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Rocroi | |
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Coordinates: 49°55′34″N 4°31′20″E / 49.9261°N 4.5222°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Grand Est |
Department | Ardennes |
Arrondissement | Charleville-Mézières |
Canton | Rocroi |
Intercommunality | Vallées et Plateau d'Ardenne |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Denis Binet [1] |
Area 1 | 50.41 km2 (19.46 sq mi) |
Population (2021)
[2] | 2,259 |
• Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 ( CET) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC+02:00 ( CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code |
08367 /08230 |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Rocroi (French pronunciation: [ʁɔkʁwa]) is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.
The central area is a notable surviving example of a bastion fort.
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Source: EHESS [3] and INSEE (1968-2017) [4] |
Rocroi was fortified by Francis I of France and expanded by Henry II of France. Because of its strategic location in the north of France it changed hands a number of times during wars. It is best known for the Battle of Rocroi in 1643. In the 1670s the fortifications were re-modelled by the French engineer Vauban. [5]
In 1815, two months after the Battle of Waterloo, the town was taken by Prussian and British forces (on 16 August).