Saint-Dizier

Saint-Dizier is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.

It has a population of 31,000 (2003 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 mi east of Paris, halfway to Strasbourg, it is five miles from Western Europe's largest man-made lake, Lake Der-Chantecoq.

History
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 centre. 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.

Notable people
Saint-Dizier is the birthplace of
 * Baroque-era musicologist André Pirro
 * Organist André Isoir
 * Conductor Jean-Paul Penin
 * Former world middleweight boxing champion Marcel Thil. A street is named in his honor.