Compiègne

Compiègne
Compiène (Picard)
Subprefecture and commune
The Hôtel de Ville
The Hôtel de Ville
Coat of arms of Compiègne
Coat of arms
Location of Compiègne
Compiègne is located in France
Compiègne
Compiègne
Location within France
Compiègne is located in Hauts-de-France
Compiègne
Compiègne
Location within Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 49°24′54″N 2°49′23″E / 49.4149°N 2.8231°E / 49.4149; 2.8231
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentOise
ArrondissementCompiègne
CantonCompiègne-1 and 2
IntercommunalityCA Région de Compiègne et Basse Automne
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Philippe Marini
Area
1
53.1 km2 (20.5 sq mi)
Elevation
41 m (135 ft)
Highest elevation
134 m (440 ft)
Lowest elevation
31 m (102 ft)
Population
 (2023)
40,761
 • Density768/km2 (1,990/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
60159 /60200
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Compiègne (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃pjɛɲ] ⓘ; Picard: Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise, and its inhabitants are called Compiégnois ([kɔ̃pjeɲwa]).

Administration

Compiègne is the seat of two cantons:

History

Population

Compiègne is the central commune of an urban unit with 71,598 inhabitants, and a larger commuter zone with 142,230 inhabitants as of 2022. The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Compiègne proper.

Sights

View of Compiègne
Compiegne-Noyon Hospital

The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) was completed in 1530.

Museums

Compiègne Forest

The Glade of the Armistice in the Compiègne Forest was the site of the signing of two armistices; those of 11 November 1918 and 22 June 1940. Hitler specifically chose the location of the second, and had the original signing carriage moved from Paris to Compiègne, as an irony for the defeated French.

The site still houses several memorials to the 1918 armistice, including a copy of the original railway carriage. The original, Marshal Foch's Carriage, was taken to Germany as a trophy of victory following the second armistice. Various rumors about what happened to this railway carriage thereafter have flourished ever since. Some believe it was destroyed by the SS in Thuringia in April 1945; others say this happened in Berlin, but most likely it was destroyed during an Allied air-raid on Berlin. The latter version seems most plausible, since Ferdinand Foch's carriage actually was displayed at a Berlin museum.

The University of Technology of Compiègne

Compiègne is home to the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC), one of the top ranking engineering school in France, founded as a Technology University in 1972 to provide an alternative to the traditional "grandes écoles" for students interested in technologies and applied science.

Transport

Compiègne station offers connections with Paris, Amiens, Cambrai and several regional destinations. The nearest motorway is the A1 Paris-Lille. The nearest airport is Charles de Gaulle Airport, located 58 km (36 mi) south west of the commune.

Cycling

Since 1977, Compiègne is the traditional start city of the famous Paris–Roubaix bicycle race. It was also the finish city of the 3rd stage in the 2007 Tour de France.

Notable people

Compiègne has been home to:

John Scotus Eriugena (c. 810 - 875), Irish Philosopher. Considered the most original and significant intellectual of the early middle ages.

International relations

Compiègne is twinned with:

Compiègne is also partnered with:

Climate

Climate data for Compiègne (Margny-lès-Compiègne) (1994–2020 normals, extremes 1994–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.8
(58.6)		 19.0
(66.2)		 25.1
(77.2)		 27.5
(81.5)		 30.6
(87.1)		 35.5
(95.9)		 41.5
(106.7)		 39.2
(102.6)		 34.8
(94.6)		 28.2
(82.8)		 20.2
(68.4)		 16.4
(61.5)		 41.5
(106.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.4
(43.5)		 7.9
(46.2)		 11.6
(52.9)		 15.5
(59.9)		 18.8
(65.8)		 22.2
(72.0)		 24.7
(76.5)		 24.6
(76.3)		 20.7
(69.3)		 15.9
(60.6)		 10.3
(50.5)		 6.9
(44.4)		 15.5
(59.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.9
(39.0)		 4.8
(40.6)		 7.5
(45.5)		 10.5
(50.9)		 13.8
(56.8)		 16.9
(62.4)		 19.0
(66.2)		 18.9
(66.0)		 15.6
(60.1)		 12.0
(53.6)		 7.5
(45.5)		 4.5
(40.1)		 11.2
(52.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.5
(34.7)		 1.8
(35.2)		 3.4
(38.1)		 5.4
(41.7)		 8.8
(47.8)		 11.5
(52.7)		 13.3
(55.9)		 13.3
(55.9)		 10.5
(50.9)		 8.2
(46.8)		 4.7
(40.5)		 2.2
(36.0)		 7.0
(44.6)
Record low °C (°F) −15.0
(5.0)		 −10.3
(13.5)		 −10.4
(13.3)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 3.1
(37.6)		 4.9
(40.8)		 4.9
(40.8)		 0.5
(32.9)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −10.4
(13.3)		 −11.3
(11.7)		 −15.0
(5.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 50.9
(2.00)		 44.9
(1.77)		 42.7
(1.68)		 42.1
(1.66)		 57.7
(2.27)		 54.4
(2.14)		 56.6
(2.23)		 62.9
(2.48)		 43.9
(1.73)		 60.2
(2.37)		 52.6
(2.07)		 64.6
(2.54)		 633.5
(24.94)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 10.8 9.6 9.3 8.4 9.4 8.7 8.0 8.9 7.7 9.5 10.4 12.4 113.1
Source: Meteociel

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 INSEE commune file
  4. 1 2 3 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Compiègne" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 811.
  5. ↑ Deborah A. Fraioli (2005). Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years War. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-313-32458-1.
  6. ↑ 1900 Summer Olympics official report. p. 15. Accessed 14 November 2010. (in French)
  7. ↑ Comparateur de territoire: Unité urbaine 2020 de Compiègne (60502), Aire d'attraction des villes 2020 de Compiègne (078), INSEE. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Compiègne, EHESS (in French).
  9. ↑ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
  10. ↑ "Compiègne: La Place de l'Hôtel de Ville". la Forêt de Compiègne. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  11. ↑ Moved to Berlin - Steven Budiansky, The Complete Story of Codebreaking During WW2,ISBN 0-684-85932-7, page 136
  12. ↑ Moved to Berlin, and there destroyed in an air raid - Brian Hanley, Planning for Conflict in the 21st Century, page 116" available here
  13. ↑ Also, William L. Shirer in his The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (unknown ISBN) states it was destroyed during a bombing raid on Berlin.
  14. ↑ "utc - UTC". www.utc.fr. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "Elbląg - Podstrony / Miasta partnerskie". Elbląski Dziennik Internetowy (in Polish). Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Elbląg - Miasta partnerskie". Elbląg.net (in Polish). Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  17. ↑ "Normales et records pour Margny-lès-Compiègne (60)". Meteociel. Retrieved 21 November 2024.