Local time Tuesday 1:14 PM | Arrondissement Vitry-le-François Area 6.45 km² Population (2006)2 15,641 | |
 | ||
Canton Vitry-le-François-Est and Vitry-le-François-Ouest Weather 16°C, Wind N at 8 km/h, 50% Humidity | ||
Vitry-le-François ([vitʁi lə frɑ̃swa]) is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It is located on the Marne River and is the western terminus of the Marne-Rhine Canal.
Contents
Map of 51300 Vitry-le-Fran%C3%A7ois, France
History
In 1142, Louis VII invaded Champagne and seized Vitry-le-François. Over a thousand residents were killed when the town's church was set ablaze.
The present town is a relatively recent construction, having been built in 1545 at the behest of King Francis who wished to replace, on a new site, Vitry-en-Perthois, which in 1544 had been entirely destroyed as part of the backwash from the king's Italian War of 1542–46. The new Vitry was to be a modern city, constructed according to a plan produced by Girolamo Marini. The king's role in its creation resulted in Vitry-le-François receiving the king's name as part of its own name.
Twin towns
Vitry-le-François is twinned with: