Ardennes () is a
department in the region of northeastern France named after the broader
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
. Its prefecture is the town
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
. The department has 270,582 inhabitants.
[Populations légales 2019: 08 Ardennes]
INSEE The inhabitants of the department are known as or .
Geography
Political geography
The department of Ardennes is bounded by
Aisne
Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374.
Geography
The department borders No ...
to the west,
Marne to the south,
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
to the east and
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
(Provinces of
Namur
Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namur stands at the confl ...
,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
and
Hainaut) to the north.
Human geography
The district is crossed in its northern part by the winding
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
valley where most people live and activities are focused.
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
and
Sedan are the main urban centres.
It is in the catchment of the Academy of Reims and the jurisdiction of the
Court of Appeal
An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
of Reims.
The
statistical
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...
code and Post Code prefix is 08.
Physical geography
Ardennes is part of the
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
, a plateau deeply cut by the Meuse and its many tributaries which reach into
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
in Belgium,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
, Germany (
Eifel
The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...
), and the north of the neighbouring
department of Meuse.
Covering , the department was the smallest among the four contributors to
Champagne-Ardenne. It is diverse in climate, topography, natural vegetation and land use, which is a mixture of forest and arable farming.
The highest point is 504 m, on the southern slopes of the
Croix Scaille shared by French commune
Les Hautes-Rivières and the Belgian commune of
Gedinne.
It is in this part of the
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
mountains or high hills that the Meuse winds through, known locally as "the valley". Flowing into the northern part of the department, it waters the main cities of
Sedan,
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
, and
Nouzonville. It has numerous tributaries – the main ones locally being the
Semois
The Semois (; ''Simwès'' in Walloon, often under elided form ''Smwès''; ''Semoy'', ''Sesbach'' in German, ''Setzbaach'' in Luxembourgish of Arlon; and known as the ''Semoy'' in France) is a river flowing from the Ardennes uplands of Belgium a ...
and the
Chiers
The Chiers (; , ) is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary of the Meuse. The total length of the Chiers is approximately , of which in France.
The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, in Luxembourg. The Chiers ...
.
As to the south, the
Aisne
Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374.
Geography
The department borders No ...
flows through the vast near-treeless plain of Champagne chalk (historically by the landed class and
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...
disparaged as flea-ridden Champagne) extended to the south-west by the small, grain-growing Porcien,
Thiérache
The Thiérache (; Picard: ''Quiérache'') is a region of France and Belgium united by similar geography and architecture, including the presence of hedgerows, grassland, hilly terrain, scattered settlements, and traditionally-built stone or brick ...
in the west and
Argonne in the east are fringe grasslands with very distinctive upper soils.
File:Champagne crayeuse.jpg, A typical landscape of Champagne chalk in the south of the department.
File:Givet - Vue de la Meuse et du fort de Charlemont.jpg, View of the Meuse valley in the north of the department at Givet.
File:ferme porcien.jpg, Farm of Porcien in the south-west of the department.
Climate

The department does not have a uniform climate throughout its territory, especially most winters.
From the north near Aisne and the border with Belgium, through the centre near the canton of Omont, to the south of the valley of the Meuse, the climate is considered "degraded continental" (heavy rainfall in autumn and frequent frosts in winter). The rest of the department has a "degraded oceanic" or "temperate continental" climate (relative to an oceanic climate, the winters are colder and the summers are hotter, rainfall in the lowlands is lower and winds are of lower strength). All this stems from location, midway between the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
, the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
and parts of the continent relatively far from any sea.
Winter can be as cold as inner continental lowland Europe some winters and quite often snowier, particularly near main settlements
Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
,
Givet and
Sedan in the north.
This climatic difference is particularly pronounced in the presence of frost especially in the valleys of the
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
,
Semoy, the plateau of
Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
, and around the Croix-Scaille where it can be very marked and persists longer in the year with great influence on vegetation.
Across lands further west and south frontal zones (affecting air and precipitation) are tempered more by the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
,
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
and
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
; nearby seeing quite flat terrain – isolated small ranges or lower regions of hills, excluding the mountains across much of the south-eastern third of France.
