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48-411: Meaux is, with Provins , Torcy and Fontainebleau , one of the four subprefectures ( sous-préfectures ) of the department of Seine-et-Marne , Melun being the prefecture . In France a subprefecture is the chef-lieu (the seat or administrative capital) of an arrondissement : Meaux is the subprefecture of the arrondissement of Meaux . It is also the chef-lieu of a smaller administrative division:

96-449: A banking center, with the "denier" being widely accepted throughout Europe. The fairs continued from 1120 until 1320. King Philip IV visited Provins several times in the late 13th century, devastating the town with harsh taxes that ended its period of prosperity and caused residents to flee. The town was besieged numerous times and changed hands frequently in the 14th through 16th centuries. This political and economic instability reduced

144-507: A consistent house style and quality. In this respect, it is similar to the process of blending whisky or non-vintage Champagne to achieve a consistent brand flavor. A very small number of producers, such as Guillon Painturaud and Moyet , do not blend their final product from different ages of eaux de vie , so produce a "purer" flavour. Hundreds of vineyards in the Cognac AOC region sell their own cognac. These are likewise blended from

192-708: A large percentage of cognac—more than 90% for the US market—comes from only four producers: Courvoisier (owned by the Campari Group ), Hennessy ( LVMH ), Martell ( Pernod Ricard ), and Rémy Martin ( Rémy Cointreau ). Other brands meeting the AOC criteria for cognac include Bache-Gabrielsen/Dupuy , Braastad , Camus , La Fontaine de La Pouyade , Château Fontpinot, Delamain , Pierre Ferrand, Frapin , Gautier , Hine , Marcel Ragnaud, Monnet , Moyet , Otard , Meukow , and Cognac Croizet . In 2017, an agreement between

240-519: A starfish genus , trains in the swimming pools of the city), swimming ( Club sportif Meaux Natation ) Meaux is served by Meaux station on the Transilien Paris – Est suburban rail line and on several national rail lines. The rail line connecting Paris to Meaux was established in 1849. The nowadays SNCF train station, still in use, was built in 1890. Alongside the Meaux rail station there

288-551: Is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and importance throughout the Middle Ages as an economic center and a host of annual trading fairs , Provins became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. With 11,958 inhabitants (2021), Provins is not the largest town in the arrondissement of Provins , but it

336-603: Is also the main bus station in the city, with more than 30 bus lines serving the whole eastern Paris metropolitan area. The commune has 36 public preschools and elementary schools. Public junior high schools in Meaux: Public senior high schools in Meaux: Lycée du Gué A Tresme is in nearby Congis-sur-Thérouanne . Private Catholic secondary schools: Meaux is twinned with: Provins Provins ( French pronunciation: [pʁɔvɛ̃] )

384-411: Is also used as a flavoring in foods. Pastry dishes often pair cognac with flavors such as apple , raisin , prune , vanilla , and chocolate . "The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) is a French organization that oversees the production, promotion, and protection of Cognac. The BNIC's primary responsibilities include setting and enforcing the standards for Cognac production, ensuring

432-574: Is said to have presented Ancona in Italy with the relics of Judas Cyriacus . However, the saint's head was situated at Provins, brought from Jerusalem by Henry I of Champagne , who built a church in this town to display it. It is still at the Saint Quiriace Collegiate Church, although construction work during the 12th century was never completed due to financial difficulties during the reign of Philippe le Bel . A dome

480-459: Is since the 18th century a label commercially owned by the Pommery company and is nowadays derived not only in its traditional well known form but also in a variety of new different ingredient combinations: Honey Mustard, Green Pepper Mustard, Moutarde Royale (that latter including Cognac in its composition) etc. Several festivals and concerts are celebrated in Meaux, venues for live music like

528-413: Is the birthplace of: Provins is the hometown of: Provins is twinned with: Cognac Cognac ( / ˈ k ɒ n . j æ k / KON -yak , also US : / ˈ k oʊ n -, ˈ k ɔː n -/ KOHN -, KAWN - , French: [kɔɲak] ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France . It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in

