Saint-Dizier

Saint-Dizier (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.di.zje]) is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.^[3]

Saint-Dizier
Subprefecture and commune
The Notre-Dame church in Saint-Dizier
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Dizier
Saint-Dizier Show map of France Saint-Dizier Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 48°38′18″N 4°56′59″E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Haute-Marne
Arrondissement	Saint-Dizier
Canton	Saint-Dizier-1, 2 and 3
Intercommunality	CA Grand Saint-Dizier, Der et Vallées
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Quentin Briere[1]
Area 1	47.69 km2 (18.41 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	22,811
• Density	480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	52448 /52100
Elevation	146 m (479 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It has a population of 23,382 (2018 figure) and is a subprefecture of the department. Although Saint-Dizier is marginally the most populous commune in Haute-Marne, the préfecture (capital) resides in the somewhat smaller commune of Chaumont.

Geography

Aerial view

Located approximately 120 miles (193 km) east of Paris, halfway to Strasbourg, it is five miles from Western Europe's largest man-made lake, Lake Der-Chantecoq.

Climate

The climate in Saint-Dizier is oceanic according to the Köppen climate classification (Cfb code). However, far from any ocean or sea, Saint-Dizier experiences continental climate characteristics resulting in cold winters with freezing nights and cool days with temperatures staying in the single digits and warm to hot summers with frequent thunderstorms.

Climate data for Saint-Dizier (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1921–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	17.7 (63.9)	22.6 (72.7)	27.1 (80.8)	29.4 (84.9)	33.1 (91.6)	38.1 (100.6)	41.4 (106.5)	40.4 (104.7)	35.5 (95.9)	30.3 (86.5)	23.4 (74.1)	18.6 (65.5)	41.4 (106.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.5 (43.7)	8.0 (46.4)	12.3 (54.1)	16.4 (61.5)	20.2 (68.4)	23.6 (74.5)	26.0 (78.8)	25.7 (78.3)	21.3 (70.3)	16.2 (61.2)	10.4 (50.7)	7.1 (44.8)	16.1 (61.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.7 (38.7)	4.4 (39.9)	7.6 (45.7)	10.8 (51.4)	14.7 (58.5)	18.1 (64.6)	20.2 (68.4)	19.9 (67.8)	16.0 (60.8)	12.1 (53.8)	7.3 (45.1)	4.4 (39.9)	11.6 (52.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	0.8 (33.4)	0.8 (33.4)	2.9 (37.2)	5.3 (41.5)	9.3 (48.7)	12.5 (54.5)	14.5 (58.1)	14.2 (57.6)	10.7 (51.3)	7.9 (46.2)	4.1 (39.4)	1.7 (35.1)	7.1 (44.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−20.5 (−4.9)	−22.5 (−8.5)	−13.6 (7.5)	−6.0 (21.2)	−3.0 (26.6)	2.2 (36.0)	3.2 (37.8)	3.7 (38.7)	−0.2 (31.6)	−5.1 (22.8)	−11.7 (10.9)	−17.3 (0.9)	−22.5 (−8.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	63.2 (2.49)	61.2 (2.41)	59.6 (2.35)	54.6 (2.15)	68.3 (2.69)	57.5 (2.26)	69.6 (2.74)	65.1 (2.56)	70.9 (2.79)	75.4 (2.97)	70.6 (2.78)	78.5 (3.09)	794.5 (31.28)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	11.1	10.9	10.2	9.5	10.4	9.2	9.4	8.8	9.0	11.4	12.1	13.1	125.2
Average snowy days	6.3	5.2	3.6	1.4	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.5	4.5	23.6
Average relative humidity (%)	86	81	78	73	74	75	74	77	81	85	87	86	79.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours	61.4	81.4	143.0	183.2	216.4	227.8	234.9	224.2	173.0	115.8	62.5	52.6	1,776.2
Source 1: Meteociel[4]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)[5]

History

Named after an unknown saint (possibly Desiderius of Fontenelle), the town originated as a fortified settlement around a thirteenth-century château, eventually becoming a royal fortress to guard the French kingdom's eastern approaches. The town was besieged and captured by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in the summer of 1544. A fire in 1775 destroyed two-thirds of the town center. The château was owned by the Orléans family until the French Revolution, was a base for German troops during World War II, and currently houses the Municipal Museum.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 5,500 —     1800 5,824 +0.82% 1806 5,614 −0.61% 1821 5,817 +0.24% 1831 6,163 +0.58% 1836 6,366 +0.65% 1841 5,705 −2.17% 1846 7,136 +4.58% 1851 7,429 +0.81% 1856 7,642 +0.57% 1861 8,077 +1.11% 1866 10,170 +4.72% 1872 11,229 +1.66% 1876 12,754 +3.23% 1881 12,773 +0.03% 1886 13,458 +1.05% 1891 13,372 −0.13% 1896 13,947 +0.85%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 14,601 +0.92% 1906 14,661 +0.08% 1911 16,019 +1.79% 1921 17,576 +0.93% 1926 19,019 +1.59% 1931 18,292 −0.78% 1936 19,149 +0.92% 1946 19,532 +0.20% 1954 25,515 +3.40% 1962 34,407 +3.81% 1968 36,616 +1.04% 1975 37,266 +0.25% 1982 35,189 −0.82% 1990 33,552 −0.59% 1999 30,900 −0.91% 2007 26,962 −1.69% 2012 25,280 −1.28% 2017 24,012 −1.02%
Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE (1968-2017)[7]

Notable people

Saint-Dizier is the birthplace of

• Baroque-era musicologist André Pirro
• Organist André Isoir
• Conductor Jean-Paul Penin
• Physicist and materials scientist Christian Janot
• Former world middleweight boxing champion Marcel Thil. A street is named in his honor

See also

• Communes of the Haute-Marne department
• Saint-Dizier – Robinson Air Base