Landrecies

Landrecies
Commune
The town hall
Coat of arms
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Nord
Arrondissement	Avesnes-sur-Helpe
Canton	Avesnes-sur-Helpe
Intercommunality	CC Pays de Mormal
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	François Erlem
Area1	21.70 km2 (8.38 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)2
INSEE/Postal code	59331 / 59550
Elevation	110–179 m (361–587 ft) (avg. 130 m or 430 ft)
Website	landrecies.com
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Landrecies (French pronunciation: ​[lɑ̃dʁəsi]; Dutch: Landeschie) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

History

In 1543, Landrecies was besieged by English and Imperial forces, who were repulsed by the French defenders. In 1794, it was besieged by Dutch forces, who captured it. It was the site of a skirmish between the British I Corps under Douglas Haig and the German First Army on 25 August 1914, that resulted in the death of Archer Windsor-Clive, the first first-class cricketer to fall in World War I.

Heraldry

The arms of Landrecies are blazoned : Azure, a triple towered castle open Or, on a base 3 medals on the colours of their respective ribbons 1: Croix de Guerre 1914-1918; 2: a Légion d'honneur; and 3: a Croix de Guerre 1939-1945

People

• hometown of former Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc.
• birthplace of Joseph François Dupleix, known as the conqueror of India for Louis XIV, king of France.
• birthplace of André Bonnaire, mayor of the town who represented the Radical Party in the National Assembly from 1956 to 1958.

See also

• Communes of the Nord department