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The '''Forest of Compiègne''' ([[French language|French]]: ''Forêt de Compiègne'') is a large [[forest]] in the [[Regions of France|region]] of [[Picardie]], [[France]], near the city of [[Compiègne]] and approximately {{convert|37|mi}} north of [[Paris]].<ref name=ParisDigest>{{Cite web |url=http://www.parisdigest.com/takingarest/compiegne.htm |title=The city and forest of Compiegne near Paris |
The '''Forest of Compiègne''' ([[French language|French]]: ''Forêt de Compiègne'') is a large [[forest]] in the [[Regions of France|region]] of [[Picardie]], [[France]], near the city of [[Compiègne]] and approximately {{convert|37|mi}} north of [[Paris]].<ref name=ParisDigest>{{Cite web |url=http://www.parisdigest.com/takingarest/compiegne.htm |title=The city and forest of Compiegne near Paris |author= |date=1997 |publisher=Paris Digest |accessdate=2010-12-27 |quote= }}</ref> |
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|author= |date=1997 |publisher=Paris Digest |accessdate=2010-12-27 |quote= }}</ref> |
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==Geography== |
==Geography== |
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[[File:Chateau de Compiegne, view from the forest-cc.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The promenade into the forest from the Château de Compiègne]] |
[[File:Chateau de Compiegne, view from the forest-cc.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The promenade into the forest from the Château de Compiègne]] |
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The forest of Compiègne is roughly circular with a diameter of about nine miles;<ref name=OTP>{{Cite web |url=http://pierrefonds-tourisme.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=322&lang=en |title=Compiègne Forest |author= |date=2010 |publisher=Office de Tourisme de Pierrefonds |accessdate=2010-12-29 }}</ref> it is approximately fifty-eight miles in circumference<ref name=Laughlin /> and its area is roughly {{convert|14414|ha|acre}}.<ref>Woolsey, |
The forest of Compiègne is roughly circular with a diameter of about nine miles;<ref name=OTP>{{Cite web |url=http://pierrefonds-tourisme.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=322&lang=en |title=Compiègne Forest |author= |date=2010 |publisher=Office de Tourisme de Pierrefonds |accessdate=2010-12-29 }}</ref> it is approximately fifty-eight miles in circumference<ref name=Laughlin /> and its area is roughly {{convert|14414|ha|acre}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Studies in French Forestry |last=Woolsey |first=Theodore Salisbury, Jr. |authorlink= Theodore Salisbury Woolsey, Jr.|coauthors=Greeley, William Buckhout |year=1920 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=New York |isbn= |oclc=3794852 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fQY9AAAAYAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PR21#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-04 |pages=xxi |quote= }}</ref> |
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The forest is lushly irrigated, being adjacent to the [[Oise River|Oise]] and the [[Aisne River|Aisne]] rivers, as well as many smaller tributaries and streams.<ref name= |
The forest is lushly irrigated, being adjacent to the [[Oise River|Oise]] and the [[Aisne River|Aisne]] rivers, as well as many smaller tributaries and streams.<ref name=Littell/>{{rp|749}} |
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On its northwest, the forest hugs its small namesake city, and to its north and northeast lies the large national forest of Laigue (''Forêt Domaniale de Laigue''). Around its remaining perimeter, it contains or is adjacent to numerous [[Communes of France|communes]] including [[Vieux-Moulin, Oise|Vieux-Moulin]], [[Lacroix-Saint-Ouen]], [[Saint-Sauveur, Oise|Saint-Sauveur]], [[Béthisy-Saint-Pierre]], [[Saint-Jean-aux-Bois, Oise|Saint-Jean-aux-Bois]], and |
On its northwest, the forest hugs its small namesake city, and to its north and northeast lies the large national forest of Laigue (''Forêt Domaniale de Laigue''). Around its remaining perimeter, it contains or is adjacent to numerous [[Communes of France|communes]] including [[Vieux-Moulin, Oise|Vieux-Moulin]], [[Lacroix-Saint-Ouen]], [[Saint-Sauveur, Oise|Saint-Sauveur]], [[Béthisy-Saint-Pierre]], [[Saint-Jean-aux-Bois, Oise|Saint-Jean-aux-Bois]], and [[Pierrefonds, Oise|Pierrefonds]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Compi%C3%A8gne,+France&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=56.506174,92.373047&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Compi%C3%A8gne,+Oise,+Picardy,+France&ll=49.38349,2.896957&spn=0.183941,0.360832&t=h&z=12 |title=Compiègne Forest |date=2011 |publisher=Google Maps |accessdate=2011-0107 }}</ref> |
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Just outside the city of Compiègne, a grand entrance to the forest begins at the resplendent [[Château de Compiègne]], a former royal residence on the city's western edge. Stretching forward from the château, the ''Avenue de Beaux Monts'' scales the heights of the same name, providing a scenic promenade into the woods.<ref>Hare |
Just outside the city of Compiègne, a grand entrance to the forest begins at the resplendent [[Château de Compiègne]], a former royal residence on the city's western edge. Stretching forward from the château, the ''Avenue de Beaux Monts'' scales the heights of the same name, providing a scenic promenade into the woods.<ref name=Hare>{{Cite book |title=North-eastern France |last=Hare |first=Augustus John Cuthbert |authorlink=Augustus John Cuthbert Hare |year=1890 |publisher=G. Allen |location=London |isbn= |oclc=1737047 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mOpnAAAAMAAJ&dq=Battle%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20%2Bforest&pg=PA98#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-04 |quote= }}</ref>{{rp|101}} |
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==Characteristics== |
==Characteristics== |
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[[File:Poteau du carrefour des Dryades.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Signpost in the Compiègne forest]] |
[[File:Poteau du carrefour des Dryades.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Signpost in the Compiègne forest]] |
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The forest of Compiègne is famous for its artful natural attractions, with its elegant arrays of oak and beech trees projecting a "noble and ordered beauty".<ref name= |
The forest of Compiègne is famous for its artful natural attractions, with its elegant arrays of oak and beech trees projecting a "noble and ordered beauty".<ref name=Littell>{{Cite book |title=The Living Age, Volume 198 |last=Littell |first=Eliakim |coauthors=Littell, Robert S. |authorlink=Eliakim Littell |year=1893 |publisher=The Living Age Co. Inc. |location=Boston |isbn= |oclc=447927755 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Rixid7P4v5sC&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA749#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }}</ref>{{rp|749}} |
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The most prominent tree species are oak (''[[Quercus robur]]''), beech (''[[Fagus sylvatica]]'') and hornbeam (''[[Carpinus betulus]]'').<ref>New York Times |
The most prominent tree species are oak (''[[Quercus robur]]''), beech (''[[Fagus sylvatica]]'') and hornbeam (''[[Carpinus betulus]]'').<ref>{{Cite book |title=New York Times current history: the European war, Volume 16 |last=New York Times Co. |first= |coauthors= |year=1918 |publisher=New York Times Co. |location=New York |isbn= |page=6 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kOELAAAAYAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref><ref name=AmFor>{{Cite journal |last1=Dana |first1=Samuel T. |date=November 1914 |title=French Forests in the War Zone |journal=American Forestry |publisher=American Forestry Association |volume=20 |issue=11 |page= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hcfNAAAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA776#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref>{{rp|776}} Much of the oak was heavily harvested over the centuries but was replanted aggressively in the nineteenth century when fears of deforestation began to be addressed.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Planted Forests: uses, impacts, and sustainability |last=Evans |first=Julian |year=2009 |publisher=CABI |location=Oxfordshire |isbn=1845935640 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FUXXvmChRF4C&lpg=PA5&ots=hWgfoHm5GO&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&lr&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=Compi%C3%A8gne&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 |pages=7}}</ref> Since the late twentieth century, the North American black cherry tree (''[[Prunus serotina]]'') has spread vigorously throughout the forest, eliciting mixed reactions from local arborists.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Great Reshuffling: human dimensions of invasive alien species |last=McNeely |first=Jeffrey A. |year=2001 |publisher=IUCN |location=Cambridge |isbn= 2831706025 |pages=155 |url=http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sE6jEHVvwYAC&oi=fnd&pg=PA145&dq=Compiègne+Forest&ots=t74rIoGmY_&sig=YuBztniwfpT7ziGi6Johbr9pe20#v=onepage&q=compiegne&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> |
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Numerous flowering plants thrive in the woods,<ref name= |
Numerous flowering plants thrive in the woods,<ref name=Littell/>{{rp|749}} notably large numbers of [[Lily of the Valley]] (''Convallaria majalis'').<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Wild Garden |last= Robinson |first=William |year=1903 |publisher=J. Murray |location=London |isbn= |oclc=476229043 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P31GAAAAYAAJ&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref>{{rp|92}} Small lakes, ponds, brooks and springs abound throughout the forest,<ref name=Littell/>{{rp|749}} including the Spring of Saint-Sauveur,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ariadne's Clue: A Guide to the Symbols of Humankind |last=Stevens |first=Anthony |year=2001 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, NJ |isbn=0691086613 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=06We3O2BWVwC&lpg=PA130&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA130#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }}</ref>{{rp|131}} which is actually a pair of therapeutic mineral water springs running both hot and cold.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Practical Medical Dictionary (Fifth Ed.) |last=Stedman |first=Thomas Lathrop |year=1918 |publisher=William Wood and Co. |location=New York |isbn= |oclc= 68605315 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=chC6AAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA869&ots=CuNpvbcdEF&dq=spring%20of%20Saint-Sauveur%20Oise&pg=PA869#v=onepage&q&f=false |pages=869 |accessdate=2011-01-03 }}</ref> |
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The forest sustains a great number of game animals including deer, rabbit and wild boar,<ref name=NYT2008 /> and the varied terrain - plateaus cut by valleys and gorges, hills, streams and ponds - makes for challenging hunting. For centuries the Compiègne forest has been a prized hunting ground for virtually all the [[kings of France]].<ref |
The forest sustains a great number of game animals including deer, rabbit and wild boar,<ref name=NYT2008 /> and the varied terrain - plateaus cut by valleys and gorges, hills, streams and ponds - makes for challenging hunting. For centuries the Compiègne forest has been a prized hunting ground for virtually all the [[kings of France]].<ref name=Hare/>{{rp|101}} Some 350 roads and pathways cross it<ref name=Laughlin>{{Cite book |title=The Martyred Towns of France |last= Laughlin |first=Clara E. |year=1919 |publisher=G.P. Putnam's sons |location=New York |isbn= 9780548070185 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=SPcAAAAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&pg=PA88#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> adding up to over six hundred miles of trail<ref name=NYT2008 /> with stately vintage signposts marking most of the intersections.<ref name=OTP /> The oldest ones include a small red mark which shows the direction to the château, relics of an imperial order given during the [[Second French Empire]] after the [[Eugénie de Montijo|Empress Eugénie]] found herself lost in the thick woods.<ref name=OTP /> |
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Some 350 roads and pathways cross it<ref name=Laughlin>Laughlin, p.</ref> adding up to over six hundred miles of trail<ref name=NYT2008 /> with stately vintage signposts marking most of the intersections.<ref name=OTP /> The oldest ones include a small red mark which shows the direction to the château, relics of an imperial order given during the [[Second French Empire]] after the [[Eugénie de Montijo|Empress Eugénie]] found herself lost in the thick woods.<ref name=OTP /> |
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The forest of Compiègne is a popular destination for all types of tourists. Horse-riders and bicyclists particularly enjoy the forest;<ref name=ParisDigest /> a long-running bicycle event, the Paris-[[Lille]] race,<ref>Armijo |
The forest of Compiègne is a popular destination for all types of tourists. Horse-riders and bicyclists particularly enjoy the forest;<ref name=ParisDigest /> a long-running bicycle event, the Paris-[[Lille]] race,<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cycling |last= Armijo |first=Vic |year=1999 |chapter=Chapter 3: Legendary Racers and Races |publisher= Penguin |location=USA |isbn= 0028629299 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=w4cYE5flGIMC&lpg=PT56&ots=KAZOqCYmRd&dq=Paris-Lille%20long-distance%20bicycle&pg=PT56#v=onepage&q=Paris-Lille%20long-distance%20bicycle&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }}</ref> has an established path through the forest.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sheldrakepress.demon.co.uk/Live/nav/travel/wf/wfch0203.html |title=Foret de Compiegne and Foret de Laigue |author= |date= |publisher=Sheldrake Press |accessdate=2011-01-03 }}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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====Prehistoric and classical eras==== |
====Prehistoric and classical eras==== |
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The forest of Compiègne area shows evidence of prehistoric habitation,<ref name=Sax>Sax |
