News
October 27, 2008
Historic Chateau Exhibit Launches "The Year Of Compiegne"
Tuesday, Nov. 11, will mark the 90th anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending World War I. The signing took place in a rail car in Compiegne, France, Raleigh’s Gallic Sister City.
Several festivities will take place Veterans Day in Raleigh to mark this 90th anniversary and throughout the coming year to mark the 20th anniversary of Compiegne’s and Raleigh’s “sisterhood.” On Nov. 4, Mayor Charles Meeker will sign a proclamation declaring Nov. 11 through Nov. 11, 2009 “The Year of Compiegne in Raleigh."
Among these events are an exhibit, a park re-dedication, a memorial parade and several exchange visits between Compiegne and Raleigh children and adults.
Exhibit Begins Today
The year-long celebration begins with the opening of the photo exhibition on the Chateau de Compiegne at the McCain Gallery of the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The 12 prints are on display for a month in the gallery. The exhibit is free to the public. The photographs offer views of one of Europe’s most celebrated and historic estates and one of France’s three royal residences. (Fontainebleau and Versailles are the others.)
The Compiegne-Raleigh Sister City Association, along with the City of Raleigh, are sponsoring the exhibit. The dozen photographs will be placed on exhibit later this year elsewhere in Raleigh by the American Friends of the Chateau de Compiegne.
While the Chateau de Compiegne began as a hunting lodge and royal residence in the 5th century, it was at the close of the 14th century that Charles V built the present castle. His successors enlarged the castle to 1,300 rooms.
While Louis XV and Louis XVI did much to update and beautify the castle, it was stripped bare during the revolution.
The Chateau de Compiegne found a friend in the Bonapartes, with Napoleon I commissioning its renovation to the height of fashion in 1807. Part of this renovation was the creation of the ballroom. Napoleon’s personal apartments and bath are some of the castle’s most visited areas.
During World War I, the chateau was used as a military hospital. The Chateau de Compiegne was converted to a museum in the 1920s. Today it is the site of the Second Empire Museum. Many efforts have been established to fund the restoration of the historical palace. The American Friends of the Chateau de Compiegne are among those groups supporting this effort.
Veterans’ Day Activities
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the armistice to end World War I was signed in Compiegne will be marked in Raleigh with the rededication of Parc Compiegne, kicking off the Year of Compiegne in Raleigh.
Parc Compiegne is a slight, green oasis of open space between Chamberlain Street and Logan Court, directly across from the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Bell Tower. The park was dedicated on Oct. 29, 1999, in honor of the tenth anniversary of Compiegne and Raleigh becoming Sister Cities.
Michele LeChatelier, Compiegne’s vice mayor, and Annick Masseau, the vice president of the French Friends of the Chateau, will attend the Raleigh events.
A musical presentation by the Broughton Choral Group will follow the dedication of the Compiegne Garden in Parc Compiegne. Following the rededication, those assembled in the park will form a procession to the NCSU Bell Tower via Logan Court to Hillsborough Street. An ROTC color guard will lead the procession. A service will be conducted at the Bell Tower, which is a memorial to the valor and sacrifice of the 35 Wolfpack students and faculty who died serving in World War I.
A reception, hosted by the Sister Cities Association of Raleigh and the City of Raleigh, will be held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 11 in the McCain Gallery. For more information, contact George Chapman at 828-3276.
About Compiegne
Compiegne is located 50 miles north of Paris. Settled in the year 665, it has a population of 40,000. Joan of Arc was captured in Compiegne in 1430 by the Burgundians while attempting to free Compiegne.
In a cruel twist, the same railcar and location in Compiegne were used by Adolf Hitler in 1940 to officially decree the fall of France to Germany.
About Sister Cities
Sister Cities is an international nonprofit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the United States and international communities. The organization’s goal is to increase global cooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding and to stimulate economic development. Sister Cities International leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials and business leaders to conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit.
In addition to Compiegne, Raleigh is a Sister City to Rostock, Germany and Kingston-upon-Hull, England.
Prepared by:
Jayne Kirkpatrick
Director
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
George Chapman
Sister Cities Association of Raleigh
1909 Bridgeport Dr
Raleigh, NC 27615
919-828-2276
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