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576-468: Is the seat ( sous-préfecture ). Provins is also the seat of the canton of Provins . There are signs of human occupation in the area as early as the paleolithic era . Provins was at the crossroads of two major regional corridors in Roman Gaul : one from Soissons to Troyes and one towards Sens in the south. As proof of its growing importance, by the 9th century, Provins was minting its own coin,

624-549: Is very dry, acidic, and thin. Though it has been characterised as "virtually undrinkable", it is excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from a strict list of grape varieties. For it to be considered a true cru cognac, the white wine must be made from at least 90% Ugni blanc (known in Italy as Trebbiano ), Folle blanche and Colombard , while up to 10% of the grapes used can be Folignan, Jurançon blanc , Meslier St-François (also called Blanc Ramé), Sélect, Montils , or Sémillon . Cognacs that are not to carry

672-785: The Meldi , the Latin name of the original Gaulish tribe who occupied this area of the valley of the Marne river . Although during the Roman period the city was called Iantinum by the Romans, the name of the Meldi persisted and was finally kept for naming both the city and its inhabitants. Historical buildings and monuments in Meaux are mainly located in the old city, inside the old defensive walls, still nowadays partially kept thanks to an important segment of

720-630: The Musée Bossuet (located in the episcopal palace, this is the art and history museum of Meaux) and the Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux [fr] (the largest World War I Museum in the world). The Siege of Meaux took place between October 1421 and May 1422, during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. The besiegers were the English, under Henry V. The town's defence

768-658: The First Battle of the Marne ). There is only one cinema in Meaux: The Majestic, a former stage theatre. In modern days there are three stage theatres in the city. One is the Théâtre Gérard Philippe , a private theatre, situated close to the covered market. Not far from the market, in the same area but in a bigger and more recent building, there is the official subsidised theatre of the city,

816-771: The Industrial Revolution , Provins remained a small market town throughout the 19th century. The Germans occupied the town in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War , and were only barely fought off in 1914 during the First World War . Provins is known for its well-preserved, original fortifications from the 12th century, such as the Tour César (the Caesar Tower) and city walls. Many of the residential and commercial buildings within

864-918: The Théâtre Luxembourg , divided in two separated auditoriums in the same building: the Salle Luxembourg (601 seats) and the Salle du Manège (107 seats). In an eastern area of Meaux, the Beauval quarter, there is the third stage theatre of the town, the Salle Champagne (200 seats), located in the Espace Caravelle , a building dedicated to cultural activities. Private theatre companies and community arts associations play in all three theatres. Two museums can be found in Meaux:

912-570: The canton of Meaux . Finally, since its creation in 2003, Meaux has been the centre and the main town of an agglomeration community , the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux . With a population of 55,416 inhabitants in 2018, Meaux is the most populous city in the Seine-et-Marne department, just before Chelles (55,148 inhabitants in 2018). Inhabitants of Meaux are called Meldois . Both names Meaux and Meldois originated with

960-463: The chapter ( le vieux chapitre ), part of the defensive walls (as mentioned), some keeps and towers, and the archaeological remains of the sanctuary of La Bauve, all-embracing the Gaulish period (4th, 3rd and 1st centuries BC ), the era of the early Roman Empire (Gallo-Roman: 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries AD ) and the early Christian Era and subsequent centuries (from the 3rd to the 18th centuries, with

1008-538: The departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime . Cognac production falls under French appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designation, with production methods and naming required to meet certain legal requirements. Among the specified grapes, Ugni blanc , known locally as Saint-Émilion, is most widely used. The brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais . Cognac matures in

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1056-408: The eaux de vie of different years, but they are single-vineyard cognacs, varying slightly from year to year and according to the taste of the producer, hence lacking some of the predictability of the better-known commercial products. Depending on their success in marketing, small producers may sell a larger or smaller proportion of their product to individual buyers, wine dealers, bars and restaurants,

1104-555: The European Union and Armenia was signed, whereby Armenian producers will abandon the usage of the protected geographic name "cognac" from 2043. The name "cognac" will be prohibited for the domestic Armenian market from 2032. Cocktails marked with "IBA" are designated as IBA official cocktails by the International Bartenders Association . In addition to being drunk as a beverage, cognac