Demography
The evolution and distribution of the population
Despite a high birth rate (the highest rate in France in 1968), the department continues to lose population: 275,371 in 2016 due to high unemployment (hence "migration" continues). The two world wars have each time resulted in a loss of population (such as the "exodus" of 1940). There were 330,000 people at the end of the 19th century.
That the major urban areas of the department are the most affected is characterized by a stagnation of the population – a population decline of up to 2% compared to 1999 in the city centres and suburbs (
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
,
Revin,
Fumay,
Givet,
Rethel).
The communes, however, are gaining inhabitants (the phenomenon of urban sprawl). This is explained by the search for better living in the countryside which matches the desire of many people to build a small land-holding, typically a house with land to the detriment of their proximity to their workplace. This highly contemporary concept favours commuting between Home and Work. This is the phenomenon of suburbanization which has become common in the whole of France from which Ardennes does not escape.
On 1 January 2006, the Ardennes population stood at 295,653 inhabitants. The population is declining in urban areas but five times less than in rural areas. The limited decline in the urban space where two-thirds of the Ardennes people live is the result of two opposite dynamics. Semi-urban communes have gained 0.5% of inhabitants per year over the period 1999–2006 at the expense of urban centres (downtown and suburbs) which lost 0.6% per year. For thirty years the population has lagged in the main cities of Ardennes. Between 1999 and 2006, the annual decline was 0.2% for
Sedan and
Rethel, 1.8% for
Revin, and 1% for
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
. The most unfavourable rural population change came from degradation of rural employment centres, such as
Fumay or
Vouziers
Vouziers () is a commune of the Ardennes department, northern France.
Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, after whom the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (the location of the French Open tenn ...
and to a lesser extent that of their periphery. This was slightly mitigated by a small increase in population in other rural communes.
Main towns
The most populous commune is the prefecture
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
. As of 2019, there are seven communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:
[
File:Charleville-Mézières - Pont d'Arches -1.jpg, ]Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
on the Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
, the main town of Ardennes and the third largest agglomeration in Champagne-Ardenne.
File:FR-08-Sedan03.JPG, Sedan, also watered by the Meuse, is at the heart of the second largest urban area of Ardennes.
File:Hôpital Général, Rethel.jpg, Rethel, a city watered by the Aisne
Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374.
Geography
The department borders No ...
, is the third largest city of Ardennes and also the third largest urban area.
History
The department is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790 under the Act of 22 December 1789. It includes part of the former provinces of Champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
and Argonne, several principalities including those of Arches and Sedan, countships (such as Rethel), and different areas returned to France (from the former Spanish Netherlands
The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
) in the 18th century.
On 12 May 1793, the department expanded itself with the Bailiwick of Liège, Couvin
Couvin (; ) is a municipality and city of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium.
On 1 January 2018 the municipality had 13,782 inhabitants. Couvin is the second largest municipality of Belgium by surface area, after Tournai. The tot ...
, and the countships from the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
of Fagnolle and on 26 October 1795 a part of the Duchy of Bouillon.
After the victory of the allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...
in the Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...
on 18 June 1815, the second Treaty of Paris subtracted territory from Ardennes to attach to the Netherlands: Duchy of Bouillon, Couvin
Couvin (; ) is a municipality and city of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium.
On 1 January 2018 the municipality had 13,782 inhabitants. Couvin is the second largest municipality of Belgium by surface area, after Tournai. The tot ...
, Mariembourg, Fagnolle, and Philippeville. In addition, the department was occupied by Prussian troops from June 1815 to November 1818.
On 2 September 1870, Sedan was the place of surrender for Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
at the Battle of Sedan
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...
against the troops of the Prussian states, a coalition commanded by Helmut von Moltke. The King of Prussia Wilhelm I
Wilhelm I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 1861 and German Emperor from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the first head of state of a united Germany. ...
