Coordinates: 48°13′27″N 4°53′12″E / 48.2241666667°N 4.88666666667°E / 48.2241666667; 4.88666666667
Colombey-les-Deux-Églises is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.
The municipality Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises was created administratively in 1793, and it became part of the district of Chaumont and the canton Blaise[disambiguation needed]. In 1801, under the name Colombey, it passed to the canton Juzennecourt. In 1972, it absorbed the communes Argentolles, Biernes, Blaise, Champcourt, Harricourt, Pratz and Lavilleneuve-aux-Fresnes.
[edit] Charles de Gaulle
The village achieved fame as the home and burial site of the 20th century French soldier and statesman Charles de Gaulle. He is buried in the village cemetery in a humble grave with only the inscription "Charles de Gaulle 1890-1970" but at the western exit of the village a 164 ft (50 m) high Cross of Lorraine was built, commemorating his distinguished wartime role as commander of the Free French Forces.
De Gaulle withdrew repeatedly to Colombey as his political fortunes waned; first on the establishment of the Fourth Republic in 1946, and then between 1953 and 1958 before he became President again at the height of the Algerian Crisis. His final withdrawal to Colombey came in 1969 and he died there the following year. Colombey became widely used as a political metaphor for a statesman's temporary withdrawal from political life, until his country would come calling for him again.
A memorial museum was inaugurated in October 2008 by Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. This joint Franco-German act marked the fiftieth anniversary of talks in Colombey, 14 September 1958, between Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer in the process of post-war reconciliation.
[edit] Geography
The river Blaise flows through the commune.
[edit] See also
site of the village of Colombey [1]
[edit] External links