The forest of Compiègne area shows evidence of prehistoric habitation,<ref name=Sax>{{Cite book |title=The English Tourist in France |last=Sax |first=Charles |coauthors=Géralde |year=1916 |publisher=Delagrave |location=Paris |isbn= |oclc=29085264 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LooKAQAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA211#v=onepage&q=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&f=false |pages=211 |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> and continuous forest cover has been definitively proven since at least the end of the [[Roman Empire]]. <ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Plue |first1=Jan |last2=Hermy |first2=Martin |year=1987 |title=Persistent changes in forest vegetation and seed bank 1,600 years after human occupation |journal=Landscape Ecology |publisher= |volume=23 |issue=6 |url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/r40816327787k86t/ |pages=1 |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallic-Roman]] edifices have been discovered there, and it is traversed on its south and east sides by an ancient [[Roman road]]<ref name=Sax /> (now called by the French ''Chaussèe de Brunhaut'').<ref name=Miltoun>{{Cite book |title=Royal Palaces and Parks of France |last=Miltoun |first=Francis |year=1910 |publisher=L. C. Page & company |location=Boston |isbn= |oclc=558333 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OLkfAAAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA358#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> During the [[Gallic Wars]], [[Julius Caesar]] won a decisive victory in the forest, defeating one of the larger tribes of north-eastern [[Gaul]], the [[Bellovaci]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last =Forbes |first =Henry O. |title =The Topography of Caesar's Last Campaign against the Bellovaci |journal =The Geographical Journal |pages=195 |volume=59, 3 |pages=195–206 |month=March |year=1922 |doi=10.2307/1781759 |url = http://jstor.org/stable/1781759 | issue=3 |publisher=The Geographical Journal, Vol. 59, No. 3}}</ref> A multitude of the forest's classical-era artifacts are on display at the Château's museum.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Paris and its environs |last=Baedeker |first=Karl |year=1878 |publisher=K. Baedeker |location=Leipzig |isbn= |pages=324 |oclc= 220274784 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=-m0DAAAAQAAJ&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA324#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> |
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====Dark Ages==== |
====Dark Ages==== |
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The earliest Frankish kings established the forest as their privileged hunting grounds,<ref |
The earliest Frankish kings established the forest as their privileged hunting grounds,<ref name=Miltoun/>{{rp|356}} and [[Clothar II|Clothaire the Great]] built the first royal residence there in the 7th century.<ref name=Miltoun/>{{rp|357-358}} The small palace, fitted cozily among the trees, was named Cusia and for some time thereafter the forest itself went by the name ''Forêt de Cuise''.<ref name=Miltoun/>{{rp|357-358}} A battle between the [[Merovingian dynasty|Merovingian-era]] kingdoms of [[Austrasia]] and [[Neustria]] took place in the forest in the year 715.<ref name=Miltoun/>{{rp|358}} |
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[[File:Napoleon-Hunt-Compiegne-1811 Carle-Vernet.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Most French monarchs enjoyed extravagant hunts at Compiègne. This 1811 oil painting by [[Carle Vernet]] depicts the Emperor [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon I]] at his sport.]] |
[[File:Napoleon-Hunt-Compiegne-1811 Carle-Vernet.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Most French monarchs enjoyed extravagant hunts at Compiègne. This 1811 oil painting by [[Carle Vernet]] depicts the Emperor [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon I]] at his sport.]] |
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====Medieval era==== |
====Medieval era==== |
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As Empress Eugénie's signposts attest, the thick and heavy forest can be a disorienting and potentially fatal place. In the twelfth century, at the age of fourteen, the future King [[Philip II of France]] found himself lost in the forest: he came so close to tragedy that his father, [[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]], felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of [[St. Thomas of Canterbury]] in [[England]] to pray for his recovery.<ref |
As Empress Eugénie's signposts attest, the thick and heavy forest can be a disorienting and potentially fatal place. In the twelfth century, at the age of fourteen, the future King [[Philip II of France]] found himself lost in the forest: he came so close to tragedy that his father, [[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]], felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of [[St. Thomas of Canterbury]] in [[England]] to pray for his recovery.<ref name=Hare/>{{rp|98}} In the fifteenth century, King [[Francis I]] commanded the construction of eight hardy roads through the forest, all of which converge on a single point called the King's Well (''Puits du Roi'').<ref name=Miltoun/>{{rp|358}} |
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====Early modern era==== |
====Early modern era==== |
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Prior to the [[Industrial Revolution]], the lush woodlands provided lumber for a thriving woodworking community around Compiègne.<ref name=Long>Long |
Prior to the [[Industrial Revolution]], the lush woodlands provided lumber for a thriving woodworking community around Compiègne.<ref name=Long>{{Cite book |title=The Penny cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge |last=Long |first=George |pages=421 |authorlink= |year=1837 |publisher=C. Knight |location=London |isbn=33433001000086 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=pfmWrMXcpmUC&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA421#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> One of the most popular products supplied by the forest was beech oil, used for cooking and folk medicines: it was prodigiously bottled and sold worldwide from Compiègne up through the 19th century until its marketshare was supplanted by newer, more refined oils.<ref>'{{Cite journal |last1= |first1= |year=1894 |title=Beech and Linden Oils |journal=Chemist and Druggist |publisher= |location=London |date=July-December 1894 |volume=45 |issue= |page=145 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cRbOAAAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20%2BChemist&pg=PA145#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> |
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====Second Empire==== |
====Second Empire==== |
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The forest of Compiègne witnessed much activity during the reign of the [[Emperor of the French|Emperor]] [[Napoleon III]], for whom the abundant forest was a personal favorite retreat.<ref> |
