Last modified: 2005-03-05 by ivan sache
Keywords: marne | vitry-le-francois | fleurs-de-lys: 3 (yellow) | salamander (yellow) | war cross |
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![[Flag of Vitry-le-F.]](../images/f/fr-51-vf.gif)
by Arnaud Leroy
See also:
Vitry-le-François (17,000 inhabitants; 641 hectares) is a sous-préfecture of the department of Marne in Champagne. Vitry is located on a very important crossroad of communication routes: route nationale 4 from Paris (175 km westwards) to Nancy (120 km eastwards) and route nationale 44 to Châlons-en-Champagne (30 km) and Reims (80 km northwards), route départementale 395 to Bar-le-Duc (50 km northeastwards) and route départementale 396 to Brienne-le-Château (40 km southwards); railway Paris-Strasbourg and Calais-Lyon-Marseilles; and waterways: canal de la Marne à la Saône, canal de la Marne au Rhin and canal latéral à la Marne.
In the Gallo-Roman times, a man called Victorius owned the domain of
Victoriacum. The settlement that was built later there took the name
of Vitry. Due to its strategical location, the history of Vitry is made
of a succession of sieges, blaze and destruction.
King of France Louis VII (1120-1180, King in 1137) attempted to control
the appointment of the Bishops, a main political concern at that time.
In 1138, the Bishopric of Langres wa