, the future emperor of the Imperial Germany
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
, and Bismarck viewed the battle from the hills overlooking Sedan. The defeat marked the end of the Second Empire, and at the same time the birth of the French Third Republic
The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...
on 4 September 1870.
During the two world wars, for strategic reasons, the region each time became the passage for the invading armies because of the narrow width of the Meuse and its deep valley. The French military believed that the region was defended by its terrain and thick forests present in the northern of the department and so neglected the defence of the territory. During the First World War, the Battle of the Ardennes was fought in the department, and Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
became the headquarters of the German Crown Prince. It was at Vouziers and other places that the Czechoslovak legions fought, and it was also near the same city that the aeroplane of Roland Garros was shot down.
It was the only French department to have been fully occupied during that conflict, except for northern Lorraine
Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
(Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...
) and Alsace
Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
, which had been under German administration since 1871.
During the Second World War, the main effort of the German army was again focused on this area, especially on the right bank of the River Meuse, symbolized by the breakthrough at Sedan which would lead the French troops into the strategic trap the Yellow Plan designed by General von Manstein and approved by Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
.
It is in this department that the Maginot Line
The Maginot Line (; ), named after the Minister of War (France), French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by French Third Republic, France in the 1930s to deter invas ...
ended: the last fort of the line ( Fort Villy la Ferte) was located about five kilometres from Carignan
Carignan (; also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Medite ...
. The French General staff did not want to continue the line of defence along the border with Belgium, a neutral and friendly country. Furthermore, they hoped that the unique geography and the forest would stop the German army.
After the armistice of 1940, Ardennes was declared a "forbidden zone" (actually a German settlement area) throughout the occupation by the Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
army.
In 1944, the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
was fought partly in this department.
Etymology
The name of the department is related to the toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
''Ardenne'' which could derive from the Gallic ''ardu'' meaning "high". It would have been transformed into ''Arduenna'' by the Romans to designate the ancient Ardennes forest and the mountains mentioned by Julius Caesar in the work attributed to him: '' Commentaries on the Gallic War''. ''Arduenna Sylva'' was used for the pine forest on the plateau of Bastogne
Bastogne (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardi ...
. It was then transformed into ''Ardenna'' in the 6th century.
This toponym is absent from the names of communes in the department of Ardennes while those of Argonne ( Beaumont-en-Argonne), Porcien (Château-Porcien
Château-Porcien () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Ardennes department
The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France
France, o ...
, Novion-Porcien, Chaumont-Porcien, and even Champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
( Vaux-Champagne) are sometimes fused and all have a connotation of regional belonging. This is why the name of ''Ardenne'' is not specific to the department as it is found in many other parts of France – for example in western and central-western France,[This toponym is present 5 times in Charentes; notably in the name of the village of Saint-Grégoire-d'Ardennes in ]Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Chérente-Marine''; ) is a Departments of France, department in the French Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente (river), Charen ...
); principal source: Jacques Duguet, ''Place names of Charentes'', éditions Bonneton, 1995, p. 9 and 10 Belgium, and Luxembourg where it has its usual sense – from Celtic origin – of "high", "high woods" or "forest".
Heraldry
Administration
Administrative organization
The seat of the prefecture of the department is at Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
and the three sub-prefectures are Rethel, Sedan, and Vouziers
Vouziers () is a commune of the Ardennes department, northern France.
Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, after whom the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (the location of the French Open tenn ...
. Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
was also a sub-prefecture until 1926.[ In addition, the departmental seat of the ''General Council of Ardennes'' is located at Charleville-Mézières.
]
Territorial organization
The Ardennes is composed of 452 communes which are grouped into 19 cantons and four arrondissements of varying sizes.
The largest arrondissement of the department is that of Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
while the smallest is Sedan which is half the size. The two arrondissements that occupy the northern part of the Ardennes, however, have four-fifths of the departmental population.
The other two arrondissements, Rethel and Vouziers
Vouziers () is a commune of the Ardennes department, northern France.
Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, after whom the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (the location of the French Open tenn ...
, occupy the southern part of the department with roughly comparable areas but are very sparsely populated.