The forest of Compiègne witnessed much activity during the reign of the [[Emperor of the French|Emperor]] [[Napoleon III]], for whom the abundant forest was a personal favorite retreat.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Compiègne |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 5 |last=Beach |first=Frederick Converse |coauthors= |authorlink=Frederick Converse Beach |year=1903 |publisher=The Americana company |location=New York |isbn= |oclc= 46309553 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=f2tMAAAAMAAJ&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PT333#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> The Emperor was an avid huntsman, and he reconstituted the forest as grand hunting grounds, even going so far as to revive the age-old office of [[Grand Veneur of France|Grand Veneur]] to oversee it.<ref name=Naporg>{{Cite web |url=http://www.napoleon.org/en/magazine/museums/files/Compiegne_Forest.asp |title=Compiègne Forest |author= |date=2008 |publisher=Fondation Napoléon |accessdate=2010-12-27 |quote= }}</ref> The Emperor had a deep affection for the for the forest and frequently organized his hunting parties at the King's Well.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Memoirs of the Empress Eugenie |last=Fleury |first=Comte Maurice |year=1920 |publisher=D. Appleton & Co. |location=New York |isbn= |oclc=912797 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OaZSayEzbmEC&lpg=PA317&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA331#v=onepage&q=forest&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-05 |quote= }}</ref>{{rp|321}} In addition to hunting parties and competitions, the forest of Compiègne was the scene of extravagant receptions, parties and even theatrical performances.<ref name=Sax /> |
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====Armistice of 1918==== |
====Armistice of 1918==== |
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The forest of Compiègne was the site of the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|Armistice]] between [[Allies of World War I|the Allies]] and [[German Empire|Germany]] which ended [[World War I]] on 11 November 1918.<ref>Griffiths, |
The forest of Compiègne was the site of the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|Armistice]] between [[Allies of World War I|the Allies]] and [[German Empire|Germany]] which ended [[World War I]] on 11 November 1918.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Great War |last=Griffiths |first=William R. |coauthors=Griess, Thomas E. |year=2003 |publisher=Square One Publ. |location=Garden City Park, NY |isbn= 0757001580 |pages=163 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Fw7Owo0USCwC&lpg=PA163&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA163#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> The French commander-in-chief [[Ferdinand Foch|Marshal Foch]] convened the armistice talks deep in the forest beside the tiny village of [[Rethondes]],<ref>{{Cite book |title=Great War, Total War: combat and mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918 |last=Chickering |first=Roger |coauthors=Förster, Stig |year=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn= 0521773520 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Yikxt3y1eCIC&lpg=PA261&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA261#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }}</ref>{{rp|261}} with an eye towards secrecy because he wanted to shield the meeting from intrusive journalists,<ref name=Best>{{Cite book |title=The Greatest Day in History |last=Best |first=Nicholas |authorlink=Nicholas Best |year=2009 |publisher=Public Affairs |chapter=Chapter 5: Friday, 8 November 1918 |location=New York |isbn= 1586487728 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=iTvCDZluMmEC&lpg=PT74&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&pg=PT74#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> as well as spare the German delegation any hostile demonstrations by French locals.<ref name=Stein>{{Cite book |title=Field Marshal Von Manstein, a portrait: The Janus Head |last=Stein |first=Marcel |year=2007 |publisher=Helion & Company Ltd. |location=UK |pages=116 |isbn=1906033021 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qWuWOFS4o7AC&lpg=PA116&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA116#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> |
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====Armistice of 1940==== |
====Armistice of 1940==== |
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During [[World War II]], a [[Second Armistice at Compiègne|second treaty]] was signed in the forest, this time arranging an armistice between France and [[Nazi Germany]] (22 June 1940).<ref>Sulzberger |
During [[World War II]], a [[Second Armistice at Compiègne|second treaty]] was signed in the forest, this time arranging an armistice between France and [[Nazi Germany]] (22 June 1940).<ref>{{Cite book |title=World War II |last=Sulzberger |first=Cyrus Leo |year=1985 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |location=New York |pages=163 |isbn= 0828103313 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jtzV0RQ72z4C&lpg=PA38&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA38#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> With an unmistakable desire to humiliate his defeated enemy,<ref name=Stein /> German dictator [[Adolf Hitler]] gave orders that the surrender should be received in exactly the same spot, even the same railway car, where the Germans had surrendered in 1918.<ref name=Stein /> |
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==Armistice Clearing== |
==Armistice Clearing== |
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[[File:Clairiere de l'Armistice 2 Compiegne.jpg|thumb|left|300px|A memorial slab marks the location of the original railcar at Armistice Clearing.]] |
[[File:Clairiere de l'Armistice 2 Compiegne.jpg|thumb|left|300px|A memorial slab marks the location of the original railcar at Armistice Clearing.]] |
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A memorial site called ''Clairière de l'Armistice'' ("Glade of the Armistice", or "Armistice Clearing") covers the historic treaty area. Additions include a statue of Marshal Foch and the large [[Alsace-Lorraine]] Memorial, which depicts an [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] sword pinning down an [[Reichsadler|Imperial German eagle]]. A famous memorial tablet placed at the precise location of the cease-fire signing reads (in French), ''Here on the eleventh of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German Reich... vanquished by the free peoples which it tried to enslave.''<ref>Commager, |