1152-482: The Music Festival "Musik'elles" (usually at the end of every summer). There's a local public concert band in Meaux: L'Harmonie du Pays de Meaux . It is constituted by three different ensembles, following different ages: Les Minimes (children), Les Juniors (teenagers) and L'Harmonie de Meaux (adults). The band is also one of the two official music academies of the town. The other one is the conservatory of

1200-509: The Upper Town are likewise from the 12th century; these buildings held the residences of merchants, stores and counting houses. Of the four main fair towns in the County of Champagne ( Troyes , Lagny-sur-Marne , and Bar-sur-Aube ), Provins is the only one that has retained much of its medieval character. The Saint Quiriace Collegiate Church is located here. The Empress Galla Placidia

1248-402: The case of the larger and more commercial producers) from different local areas. This blending, or marriage , of different eaux de vie is important to obtain a complexity of flavours absent from an eau de vie from a single distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster ( maître de chai ), who is responsible for blending the spirits, so that cognac produced by a company will have

1296-605: The city. Also, every summer for more than 30 years, during several weekends per summer, a show is played by stage actors in the esplanade situated between the cathedral and the episcopal palace: the Spectacle historique ("History show"). The show represents the history of Meaux all along the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and also, more recently, during World War I (the German advance had been halted at Meaux in 1914 during

1344-424: The cognac's alcohol content decreases to 40% in volume. The cognac is then transferred to "large glass bottles called bonbonnes", then stored for future "blending." Since oak barrels stop contributing to flavor after four or five decades, longer aging periods may not be beneficial. The age of the cognac is calculated as that of the youngest component used in the blend. The blend is usually of different ages and (in

1392-580: The following inscription (translated): "Here stood the house of ETIENNE MANGIN in which was constructed the first Reformed Church of France. In front of this location 14 Reformists, arrested during a cult, were burned on 8 October 1546 at the decree of the Parliament in Paris on 4 October 1546. Offered by the City of Meaux 1985." Meaux is nowadays mainly known for Brie de Meaux (a variety of Brie cheese ) and

1440-440: The grapes are grown. Their distinctive soils and microclimates produce eaux de vie with characteristics particular to their specific location. The cognac-producing regions called Champagne should not be confused with the northeastern region of Champagne , a wine region that produces sparkling wine by that name , although they do share a common etymology . Close to 200 cognac producers exist. According to one 2008 estimate

1488-463: The house of Etienne Mangin in which he started the first Calvin-inspired Protestant church in France. The house was ordered by the Parliament in Paris to be razed and a chapel built in its place following the execution at the stake of fourteen members of the congregation for heresy in 1546. Rather than a chapel, there remains a fairly nondescript building on the site to this day with a plaque which bears

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1536-573: The importance of the city. In one of the most famous events in Provins’ history, the recently crowned King Charles VII attended mass at the Saint-Quiriace collegiate church  [ fr ] church, along with his royal court and saint Joan of Arc on August 3, 1429. This church keeps the Islamic silk chasuble that St Edmund had with him at his death. Being largely unaffected by

1584-450: The local variety of mustard . Following the official administrative French AOC there are two designations of Brie de Meaux: Brie de Meaux fermier ("farm Brie de Meaux", made out of the milk from the cows of a single unique producer) and Brie de Meaux laitier ( laitier , that is from the French lait , "milk", which designates here an agreement, a mixture of the milk of different producers). The Moutarde de Meaux ("Meaux Mustard") recipe

1632-468: The memory of the French soldiers fallen in action. Called, in French, La Liberté éplorée ("The Tearful Liberty"), the sculpture by Frederick MacMonnies is popularly known among the French as Le Monument américain ("the American Monument "). Coordinates: 48°58′23″N 2°54′18″E  /  48.973°N 2.905°E  / 48.973; 2.905 In 2011, beside the monument

1680-430: The name of a cru are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90% Colombard, Folle blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François, Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect. After the grapes are pressed , the juice is left to ferment for 2–3 weeks, with the region's native wild yeast converting the fruit sugars into alcohol ; neither sugar nor sulphur may be added. At this point,

1728-847: The original surrounding wall from the Gallo-Roman period . A meander of the Marne river divides the old city into the North Quarter (called among the Meldois as the Cathedral Quarter) and the South Quarter (known among the locals as the Market Quarter). In the North Quarter there is the Meaux Cathedral , the episcopal palace and its gardens (outlining the shape of a bishop 's mitre ), the old seat of