Before the Poincaré decree of 10 September 1926 which removed many sub-prefectures in France, the department had five arrondissements. In addition to the four mentioned above, the fifth was that of Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
– a small historic city in the north-west of the department close to Belgium – which has been since annexed in its entirety to the district of Charleville-Mézières. The former arrondissement of Rocroi then consisted of six cantons – including four on the border with Belgium – which were Givet, Fumay, Revin, Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
, Rumigny, and Signy-le-Petit.
Under the intercommunality framework, Ardennes consists of an urban community organized around the city préfecture, called ''Heart of Ardennes'' and has fifteen communities of communes including in Sedan the ''Communauté de communes du Pays sedanais'' which is the most important.
In addition, the Ardennes has 33 communes that do not adhere to any Intercommunal cooperative organisation (EPCI).
File:Rocroi vu des remparts.JPG, The small town of Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
was a sub-prefecture of Ardennes until 1926.
File:La Meuse à Sedan 1.jpg, La Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
at Sedan, sub-préfecture and second city of Ardennes.
File:Bibliothèque et église saint Nicolas Rethel.jpg, Rethel, sub-préfecture of Ardennes and third city of the department.
File:Saint-Maurille 03.jpg, Vouziers
Vouziers () is a commune of the Ardennes department, northern France.
Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, after whom the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (the location of the French Open tenn ...
, the smallest sub-préfecture of the Ardennes department.
List of territorial collectives
* List of the 452 communes of the department
* List of cantons of Ardennes
* Arrondissement of Charleville-Mézières
The arrondissement of Charleville-Mézières is an arrondissement of France in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region. It has 157 communes. Its population is 153,985 (2021), and its area is .
Composition
The communes of the arrondisseme ...
* Arrondissement of Rethel
* Arrondissement of Sedan
* Arrondissement of Vouziers
Politics
The President of the Departmental Council is Noël Bourgeois of The Republicans.
Current National Assembly Representatives
Presidential elections 2nd round
Economy
The economy of the department, after previously resting on agriculture (forestry and livestock – crops are poor), has been based for over a century now on industry (now in a difficult position) and the services sector, although the proportion of the Ardennes labour force working in this sector is lower than the national average. At the beginning of the 19th century, the region was the largest in France for metal working using charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...
. There was no coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
found in the department (only slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
from Fumay was usable) but the metallurgical industry
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
developed there (bolts, screws
A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...
, nails). The railway with many branches (''Compagnie des chemins de fer des Ardennes'' from the Sellière family which merged with the Compagnie de l'Est) accelerated the industrialization at the end of the 19th century in Charleville, Sedan (which had its tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
s), and Revin. The newspaper ''L'Usine ardennaise'' (The Ardennes Factory) became '' L'Usine nouvelle'' (The New Factory). The crisis in the 1970s precipitated the decline of metallurgical activity in the department (the blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure.
In a ...
and small workshops closed one after the other: Blagny, Vireux-Molhain, Murtin-et-Bogny, etc.). Today there are still many subcontractors for the railway industry (TGV
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
for example) and the car industry ( GMC, PSA Peugeot Citroën
Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...
, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
, among others), Hermès
Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...
has recently installed themselves at Murtin-et-Bogny, PSA Peugeot Citroën is installed at Les Ayvelles. There is also a nuclear site – the Chooz Nuclear Power Plant with several reactors including the first pressurized water reactor
A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light-water nuclear reactor. PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants (with notable exceptions being the UK, Japan, India and Canada).
In a PWR, water is used both as ...
(REP) in France. Agriculture has grown considerably using industrial techniques (wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
, maize
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
, sugar beet
A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...
).
There are direct TGV trains from the Gare de l'Est
The Gare de l'Est (; English: "Station of the East" or "East station"), officially Paris Est, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. It is located in the 10th arrondissement, not far southeast from the Ga ...
in Paris to Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
(1h 35 m), Sedan, and several TGV trains to Reims with a change for Charleville-Mézières.[How to come to Charleville-Mézières](_blank)
, consulted on 31 May 2013
A "Y" road has also been set up with the A4 Reims-Paris, the A34 (freeway), and the links to Lille
Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
and Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
which need to take the N5 to join the motorway ring of Charleroi
Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
. Similarly, the junction with the highway leading to Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
and Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
needs to use a portion of highway in France. Improved means of land communication (TGV and A34 motorway) provides the benefit of relative proximity to Paris, Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
, Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
and Belgian cities such as Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
, Charleroi
Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
and Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
.