A memorial site called ''Clairière de l'Armistice'' ("Glade of the Armistice", or "Armistice Clearing") covers the historic treaty area. Additions include a statue of Marshal Foch and the large [[Alsace-Lorraine]] Memorial, which depicts an [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] sword pinning down an [[Reichsadler|Imperial German eagle]]. A famous memorial tablet placed at the precise location of the cease-fire signing reads (in French), ''Here on the eleventh of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German Reich... vanquished by the free peoples which it tried to enslave.''<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Story of the Second World War |last=Commager |first=Henry Steele |authorlink=Henry Steele Commager |year=1945 |publisher=Little, Brown |location=Boston |isbn=1574887416 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=H2nUNdqobOkC&lpg=PA50&dq=Here%20on%20the%20eleventh%20of%20November%201918%20succumbed%20the%20criminal%20pride%20of%20the%20German%20Reich%2C%20vanquished%20by%20the%20free%20peoples%20which%20it%20tried%20to%20enslave.&pg=PA50#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-04 |quote= }}</ref>{{rp|50}} The original tablet was destroyed by the Nazis, but a new one was emplaced after the war.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Friedrich |first1=Otto |date=4 September 1989 |title=Desperate Years |journal=Time |publisher= |volume= |issue= |page= |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,958560-5,00.html |accessdate=2011-01-07 |quote= }}</ref> |
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====The armistice railcar==== |
====The armistice railcar==== |
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For the 1918 meeting, the French had specifically assembled the train with a special railcar which had once belonged to Napoleon III. The car was decorated with old Imperial emblems, redolent of past glories and mutely confirming the resurgence of French power after its defeat in the [[Franco-Prussian War]].<ref name=Best /> After the armistice of 1940, however, the railcar was remanded to Germany where it was eventually destroyed sometime before the end of the war.<ref name=NYT2008>{{Cite news |title=North of Paris, a Forest of History and Fantasy |author= |first=Sciolino |last=Elaine |authorlink=Elaine Sciolino |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/travel/02hourfrom.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=2 November 2008 |location= |page= |accessdate=2011-01-04 |quote= }}</ref> In 1950, a faithful replica of the original railcar was installed at the site.<ref name=BOF>Futé |
For the 1918 meeting, the French had specifically assembled the train with a special railcar which had once belonged to Napoleon III. The car was decorated with old Imperial emblems, redolent of past glories and mutely confirming the resurgence of French power after its defeat in the [[Franco-Prussian War]].<ref name=Best /> After the armistice of 1940, however, the railcar was remanded to Germany where it was eventually destroyed sometime before the end of the war.<ref name=NYT2008>{{Cite news |title=North of Paris, a Forest of History and Fantasy |author= |first=Sciolino |last=Elaine |authorlink=Elaine Sciolino |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/travel/02hourfrom.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=2 November 2008 |location= |page= |accessdate=2011-01-04 |quote= }}</ref> In 1950, a faithful replica of the original railcar was installed at the site.<ref name=BOF>{{Cite book |title=Best of France 2011 |last= Futé |first=Petit |year= |publisher=Petit Futé |location= |isbn= 2746929678 |pages=553 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OHkI9KBmmwcC&lpg=PA553&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&pg=PA553#v=onepage&q=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }}</ref> Decades later, some vestiges of the original car were discovered in Germany and returned to France: the pieces were added to the memorial display in 1995.<ref name=BOF /> |
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The Armistice Clearing remains open to the public six days a week.<ref name=BOF /> Visitors routinely leave photographs and other mementos to be displayed or stored in the museum, making it "an ever-changing place of pilgrimage".<ref name=NYT2008 /> |
The Armistice Clearing remains open to the public six days a week.<ref name=BOF /> Visitors routinely leave photographs and other mementos to be displayed or stored in the museum, making it "an ever-changing place of pilgrimage".<ref name=NYT2008 /> |
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File:Renault FT17 IMG 8406.jpg|A Renault FT-17 tank, c.1917. |
File:Renault FT17 IMG 8406.jpg|A Renault FT-17 tank, c.1917. |
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</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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==Notes== |
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⚫ | |||
==References== |
==References== |
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⚫ | |||
*{{Cite book |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cycling |last= Armijo |first=Vic |year=1999 |publisher= Penguin |location=USA |isbn= 0028629299 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=w4cYE5flGIMC&lpg=PT56&ots=KAZOqCYmRd&dq=Paris-Lille%20long-distance%20bicycle&pg=PT56#v=onepage&q=Paris-Lille%20long-distance%20bicycle&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Paris and its environs |last=Baedeker |first=Karl |year=1878 |publisher=K. Baedeker |location=Leipzig |isbn= |oclc= 220274784 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=-m0DAAAAQAAJ&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA324#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 5 |last=Beach |first=Frederick Converse |coauthors= |authorlink=Frederick Converse Beach |year=1903 |publisher=The Americana company |location=New York |isbn= |oclc= 46309553 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=f2tMAAAAMAAJ&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PT333#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Greatest Day in History |last=Best |first=Nicholas |authorlink=Nicholas Best |year=2009 |publisher=Public Affairs |location=New York |isbn= 1586487728 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=iTvCDZluMmEC&lpg=PT74&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&pg=PT74#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Great War, Total War: combat and mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918 |last=Chickering |first=Roger |coauthors=Förster, Stig |year=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn= 0521773520 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Yikxt3y1eCIC&lpg=PA261&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA261#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Story of the Second World War |last=Commager |first=Henry Steele |authorlink=Henry Steele Commager |year=1945 |publisher=Little, Brown |location=Boston |isbn=1574887416 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=H2nUNdqobOkC&lpg=PA50&dq=Here%20on%20the%20eleventh%20of%20November%201918%20succumbed%20the%20criminal%20pride%20of%20the%20German%20Reich%2C%20vanquished%20by%20the%20free%20peoples%20which%20it%20tried%20to%20enslave.&pg=PA50#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-04 |quote= }} |
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*{{Cite journal |last1=Dana |first1=Samuel T. |date=November 1914 |title=French Forests in the War Zone |journal=American Forestry |publisher=American Forestry Association |volume=20 |issue=11 |page= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hcfNAAAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA776#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Planted Forests: uses, impacts, and sustainability |last=Evans |first=Julian |year=2009 |publisher=CABI |location=Oxfordshire |isbn=1845935640 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FUXXvmChRF4C&lpg=PA5&ots=hWgfoHm5GO&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&lr&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=Compi%C3%A8gne&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Memoirs of the Empress Eugenie |last=Fleury |first=Comte Maurice |year=1920 |publisher=D. Appleton & Co. |location=New York |isbn= |oclc=912797 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OaZSayEzbmEC&lpg=PA317&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA331#v=onepage&q=forest&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-05 |quote= }} |
