Armentières

Geography

Armentières lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys.

History

In 1668, the town became French, along with most of the rest of French Flanders. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Armentières acquired fame, being the "City of Fabric". Industrial weaving, spinning and brewing grew in Armentières, benefitting from the presence of water.

Armentières particularly suffered during the World Wars although the town received two Military Crosses, one for World War I and the second for the Second World War and the Legion d'Honneur. In Armentières and the surrounding areas, the military cemeteries are places of remembrance for the casualties of the world wars. "Mademoiselle from Armentières" was a popular song among Allied soldiers in World War I.

During World War I, in October 1914, the town was the site of the Battle of Armentières. Later in the war, Armentières was repeatedly shelled by the Germans with mustard gas. In July 1917, 675 civilians were wounded of which 86 died due to lingering residue, as the agent was a new and unknown weapon. In April 1918, German troops shelled the town again. British troops were forced to evacuate the area, but the Germans could not enter for two weeks because of the heavy contamination. Witnesses to the bombardment stated that the shelling was so heavy that liquid mustard gas ran in the streets.

Population

| graph-pos = bottom |1793 |7671 |1800 |7598 |1806 |7542 |1821 |7681 |1831 |6338 |1836 |6512 |1841 |6817 |1846 |7959 |1851 |8840 |1856 |10104 |1861 |11901 |1866 |15579 |1872 |19035 |1876 |21746 |1881 |25089 |1886 |27985 |1891 |28638 |1896 |29603 |1901 |29401 |1906 |28613 |1911 |28625 |1921 |14758 |1926 |21035 |1931 |22704 |1936 |24049 |1946 |22667 |1954 |24940 |1962 |25248 |1968 |26916 |1975 |26346 |1982 |24834 |1990 |25219 |1999 |25273 |2007 |25170 |2012 |25993 |2017 |24882

Heraldry

Argent a fleur de lys gules and on a chief of the same a sun or and a decrescent of the same.

Railways

Armentières has a railway station on the line from Lille to Calais and Dunkirk.

It was commissioned in 1848 by the Chemins de Fer du Nord (Northern Railway Company). The buildings were completed in 1861.

The station is currently served by TER Hauts-de-France trains, on the routes between Lille-Flandres station and Dunkirk, and between Lille-Flandres and Hazebrouck.

Twin towns – sister cities

Armentières is twinned with:

• CZE Litoměřice, Czech Republic
• GER Osterode am Harz, Germany
• ENG Stalybridge, England, United Kingdom

Notable people

• Amédée Fournier (1912–1992), cyclist, Olympic medalist
• Jean Maurice Fiey (1914–1995), Church historian and Syriacist
• Dany Boon (born 1966), actor and stand-up comedian
• Martin Terrier (born 1997), footballer

Monuments

The belfry of Armentières was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, and in recognition of their influence in the rise of municipal power in Europe. The belfry, just like the nearing city hall was designed by the architect Louis Marie Cordonnier and is open for visitors and tourists.

In fiction

Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers hides in Armentières. She is caught and executed there.

The bawdy song, Mademoiselle from Armentières, was popular amongst British and American troops during World War 1. There are multiple version of the lyrics, that mostly refer to a woman from the town.

References

References

1. (12 March 2025). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
2. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/59017-armentieres INSEE commune file]
3. (2002). "The Poisonous Cloud: Chemical warfare in the First World War".
4. James Atkinson. "Gas Attack".
5. Heller, Charles E.. (September 1984). "Chemical Warfare in World War I: The American Experience, 1917–1918". [[U.S. Army Command and General Staff College]].
6. {{Cassini-Ehess. 1275. Armentières
7. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-59017#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
8. Devaux père et fils, « Chemins de fer : service et situation en 1861 », dans ''Annuaire statistique du département du Nord'', Lille, 1863 p. 337 [https://books.google.com/books?id=56sEAAAAQAAJ&dq=agrandissement+gare+d%27armenti%C3%A8res&pg=PA337 intégral]
9. Site SNCF {{nobr. TER Hauts-de-France, Informations pratiques sur les gares et arrêts : [https://www.ter.sncf.com/hauts-de-france/gares/87286146/Armenti%C3%A8res/pratique Gare d'Armentières] (consulté le 29 janvier 2020).
10. "Jumelage". Armentières.
11. "Belfries of Belgium and France". United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
12. "Destination lille Cities and territories".