Every year in September, the Sedan fair is a big shopping event (2nd in the region) which attracts about 250,000 people each year.
Tourism
In the department there are iconic landmarks that attract many visitors each year, such as the '' Château de Sedan'' (the busiest paying attraction in the Ardennes, with an average of 60,000 admissions per year), the fortified site of Charlemont at Givet, the fort at Les Ayvelles, and the fortress of Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
. There are also many fortified churches and medieval sites in the department.[See the articl]
''The Discovery of Medieval sites of North Argonne''
, Daniel HOCHEDEZ in the review ''HORIZONS D'ARGONNE'', No. 88, June 2011, pp. 7–14 (publication of the Centre for Studies of Argonne) There is the Ardennes forest, the "Green Way" (a bicycle path connecting Montcy-Notre Dame near Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
to Givet along the Meuse valley) promoting weekend tourism and tourist routes (green tourism).
Cultural tourism is booming with many music festivals (Le Cabaret Vert, the Douzy'k festival, the Aymon Folk Festival) not to mention museums (such as the Museum of the Ardennes) and castles and the growing interest in industrial heritage.
Finally, the creation of the Natural Regional Park of Ardennes (Regional Natural Park of Ardennes) on 21 December 2011 should continue to increase this type of tourism.
Second homes
Home purchases by Belgians and Dutch people are common in the region because the prices are much lower than in their countries of residence. However, as of 2020, 3.5% of available housing in the department are second homes which is rather low.
Culture
Festivals
For more than 40 years (the first time in 1961 at the initiative of Jacques Félix) there has been in Charleville-Mézières the ''World Festival of Puppet Theatre'' (now every three years). At the last festival in 2009 more than 200,000 people were present. In the same city there is also a school: the International Institute of Puppetry. The ''Rock Festival and Territory Le Cabaret Vert'' had more than 50,000 festival-goers at the seventh festival in 2011 and this takes place every year in Charleville-Mézières making it the 7th largest festival in France by attendance. The festival ''The Poetic Otherworld'' organizes events in October in some Ardennes communes.
At Sedan the medieval festival is held every year around the Castle of Sedan, the largest castle in Europe. This is an event that brings together more than 30,000 spectators.
At Rethel there are the famous festivals of Saint Anne
According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...
which have been held for over 200 years.
At Bogny-sur-Meuse there is the ''Aymon Folk Festival'' which brings together nearly 10,000 people.
The Ardennes also has other well-known festivals such as the ''Festimeuse'' which attracts 10,000 people, the festival of ''Cassine'' with 7,000 people at the 3rd festival in 2010.
The metal festival of Vouziers attracts about 2000 people. The Rock festival in El Mont at Aiglemont hosted more than 2,000 people in 2010. Lastly there is at Douzy every July and every second year the Douzy'k Festival which brings between 5,000 and 7,000 people each time.
The Argonne does not have only two musical events. For 14 years, the village of Louvergny has staged a lyrical festival called ''Encounters of Louvergny'' in early August as the heart of the Argonne campaign, with singers from different countries. More recently ''Notes of Argonne'' propose to cross the Argonne mountains with concerts of classical music with regional and national performers. The May 2008 festival included Patrice Fontanarosa and his wife Marielle Nordmann. Both events had an immediate success in the region and the public has not stopped coming since.
Tales and legends
For a long time the region was a land of legends with its rocks, rivers, lakes, and thick dark forests: for example The Four Sons of Aymon, knights on their horse called Bayard helped by the enchanter Maugis who gave his name to village of Noyers-Pont-Maugis at the time of Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
.
