Saint-Dizier


Saint-Dizier is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.
It has a population of 26,300 and is a subprefecture of the department. Although Saint-Dizier is marginally the most populous commune in Haute-Marne, the préfecture resides in the somewhat smaller commune of Chaumont.

Geography

Located approximately east of Paris, halfway to Strasbourg, it is five miles from Western Europe's largest man-made lake, Lake Der-Chantecoq.

Climate


History

Named after an unknown saint, the town originated as a fortified settlement around a thirteenth-century château, eventually becoming a royal fortress to guard the French kingdom's eastern approaches. The town was besieged and captured by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in the summer of 1544. A fire in 1775 destroyed two-thirds of the town center. The château was owned by the Orléans family until the French Revolution, was a base for German troops during World War II, and currently houses the Municipal Museum.

Notable people

Saint-Dizier is the birthplace of