C.E.S. Beaumarchais * C.E.S. Camus * C.E.S. Henri Dunant * C.E.S. Frot * C.E.S. Henri IV Public senior high schools in Meaux: * Lycée Jean-Vilar * Lycée Moissan *

Lycée Pierre de Coubertin In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children betwee ...

* L.E.P. Charles Beaudelaire Lycée du Gué A Tresme is in nearby Congis-sur-Thérouanne. Private Catholic secondary schools: * Collège International Sainte-Marie * Lycée Technologique, Professionnel et Post-Bac Jean Rose et son UFA * Lycée Général International Bossuet et sa Filière Supérieure

People

* Yechiel of Paris, rabbi and Tosafist, originally from Meaux * John de Cheam died and is buried in Meaux. * Philippe de Vitry, bishop of Meaux as of 1351, musical composer and author of the '' Ars Nova Notandi'' treatise. *

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addresses. He has been considered by many to be one of the most brilliant orators of all time and a ...

, bishop of Meaux from 1681 to 1704, referred to as the "eagle of Meaux" ("l'aigle de Meaux"). * Jean-Baptiste de La Noue (1701–1760), 18th-century French playwright *

Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo is a French researcher of evolutionary biology and genetics. She is a director of research at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and head of the Drosophila Evolution Team at the Institut Jacques Monod. ...

, CNRS research director, biologist *

Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...

(1757-1834), French ''

député The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon Re ...

'' (delegate) and mayor of Meaux. One of the most trusted aides of George Washington during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, he was a general based in Virginia and led French and American troops against the British. * Albert Guillon (1801–1854), composer * Alexis Soyer (1810-1858), celebrated chef in Victorian London, was born here. *

Léon Charles Thévenin Léon Charles Thévenin (; 30 March 1857, Meaux, Seine-et-Marne – 21 September 1926, Paris) was a French telegraph engineer who extended Ohm's law to the analysis of complex electrical circuits. Biography Born in Meaux, France, Théveni ...

(1857-1926), engineer, developed a famous theorem (under his name) for electrical circuits. *L'Aigle de Meaux – fictional character. L'Aigle de Meaux (also

Bossuet Bossuet is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addr ...

's nickname) was a character in

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'', who petitioned for a post office to be created in Meaux. * Joop Zoetemelk –

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...

and UCI World Champion cyclist. Zoetemelk and his French wife owned and operated a hotel in Meaux, still open nowadays: ''Le Richemont''. * Jean-François Copé, current mayor of Meaux, ''

'' (delegate) for the 6th

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

, president (2012–2014) of the UMP (

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Soci ...

) group in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are kn ...

. * Éric Judor, actor and comedian. * Olivier N'Siabamfumu, footballer. *

Chris Mavinga Chris Mavinga-Adebayor (born 26 May 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. A French youth international, who was a part of the team that won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Cham ...

, footballer. * Lucas Digne, footballer. *

Djadja & Dinaz Djadja & Dinaz is a French hip hop duo from Meaux and made up of Gianni Bellou (Djadja) and Azzedine Hedhli (Dinaz). Biography The group received attention in December 2014 with the controversial video for their song "Laisse-nous faire notre ...

, rap duo.

International relations

Meaux is twinned with: *

Basildon Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Heiligenhaus Heiligenhaus () is a town in the district of Mettmann, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the suburban Rhine-Ruhr area. It lies between Düsseldorf and Essen. Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Bochum, formerly Fachhochs ...

, Germany

Bibliography

* Patrice Croisy:
Bibliographie de Meaux
' (Meaux, 2006–2009). This database includes over 8 000 articles and books on Meaux and neighbourhood. Some of them are in English. {{Authority control Communes of Seine-et-Marne Subprefectures in France Gallia Lugdunensis Champagne (province)