Literature
The play by William Shakespeare, "As you Like It" (1599), is set in the Forest of Arden, an imagined hybrid of the Ardennes and the Arden woods near his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
The novel by Yves Gibeau, ''Les gros sous'' (The big money) (1953) takes place in the south-west of the department.
The Ardennes serves as the backdrop to the novel by Julien Gracq
Julien Gracq (; born Louis Poirier; 27 July 1910 – 22 December 2007) was a French writer. He wrote novels, critiques, a play, and poetry. His literary works were noted for their dreamlike abstraction, elegant style and refined vocabulary. He ...
, '' A Balcony in the Forest'' (''Un balcon en forêt''), published in 1958 and for which Michel Mitrani
Michel Mitrani (1930 - 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was the founder of the Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels in 1987. His 1974 film ''Black Thursday (film), Les Guichets du Louvre'' was entered into the 24t ...
made a film in 1979 with Jacques Villeret
Jacques Villeret (; 6 February 1951 – 28 January 2005) was a French actor, best known internationally for his role as François Pignon in the comedy '' Le Dîner de Cons''. During his career, he earned many awards including the prestigious ...
. This novel/story is based on the experience as a soldier by the author at the beginning of the Second World War.
The region serves as a backdrop for the Ardennes writer André Dhôtel (1900–1991), especially in ''Le Pays où l'on n’arrive jamais'' (The country where one never arrives).
Cinema
The department has a varied natural environment (the Meuse valley, the border between Belgium and France, the Ardennes plateau, forests, etc.) which attracts filmmakers and television which first began in the late 1960s and in the 1970s.
* '' Le Train'' (The Train) (1973) with Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-World War II, war era. He starred in m ...
and Romy Schneider
Rosemarie Magdalena Albach (23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982), known professionally as Romy Schneider (), was a German and French actress. She is regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time and became a cult figure due to ...
was partly filmed in the valley of the Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
* ''Maigret chez les Flamands'' (Maigret and the Flemes)'' (1976), a novel by Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...
who knew the area nearby (Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
). Since then he travelled a lot and located the action at Givet (the TV movie with Jean Richard was shot here).
* The film by Claude Autant-Lara
Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director, screenwriter, set designer and costume designer who worked in films for over 50 years. He made films characterised by bourgeois Realism (arts), realism, anti- ...
, ''Les Patates'' (The Potatoes), produced in 1969 with Pierre Perret
Pierre Perret (born 9 July 1934 in Castelsarrasin, Tarn-et-Garonne) is a French singer and composer. He lives in Nangis, France.
Biography
Perret spent much of his childhood in a café which his parents owned, where he learned to use jargon ...
, was shot entirely in Bourg-Fidèle
Bourg-Fidèle () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Ardennes department
The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France
France, offi ...
, a village on the plateau of Rocroi
Rocroi () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (département), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
Population
History
Rocroi was forti ...
.
* In 2006, ''Les Enfants du Pays'' (The children of the country) by Pierre Javaux with Michel Serrault was located in a small village lost in the Ardennes Forest in May 1940 when five Senegalese Tirailleurs
The Senegalese Tirailleurs () were a corps of Troupes coloniales, colonial infantry in the French Army. They were initially recruited from Saint-Louis, Senegal, the initial colonial capital city of French West Africa and subsequently throughout W ...
are isolated from their regiment and lost, meet an old man and his two small children left alone after the exodus of the population.
* In 2007, Marcel Trillat made ''Silence dans la vallée'' (Silence in the valley), a documentary about the liquidation of the ironworks at Nouzonville, the ''Ateliers Thomé-Génot'' (workshops Thomé-Génot) by American buyers who empty the cash for themselves. Cellatex suffered the same fate at Givet in 2000.
Notable people linked to the department
* Albert Caquot
Albert Irénée Caquot (; 1 July 1881 – 28 November 1976) was a French engineer. He received the “Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)” (military honor) and was Grand-croix of the Légion d’Honneur (1951). In 1962, he was awarded the Wi ...
, polytechnic and academician, built many structures and made other inventions especially in aeronautics.
