Saint-Dizier
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
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
| Climate data for Saint-Dizier (1981–2010 averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
25.2 (77.4) |
29.4 (84.9) |
31.8 (89.2) |
36.8 (98.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
40.4 (104.7) |
33.7 (92.7) |
29.2 (84.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
40.4 (104.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) |
7.6 (45.7) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.1 (77.2) |
20.8 (69.4) |
16.0 (60.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.6 (43.9) |
15.7 (60.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) |
0.3 (32.5) |
2.8 (37.0) |
4.9 (40.8) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
13.7 (56.7) |
10.6 (51.1) |
7.7 (45.9) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
6.7 (44.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.5 (−3.1) |
−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 (32.4) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−11.7 (10.9) |
−17.3 (0.9) |
−22.5 (−8.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 71.8 (2.83) |
60.5 (2.38) |
66.2 (2.61) |
60.2 (2.37) |
72.4 (2.85) |
65.9 (2.59) |
70.4 (2.77) |
68.8 (2.71) |
74.2 (2.92) |
78.6 (3.09) |
69.5 (2.74) |
85.2 (3.35) |
843.7 (33.22) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.2 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 10.3 | 9.6 | 9.0 | 9.6 | 11.4 | 12.2 | 13.1 | 131.1 |
| 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 | 66.4 | 80.3 | 136.8 | 174.2 | 210.7 | 220.0 | 228.0 | 220.5 | 166.3 | 117.7 | 58.4 | 47.6 | 1,726.9 |
| Source 1: Météo France | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
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
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| Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
- French YouTuber Mastu, formerly Masturbatman.