Aubenton


Aubenton is a commune in the department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.

Geography

Aubenton derives its name from its location near the confluence of the Aube and the Thon.
The commune is located some 70 km east of Saint Quentin and 40 km west by northwest of Charleville-Mézières. The D1043 road from Hirson to Charleville-Mézières runs along the northern border of the commune. The village can be accessed from this road by the D5 road running southeast or the D37 road running south-west. The D5 road continues through the commune and south, changing to the D977, and continuing to Rozoy-sur-Serre. The D37 road continues west from the village to Besmont. There is also the D38 road from Leuze in the west passing through the village and continuing to Hannappes in the east. The railway from Hirson to Charleville-Mézières also passes through the commune following the course of the river Thon but there is no station in the commune, the nearest being at Liart to the east. The commune is about 80% farmland with the rest extensive forests in the south. There are a number of hamlets other than the village. These are:
  • Bas Val La Caure
  • Buirefontaine
  • Haute Val la Caure
  • Hurtebise
  • La Rue Larcher
  • Le Bois Carbonnet
  • Ribeauville
  • Saint-Nicholas
The river Thon flows from east to west through the north of the commune eventually joining the Oise at Etreaupont. The Ruisseau du Bois Carbonnet rises in the south of the commune, discharging into the Ruisseau de l'Étang Polliart, a tributary of the Thon.
Aubenton is surrounded by 7 communes: Brunehamel, Iviers, Beaumé, Leuze, Any-Martin-Rieux, Logny-lès-Aubenton, and Mont-Saint-Jean.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

Second World War

The department of Aisne has 10 people designated "Righteous Among the Nations", of whom 3 were from Aubenton:
  • Emile Fontaine
  • Annette Pierron, his girlfriend at the time
  • Camille Pierron, mother of Annette and the owner of a farm at Buirefontaine
Shot by the Gestapo on the Aubenton-Besmont road on 30 March 1944, Emile Fontaine was recognized as a captain in the French Forces of the Interior after the Liberation. All three had saved 10 escapees from the "Judenlager of Mazures" who hid for a time at Buirefontaine.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Aubenton
FromToName
16401648Roland Dobsen
18481649Dormet
16491688Nicolas Deswatines
16881694Dormet
16941704Jean Grégoire de l'Etang-Neuf
17041708Martin Brucelle
17081753Louis Dambraine
17541763Jacques Coyer
17631790Jacques Pierre Coyer
17901800Louis Antoine Sorlin
18001816Nicolas de Villelongue
18161830Joseph Petit
18301831Edouard Marie Louis Ternaux
18311836César Millet
18361840Paul Emile Barbier
18401848Célestin Landragin
18481849Joseph Millet
18481850Joseph Prud'homme
18501870Célestin Landragin
18711902Isidore Cabaret
19021909Henri Cabaret
19081914Juramie
19141919Procureur
19191926Fernand Dizy

;Mayors from 1926
FromToNamePartyPosition
19261946Henri Bouxin
19461971Charles Dejume
19711973Marcel Ferraris
19731983Guy Navaux
19831989Christian Pillot
19892001René SablinPCF
20012013Bernard NoéUMPGeneral Council Member
20132020Denise CharlierDVD
2020incumbentBernard Grehant

Population

Culture and heritage

The commune has a very large number of buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments. An abridged list of the most prominent historical monuments is shown below.

Civil heritage

  • The Girls' School
  • The War memorial
  • The Town Hall. The Town Hall contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
  • * A Bust: Marianne
  • * A Bust: Lieutenant André Bouxin
  • Le Chalet Industrial House. The house contains a Fountain which is registered as an historical object.
  • The Railway Station
  • The old Hotel Collin now the Jean Mermoz Museum. The Museum contains several items which are registered as historical objects:
  • * A Bas-relief: Arms surmounted by lions
  • * A Bust: Jean Mermoz
  • * A Bas-relief: Jean Mermoz as an aviator
  • * A Bas-relief: Jean Mermoz
  • * A Lamp called the Lampedaire of Jean Mermoz
  • * Jean Mermoz's Cradle
  • * A Commemorative plaque for Jean Mermoz
  • The old Flour Mill
  • The old City Walls of which only two remain of the original seven towers: the Tour de Chimay has been transformed into a cottage managed by the commune. Another tower on private land is visible from the road along the Thon

    Religious heritage

  • The Fortified Parish Church of Notre-Dame There are also a very large number of registered historical objects contained in the Church.
  • A Funeral Monument to André Bouxin. The monument is surmounted by a large Statue: André Bouxin in a lieutenant's uniform which is registered as an historical object.

    Photo gallery

Notable people linked to the commune

  • Jean Mermoz, aviator.
  • Joseph Nelson Soye, doctor and MP
  • Emile Fontaine, Annette Pierron, and Camille Pierron, resistance fighters and "Righteous Among the Nations"