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*{{Cite journal |last =Forbes |first =Henry O. |title =The Topography of Caesar's Last Campaign against the Bellovaci |journal =The Geographical Journal |volume=59, 3 |pages=195–206 |month=March |year=1922 |doi=10.2307/1781759 |url = http://jstor.org/stable/1781759 | issue=3 |publisher=The Geographical Journal, Vol. 59, No. 3}} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Best of France 2011 |last= Futé |first=Petit |year= |publisher=Petit Futé |location= |isbn= 2746929678 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OHkI9KBmmwcC&lpg=PA553&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&pg=PA553#v=onepage&q=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Great War |last=Griffiths |first=William R. |coauthors=Griess, Thomas E. |year=2003 |publisher=Square One Publ. |location=Garden City Park, NY |isbn= 0757001580 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Fw7Owo0USCwC&lpg=PA163&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA163#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=North-eastern France |last=Hare |first=Augustus John Cuthbert |authorlink=Augustus John Cuthbert Hare |year=1890 |publisher=G. Allen |location=London |isbn= |oclc=1737047 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mOpnAAAAMAAJ&dq=Battle%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20%2Bforest&pg=PA98#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-04 |quote= }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Martyred Towns of France |last= Laughlin |first=Clara E. |year=1919 |publisher=G.P. Putnam's sons |location=New York |isbn= 9780548070185 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=SPcAAAAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest%20history&pg=PA88#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Living Age, Volume 198 |last=Littell |first=Eliakim |coauthors=Littell, Robert S. |authorlink=Eliakim Littell |year=1893 |publisher=The Living Age Co. Inc. |location=Boston |isbn= |oclc=447927755 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Rixid7P4v5sC&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA749#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Penny cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge |last=Long |first=George |coauthors= |authorlink= |year=1837 |publisher=C. Knight |location=London |isbn=33433001000086 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=pfmWrMXcpmUC&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA421#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Great Reshuffling: human dimensions of invasive alien species |last=McNeely |first=Jeffrey A. |year=2001 |publisher=IUCN |location=Cambridge |isbn= 2831706025 |url=http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sE6jEHVvwYAC&oi=fnd&pg=PA145&dq=Compiègne+Forest&ots=t74rIoGmY_&sig=YuBztniwfpT7ziGi6Johbr9pe20#v=onepage&q=compiegne&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Royal Palaces and Parks of France |last=Miltoun |first=Francis |year=1910 |publisher=L. C. Page & company |location=Boston |isbn= |oclc=558333 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OLkfAAAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA358#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite journal |last1=Plue |first1=Jan |last2=Hermy |first2=Martin |year=1987 |title=Persistent changes in forest vegetation and seed bank 1,600 years after human occupation |journal=Landscape Ecology |publisher= |volume=23 |issue=6 |url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/r40816327787k86t/ |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=New York Times current history: the European war, Volume 16 |last=New York Times Co. |first= |coauthors= |year=1918 |publisher=New York Times Co. |location=New York |isbn= |page=6 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kOELAAAAYAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The Wild Garden |last= Robinson |first=William |year=1903 |publisher=J. Murray |location=London |isbn= |oclc=476229043 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P31GAAAAYAAJ&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=The English Tourist in France |last=Sax |first=Charles |coauthors=Géralde |year=1916 |publisher=Delagrave |location=Paris |isbn= |oclc=29085264 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LooKAQAAMAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA211#v=onepage&q=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=A Practical Medical Dictionary (Fifth Ed.) |last=Stedman |first=Thomas Lathrop |year=1918 |publisher=William Wood and Co. |location=New York |isbn= |oclc= 68605315 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=chC6AAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA869&ots=CuNpvbcdEF&dq=spring%20of%20Saint-Sauveur%20Oise&pg=PA869#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Field Marshal Von Manstein, a portrait: The Janus Head |last=Stein |first=Marcel |year=2007 |publisher=Helion & Company Ltd. |location=UK |isbn=1906033021 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qWuWOFS4o7AC&lpg=PA116&dq=flora%20of%20Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA116#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Ariadne's Clue: A Guide to the Symbols of Humankind |last=Stevens |first=Anthony |year=2001 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, NJ |isbn=0691086613 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=06We3O2BWVwC&lpg=PA130&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA130#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-03 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=World War II |last=Sulzberger |first=Cyrus Leo |year=1985 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |location=New York |isbn= 0828103313 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jtzV0RQ72z4C&lpg=PA38&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PA38#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2010-12-30 }} |
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*{{Cite book |title=Studies in French Forestry |last=Woolsey |first=Theodore Salisbury |coauthors=Greeley, William Buckhout |authorlink=Theodore Salisbury Woolsey |year=1920 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=New York |isbn= |oclc=3794852 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fQY9AAAAYAAJ&dq=Compi%C3%A8gne%20Forest&pg=PR21#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-01-04 |quote= }} |
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Revision as of 19:39, 9 January 2011
49°25′39″N 02°54′23″E / 49.42750°N 2.90639°E
Forest of Compiègne French: Forêt de Compiègne | |
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Geography | |
Location | Compiègne, Oise, France |
Elevation | 30 to 148 metres (98 to 486 ft)* |
Area | 14,414 ha (144.14 km2; 55.65 sq mi) |
