Buzancy, Aisne

Buzancy is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.

History

Buzancy (Buzenciacus). Village of the former region of the Soissonnais, situated on high ground above a narrow valley 10 km south of Soissons. The first mention of Buzancy is in the 9th century. In the 11th century, it belonged to the lords of Pierrefonds who gave it to one of their junior branches. Buzancy became a county seat from then on, and a castle was constructed of which a tower still remains. The current chateau is that of the former fiefdom of Grandcourt. The church of Buzancy, dedicated to St. Martin, was once the destination of a well-travelled pilgrimage, people going there to cure a sore throat.

Population

Significant events

At the end of May 1918, the Imperial German Army's attempt to strike for Paris in the Third Battle of the Aisne swept over Soissons and its hinterland, including Buzancy. Eventually checked by the resistance of various Allied forces, the advance nevertheless left a threatening salient between Soissons and Rheims. Realising the opportunity for a decisive victory by "pinching-off" the salient, the Allied supremo General Foch ordered a counteroffensive across its "neck" from both sides, commencing very successfully on the Soissons side on 18 July 1918, assisted very effectively by Renault FT light tanks. The Germans, realising the enormity of what was at stake, defended the two strategic hinges of the salient with utmost determination in order to win sufficient time to withdraw the remainder of their forces from within the (shrinking) pocket.

Aisne

Aisne (French pronunciation: ​[ɛːn]) is a French department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne.

Geography

The department of Aisne is surrounded by the French departments of Nord, Somme, Oise, Ardennes, and Seine-et-Marne and borders Belgium to the northeast. The Aisne River crosses the area from east to west, where it joins the Oise River. The Marne forms part of the southern boundary of the department with the department of Seine-et-Marne. The southern part of the department is the geographical region known as la Brie poilleuse, a drier plateau known for its dairy products and Brie cheese.

According to the 2003 census, the forested area of the department was 123,392 hectares, or 16.6% for an average metropolitan area of 27.4%.

The landscape is dominated by masses of rock which often have steep flanks. These rocks appear all over the region, but the most impressive examples are at Laon and the Chemin des Dames ridge.

The principal cities in Aisne are :

Aisne (river)

The Aisne (French: [ɛn]) is a river in northeastern France, left tributary of the river Oise. It gave its name to the French département Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as Axona.

It rises in the forest of Argonne, at Rembercourt-Sommaisne, near Sainte-Menehould. It flows north and then west before joining the Oise River near Compiègne. The Aisne is about 290 kilometres (180 mi) long. Three bitter battles of World War I were fought into the valleys of the Aisne.

Places along the river

Départements and towns along the river include:

Navigation

Small boats can travel much of the length of the river. Canals join the Aisne to the Seine and Meuse rivers. In the small-capacity network of waterways, the Aisne and the Canal latéral à l'Aisne (Aisne lateral canal) give access to the agricultural towns of Soissons and Vailly-sur-Aisne, both large exporters of cereals. The waterway also links Northwestern Europe to the small inland harbour of Reims, where metallurgical industries are depending on inland waterways transport. The Aisne is connected to the rest of the network by the Oise river, the Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne the Canal des Ardennes and the Canal de l'Aisne à la Marne. (Source: NoorderSoft Waterways Database)

Aisne (disambiguation)

Aisne may refer to: