Around 1560, Valenciennes became an early center of Calvinism. In 1562, here occurred the first act of resistance against religious persecution in the Netherlands, when a crowd liberated some Protestants condemned to die at the stake. In 1580, the town, by then a Calvinist stronghold, was conquered by Alexander Farnese and Protestantism was eradicated.
By the Treaty of Nijmegen, the French took control of Valenciennes (1678) and the surrounding southern part of Hainault, roughly cutting the former county in halves. Shortly thereafter, Vauban visited the city in the effort to fortify the northern reaches of France.
The city was under siege in 1793, during the Napoleonic wars.
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During the XIXth century, thanks to its coal beds, Valenciennes became a large industrial centre. The city was for a time the capital of the steel industry and of metallurgy n the North.
The city is occupied by the german force in 1914. It is liberated in 1918 by the british and canadian army.
En 1940 Valenciennes is bombed and a enormous fire destroys the city centre. The Germans occupy the city once more until 1944 when the american troops walk into the city and give it back its freedom. |
Economy
Valenciennes is historically renowned for its lace. Until the 1970s, the main industries were steel and textiles. Since their decline, reconversion attempts focus mainly on automobile production. In 2001, Toyota built its Western European assembly line for the Toyota Yaris in Valenciennes. Because of this and other changes, the average unemployment in the region is now lower than the national average.
On 15 July 2004 the Administrative Board of the European Union's Railway Agency held its first meeting in Phénix, with representatives of the 25 Member States and François Lamoureux, those days Director General for Energy and Transportation at the European Commission. Valenciennes was picked as the European Railway Agency headquarters in December of 2003. International conferences are held in Lille.
The Hindenburg Line ran through Valenciennes during World War I, leading to extensive destruction. Valenciennes was again almost completely destroyed during World War II, and has since been rebuilt in concrete.
A few surviving monuments are:
- The façade of the city offices, which managed to survive the bombardments of the war.
- Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon, to which there is an annual pilgrimage.
- La Maison Espagnole, the remains of the Spanish occupation, which ended in 1678.
- The Dodenne Tower, the remaining part of the mediaeval fortifications after Charles V ordered them reduced.
Famous people born in Valenciennes
(source: Wikipedia)