Administration | |
Status | Protected under Natura 2000 and Site of Community Importance |
Events | Armistice with Germany (WWI) Armistice with France (WWII) |
Governing body | National Forests Office (France) |
Ecology | |
Dominant tree species | Oak, Beech |
The Forest of Compiègne (French: Forêt de Compiègne) is a large forest in the region of Picardie, France, near the city of Compiègne and approximately 37 miles (60 km) north of Paris.[1]
Geography
The forest of Compiègne is roughly circular with a diameter of about nine miles;[2] it is approximately fifty-eight miles in circumference[3] and its area is roughly 14,414 hectares (35,620 acres).[4]
The forest is lushly irrigated, being adjacent to the Oise and the Aisne rivers, as well as many smaller tributaries and streams.[5]: 749
On its northwest, the forest hugs its small namesake city, and to its north and northeast lies the large national forest of Laigue (Forêt Domaniale de Laigue). Around its remaining perimeter, it contains or is adjacent to numerous communes including Vieux-Moulin, Lacroix-Saint-Ouen, Saint-Sauveur, Béthisy-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Jean-aux-Bois, and Pierrefonds.[6]
Just outside the city of Compiègne, a grand entrance to the forest begins at the resplendent Château de Compiègne, a former royal residence on the city's western edge. Stretching forward from the château, the Avenue de Beaux Monts scales the heights of the same name, providing a scenic promenade into the woods.[7]: 101
Characteristics
The forest of Compiègne is famous for its artful natural attractions, with its elegant arrays of oak and beech trees projecting a "noble and ordered beauty".[5]: 749
The most prominent tree species are oak (Quercus robur), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus).[8][9]: 776 Much of the oak was heavily harvested over the centuries but was replanted aggressively in the nineteenth century when fears of deforestation began to be addressed.[10] Since the late twentieth century, the North American black cherry tree (Prunus serotina) has spread vigorously throughout the forest, eliciting mixed reactions from local arborists.[11]
Numerous flowering plants thrive in the woods,[5]: 749 notably large numbers of Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis).[12]: 92 Small lakes, ponds, brooks and springs abound throughout the forest,[5]: 749 including the Spring of Saint-Sauveur,[13]: 131 which is actually a pair of therapeutic mineral water springs running both hot and cold.[14]
The forest sustains a great number of game animals including deer, rabbit and wild boar,[15] and the varied terrain - plateaus cut by valleys and gorges, hills, streams and ponds - makes for challenging hunting. For centuries the Compiègne forest has been a prized hunting ground for virtually all the kings of France.[7]: 101 Some 350 roads and pathways cross it[3] adding up to over six hundred miles of trail[15] with stately vintage signposts marking most of the intersections.[2] The oldest ones include a small red mark which shows the direction to the château, relics of an imperial order given during the Second French Empire after the Empress Eugénie found herself lost in the thick woods.[2]
The forest of Compiègne is a popular destination for all types of tourists. Horse-riders and bicyclists particularly enjoy the forest;[1] a long-running bicycle event, the Paris-Lille race,[16] has an established path through the forest.[17]
History
Prehistoric and classical eras
The forest of Compiègne area shows evidence of prehistoric habitation,[18] and continuous forest cover has been definitively proven since at least the end of the Roman Empire. [19] Gallic-Roman edifices have been discovered there, and it is traversed on its south and east sides by an ancient Roman road[18] (now called by the French Chaussèe de Brunhaut).[20] During the Gallic Wars, Julius Caesar won a decisive victory in the forest, defeating one of the larger tribes of north-eastern Gaul, the Bellovaci.[21] A multitude of the forest's classical-era artifacts are on display at the Château's museum.[22]
Dark Ages
The earliest Frankish kings established the forest as their privileged hunting grounds,[20]: 356 and Clothaire the Great built the first royal residence there in the 7th century.[20]: 357–358 The small palace, fitted cozily among the trees, was named Cusia and for some time thereafter the forest itself went by the name Forêt de Cuise.[20]: 357–358 A battle between the Merovingian-era kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria took place in the forest in the year 715.[20]: 358
Medieval era
As Empress Eugénie's signposts attest, the thick and heavy forest can be a disorienting and potentially fatal place. In the twelfth century, at the age of fourteen, the future King Philip II of France found himself lost in the forest: he came so close to tragedy that his father, Louis VII, felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury in England to pray for his recovery.[7]: 98 In the fifteenth century, King Francis I commanded the construction of eight hardy roads through the forest, all of which converge on a single point called the King's Well (Puits du Roi).[20]: 358
Early modern era
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the lush woodlands provided lumber for a thriving woodworking community around Compiègne.[23] One of the most popular products supplied by the forest was beech oil, used for cooking and folk medicines: it was prodigiously bottled and sold worldwide from Compiègne up through the 19th century until its marketshare was supplanted by newer, more refined oils.[24]
Second Empire
The forest of Compiègne witnessed much activity during the reign of the Emperor Napoleon III, for whom the abundant forest was a personal favorite retreat.[25] The Emperor was an avid huntsman, and he reconstituted the forest as grand hunting grounds, even going so far as to revive the age-old office of Grand Veneur to oversee it.[26] The Emperor had a deep affection for the for the forest and frequently organized his hunting parties at the King's Well.[27]: 321 In addition to hunting parties and competitions, the forest of Compiègne was the scene of extravagant receptions, parties and even theatrical performances.[18]
Armistice of 1918
The forest of Compiègne was the site of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany which ended World War I on 11 November 1918.[28] The French commander-in-chief Marshal Foch convened the armistice talks deep in the forest beside the tiny village of Rethondes,[29]: 261 with an eye towards secrecy because he wanted to shield the meeting from intrusive journalists,[30] as well as spare the German delegation any hostile demonstrations by French locals.[31]
Armistice of 1940
During World War II, a second treaty was signed in the forest, this time arranging an armistice between France and Nazi Germany (22 June 1940).[32] With an unmistakable desire to humiliate his defeated enemy,[31] German dictator Adolf Hitler gave orders that the surrender should be received in exactly the same spot, even the same railway car, where the Germans had surrendered in 1918.[31]
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Ferdinand Foch outside the armistice train.
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The Great War concludes, 11 November 1918.