1776-413: The public. It is typically put into casks at an alcohol by volume strength around 70%. As the cognac interacts with the oak barrel and the air, it evaporates at the rate of about 3% each year, slowly losing both alcohol and water (the former more rapidly, as it is more volatile). This phenomenon is called locally la part des anges , or "the angels' share". When more than ten years pass in the oak barrel,

1824-565: The remainder being acquired by larger cognac houses for blending. According to the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), the official quality grades of cognac are: Most names of the grades are in English because the historical cognac trade, particularly in the 18th century, significantly involved the British. Cognac is also classified by crus , tightly defined geographic denominations where

1872-782: The remains, among others, of the Saint-Faron Abbey , demolished during the French Revolution ). The South Quarter of the old city mainly includes the historic covered market and the Canal Cornillon, built during the Middle Ages, in the year 1235. Centuries later, in 1806, during the Napoleonic era , was built the Canal de l'Ourcq , destined to the inland navigation when the Marne river is not navigable because of temporary sandbanks. At 73, Rue du Marché stood

1920-485: The resulting wine is about 7 to 8% alcohol. Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper alembic stills , the design and dimensions of which are also legally controlled. Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting eau de vie is a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol. Once distillation is complete, it must be aged in Limousin oak casks for at least two years before it can be sold to

1968-402: The same way as whiskies and wines barrel-age, and most cognacs spend considerably longer "on the wood" than the minimum legal requirement. Cognac is a type of brandy, and after the distillation and during the aging process, is also called eau de vie . It is produced by twice distilling wine made from grapes grown in any of the designated growing regions. The white wine used in making cognac

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2016-398: The siege, and it is estimated that one sixteenth of the besiegers died from dysentery and smallpox. On 9 March 1422, the town surrendered, although the garrison held out. Under continued bombardment, the garrison gave in as well on 10 March, following a siege of six months. The Bastard of Vaurus was decapitated, as was a trumpeter named Orace, who had once mocked King Henry. Sir John Fortescue

2064-501: The town. The first type were probably used to store food in the Middle Ages. The second, deeper, type contains Bronze and Iron Age graffiti. Provins has important rose cultivation. It produces all sorts of foods from roses, and its main specialties are rose petal jam, Provinois rose honey and rose candy. Provins also used to be a large producer of wine, with the medieval methods of wine-making still being carried out by residents, and some vineyards are still being used to produce. Provins

2112-610: The “denier provinois,” and Charlemagne had sent his missi dominici to the town. Under the protection of the Counts of Champagne, Provins hosted one of the largest Champagne fairs , an agricultural and trade fair crucial to the medieval economy. In the upper portion of the town, the fair would be held twice a year, in May and November, whereas in the lower town, there was a yearly market in September. During that time, Provins also because

2160-458: Was added in the 17th century, and the old families of Provins who lived in the upper town were called "Children of the Dome." After the addition of the dome, however, no further restoration efforts have been made towards the church. The police station (2010) is a piece of contemporary architecture designed by Parisian architects Philippe Ameller and Jacques Dubois. Two sets of caves underlie parts of

2208-655: Was built the Museum of the Great War ( Musée de la Grande Guerre du pays de Meaux [fr]). The town is represented by the CS Meaux association football club. Many other sports are also practiced in Meaux like rugby or field hockey, especially water sports. There are in Meaux, for example different sporting clubs dealing with canoeing (mainly practiced in the Canal de l'Ourcq), scuba diving (the club "Asterina", named after

2256-520: Was led by the Bastard of Vaurus, notorious for his savagery. The siege commenced on October 6, 1421, and mining and bombardment soon brought down the walls. Casualties began to mount in the English army, including John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford who had been at the siege of Harfleur, the Battle of Agincourt, and received the surrender of Cherbourg. The English also began to fall sick rather early into

2304-516: Was then installed as English Captain of Meaux Castle. During the First Battle of the Marne (September 1914), the German troops were stopped at the gates of Meaux. This heroic action not only prevented the city from being taken by the Germans but also changed the course of the war. In 1932, at the place of the battlefield, the people of the United States of America had a monument erected in

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