* Alfred Chanzy, General
* Jean-Nicolas Corvisart (1755–1821), famous doctor and scientist, was born in Dricourt, near Vouziers
Vouziers () is a commune of the Ardennes department, northern France.
Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, after whom the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (the location of the French Open tenn ...
* René Daumal, writer, born on 16 March 1908 and died on 21 May 1944
* Turenne (1611–1675), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
, was born in Sedan;
* Nicolas Louis de Lacaille
Abbé Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille (; 15 March 171321 March 1762), formerly sometimes spelled de la Caille, was a French astronomer and geodesist who named 14 out of the 88 constellations. From 1750 to 1754, he studied the sky at the Cape of Goo ...
, Abbot of La Caille, astronomer and cartographer in the 18th century
* Guillaume de Machaut
Guillaume de Machaut (, ; also Machau and Machault; – April 1377) was a French composer and poet who was the central figure of the style in late medieval music. His dominance of the genre is such that modern musicologists use his death to ...
(1284–1370), poet/composer and author of ''Le Voir Dit'', was born in Machault;
* Boucher de Perthes, prehistorian
* Robert de Sorbon
Robert de Sorbon (; 9 October 1201 – 15 August 1274) was a French theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typic ...
(1201–1274), who created in Paris the Sorbonne, the famous French university, was born in the village of Sorbon, near Rethel
* Robert Debré
Robert Debré (7 December 1882 – 29 April 1978) was a French physician (pediatrician) at Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris.
The largest pediatric hospital in Paris, the Robert-Debré Hospital - located in the North-East part of Paris ...
was born in Sedan, the founder of the French university-hospital system and modern pediatrics
* Alexandre-François Desportes, painter
* André Dhôtel, writer (Attigny)
* The Hachette family with Louis-François Christophe founded the famous publishing house
* Felix LaBauve (1809–1879), French-born American early settler and community leader in the state of Mississippi
* Dom Mabillon founded modern historical criticism in the 17th century
* Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah (; born 18 May 1960) is a French former professional tennis player and singer, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Noah won the French Open in 1983 French Open – Men's singles, 1983, and is a forme ...
was born in Sedan on 18 May 1960. His father, Zacharie Noah, was defender at the UA Sedan-Torcy with whom he won the Coupe de France
The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
in 1961
* Christian Poncelet, the former president of the Senate, born in Blaise in 1928
* Arthur Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism.
Born in Charleville, he s ...
(1854–1891), one of the most famous poets from France, was born in Charleville
* Hippolyte Taine
Hippolyte Adolphe Taine (21 April 1828 – 5 March 1893) was a French historian, critic and philosopher. He was the chief theoretical influence on French naturalism, a major proponent of sociological positivism and one of the first practitione ...
(1828–1893), philosopher and historian, member of the , was born in Vouziers
Vouziers () is a commune of the Ardennes department, northern France.
Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, after whom the Stade Roland Garros in Paris (the location of the French Open tenn ...
and contributed to the progress of positivism particularly in the field of history
Local press
Regional newspapers are: ''L'Ardennais'' (from Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France and the prefecture of the Ardennes department, in the Grand Est region.
Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
Charleville and Mézières were ori ...
) and ''L'Union''. They now have shared writing – only the first page differs. Since 2009, a weekly newspaper has been published in the Ardennes: ''La Semaine des Ardennes''. Printed in Charleville-Mézières, over 2000 copies are printed.
See also
* Arrondissements of the Ardennes department
The 4 Arrondissements of France, arrondissements of the Ardennes Departments of France, department are:
# Arrondissement of Charleville-Mézières, (Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Ardennes department: Charleville-Mézières) with 157 Com ...
* Communes of the Ardennes department
The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include Frenc ...
Explanatory notes
References
External links
*
Prefecture website
*
Departmental Council website
*
Arden'Net website
*
Département des Ardennes The Accounts of the Communes and proper fiscal groupings
– Individual Data main Budget principal only – Consolidated data "Main Budget and annexes"
{{Authority control
1790 establishments in France
Departments of Grand Est
States and territories established in 1790