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The second Treaty of Compiègne, 22 June 1940.
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Hitler observing the statue of Marshal Foch.
Armistice Clearing
A memorial site called Clairière de l'Armistice ("Glade of the Armistice", or "Armistice Clearing") covers the historic treaty area. Additions include a statue of Marshal Foch and the large Alsace-Lorraine Memorial, which depicts an Allied sword pinning down an Imperial German eagle. A famous memorial tablet placed at the precise location of the cease-fire signing reads (in French), Here on the eleventh of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German Reich... vanquished by the free peoples which it tried to enslave.[33]: 50 The original tablet was destroyed by the Nazis, but a new one was emplaced after the war.[34]
The armistice railcar
For the 1918 meeting, the French had specifically assembled the train with a special railcar which had once belonged to Napoleon III. The car was decorated with old Imperial emblems, redolent of past glories and mutely confirming the resurgence of French power after its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War.[30] After the armistice of 1940, however, the railcar was remanded to Germany where it was eventually destroyed sometime before the end of the war.[15] In 1950, a faithful replica of the original railcar was installed at the site.[35] Decades later, some vestiges of the original car were discovered in Germany and returned to France: the pieces were added to the memorial display in 1995.[35]
The Armistice Clearing remains open to the public six days a week.[35] Visitors routinely leave photographs and other mementos to be displayed or stored in the museum, making it "an ever-changing place of pilgrimage".[15]
-
The armistice car replica on display, 2010.
-
The Alsace-Lorraine monument.The Alsace-Lorraine monument.
-
The statue of Marshal Foch.
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A Renault FT-17 tank, c.1917.
References
- ^ a b "The city and forest of Compiegne near Paris". Paris Digest. 1997. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ a b c "Compiègne Forest". Office de Tourisme de Pierrefonds. 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ a b Laughlin, Clara E. (1919). The Martyred Towns of France. New York: G.P. Putnam's sons. ISBN 9780548070185. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Woolsey, Theodore Salisbury, Jr. (1920). Studies in French Forestry. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. xxi. OCLC 3794852. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d Littell, Eliakim (1893). The Living Age, Volume 198. Boston: The Living Age Co. Inc. OCLC 447927755. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Compiègne Forest". Google Maps. 2011. Retrieved 2011-0107.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ a b c Hare, Augustus John Cuthbert (1890). North-eastern France. London: G. Allen. OCLC 1737047. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ New York Times Co. (1918). New York Times current history: the European war, Volume 16. New York: New York Times Co. p. 6. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
{{cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - ^ Dana, Samuel T. (November 1914). "French Forests in the War Zone". American Forestry. 20 (11). American Forestry Association. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Evans, Julian (2009). Planted Forests: uses, impacts, and sustainability. Oxfordshire: CABI. p. 7. ISBN 1845935640. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ McNeely, Jeffrey A. (2001). The Great Reshuffling: human dimensions of invasive alien species. Cambridge: IUCN. p. 155. ISBN 2831706025. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Robinson, William (1903). The Wild Garden. London: J. Murray. OCLC 476229043. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Stevens, Anthony (2001). Ariadne's Clue: A Guide to the Symbols of Humankind. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691086613. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ Stedman, Thomas Lathrop (1918). A Practical Medical Dictionary (Fifth Ed.). New York: William Wood and Co. p. 869. OCLC 68605315. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ a b c d Elaine, Sciolino (2 November 2008). "North of Paris, a Forest of History and Fantasy". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ Armijo, Vic (1999). "Chapter 3: Legendary Racers and Races". The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cycling. USA: Penguin. ISBN 0028629299. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ "Foret de Compiegne and Foret de Laigue". Sheldrake Press. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ a b c Sax, Charles (1916). The English Tourist in France. Paris: Delagrave. p. 211. OCLC 29085264. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ Plue, Jan; Hermy, Martin (1987). "Persistent changes in forest vegetation and seed bank 1,600 years after human occupation". Landscape Ecology. 23 (6): 1. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ a b c d e f Miltoun, Francis (1910). Royal Palaces and Parks of France. Boston: L. C. Page & company. OCLC 558333. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Forbes, Henry O. (1922). "The Topography of Caesar's Last Campaign against the Bellovaci". The Geographical Journal. 59, 3 (3). The Geographical Journal, Vol. 59, No. 3: 195–206. doi:10.2307/1781759.
{{cite journal}}
: Unknown parameter|month=
ignored (help) - ^ Baedeker, Karl (1878). Paris and its environs. Leipzig: K. Baedeker. p. 324. OCLC 220274784. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Long, George (1837). The Penny cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. London: C. Knight. p. 421. ISBN 33433001000086. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: length (help) - ^ '"Beech and Linden Oils". Chemist and Druggist. 45. London: 145. July–December 1894. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ Beach, Frederick Converse (1903). "Compiègne". The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 5. New York: The Americana company. OCLC 46309553. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - ^ "Compiègne Forest". Fondation Napoléon. 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ Fleury, Comte Maurice (1920). Memoirs of the Empress Eugenie. New York: D. Appleton & Co. OCLC 912797. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ Griffiths, William R. (2003). The Great War. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publ. p. 163. ISBN 0757001580. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ Chickering, Roger (2000). Great War, Total War: combat and mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521773520. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Best, Nicholas (2009). "Chapter 5: Friday, 8 November 1918". The Greatest Day in History. New York: Public Affairs. ISBN 1586487728. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ a b c Stein, Marcel (2007). Field Marshal Von Manstein, a portrait: The Janus Head. UK: Helion & Company Ltd. p. 116. ISBN 1906033021. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Sulzberger, Cyrus Leo (1985). World War II. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 163. ISBN 0828103313. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ Commager, Henry Steele (1945). The Story of the Second World War. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 1574887416. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ Friedrich, Otto (4 September 1989). "Desperate Years". Time. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ a b c Futé, Petit. Best of France 2011. Petit Futé. p. 553. ISBN 2746929678. Retrieved 2010-12-30.