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56-558: The corps was formed in August 1943 in Poitiers , France . The formation was originally to be a skeleton formation to supervise those SS divisions that were being reformed as SS panzer divisions. On 30 June 1944, the formation absorbed the VII SS Panzer Corps and was reformed as a headquarters for the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" and the 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking" . The corps

112-410: A garrison town , despite its distance from France's borders. The Poitiers train station was built in the 1850s, and connected Poitiers to the rest of France. The Hôtel de Ville (city hall) on Place du Maréchal-Leclerc was completed in 1875. Poitiers was bombed during World War II , particularly the area around the railway station which was heavily hit on 13 June 1944. From the late 1950s until

168-469: A touristic destination and as a modern university centre, and opened the town to the era of information technology. The Stade Poitevin , founded in 1900, is a multi-sports club, which fields several top-level teams in a variety of sports. These include a volleyball team that play in the French Pro A volleyball league, a basketball team, an amateur football team and a professional rugby team (as of

224-497: A hill above the city. Hundreds of graduates ("Military Brats") of Poitiers American High School, a school operated by the Department of Defense School System (DODDS), have gone on to successful careers, including the recent commander-in-chief of U.S. Special Forces Command , Army General Bryan (Doug) Brown. The Caserne also housed a full support community, with a theater, commissary, recreation facilities and an affiliate radio station of

280-520: A model of the window. They look upwards to present the window to those that rank above them. The section that the royal couple holds is a 19th-century restoration. The quatrefoil panel as a whole represents the idea that Abbot Suger created at St. Denis . This bottom panel represents a link between the Crucifixion and the Ascension. There are stylistic identifications with the Ascension panel at Le Mans ,

336-494: A population of 90,240. Its conurbation had 134,397 inhabitants in 2021 and is the centre of an urban area of 281,789 inhabitants. It is a city of art and history, still known as "Ville aux cent clochers" (literal translation: "City of hundred bell towers "). With more than 30,000 students, Poitiers has been a major university city since the creation of its university in 1431, having hosted René Descartes , Joachim du Bellay and François Rabelais , among others. The centre of town

392-573: A speech given on 14 July 1595 by Maurice Roatin , the town's mayor. He compared it to the Roman state, which combined three types of government: monarchy , aristocracy , and democracy . He said the Roman consulate corresponded to Poitiers' mayor, the Roman Senate to the town's peers and échevins , and the democratic element in Rome corresponded to the fact that most important matters "can not be decided except by

448-609: Is a use of a hierarchal scale in this window. Christ, being the most important figure is the largest, and in diminishing degrees of size and importance appear the Virgin, the Apostles, the centurion, and the sponge-bearer. The bottom register of the window includes a quatrefoil design with the crucifixion of Peter at the center. Here, Peter is being crucified upside down with Roman soldiers on ladders on either side of him. Peter asked to be crucified in this manner, as he did not feel worthy to die

504-522: Is mild with mild temperature amplitudes, and adequate rainfall throughout the year although with a drying tendency during summer. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this type of climate is " Cfb " (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate ). Poitiers was founded by the Celtic tribe of the Pictones and was known as the oppidum Lemonum before Roman influence. The name is said to have come from

560-543: Is picturesque; its streets include predominantly historical architecture and half-timbered houses , especially religious architecture, mostly from the Romanesque period. The latter includes notably the baptistery of Saint-Jean ( Baptistère Saint-Jean ) (4th century), the hypogeum of the Dunes (7th century), the church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande (12th century), the church of Saint-Porchaire (12th century) or Poitiers Cathedral (end of

616-525: Is provided by a company called Vitalis. Regional ground transportation in the department of the Vienne is provided by private bus companies such as "Ligne en Vienne". Rail transportation in the region is provided by the public TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine (regional express train). From January 2009 to December 2012, Poitiers' town centre went through deep changes to make it less accessible to motor vehicles. The project, named "Projet Cœur d'Agglo", focused on re-thinking

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672-634: The Futuroscope technopole , which includes major public ( CNED , Canopé, etc.) and private companies of national scope, as well as leading European research laboratories. With two million visitors annually, Futuroscope is the leading tourist site in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the third most popular amusement park in France after Disneyland Paris and the Puy du Fou . The city of Poitiers is strategically situated on

728-860: The Seuil du Poitou , a shallow gap between the Armorican and the Central Massif . The Seuil du Poitou connects the Aquitaine Basin to the South to the Paris Basin to the North. This area is an important geographic crossroads in France and Western Europe. Poitiers's primary site sits on a vast promontory between the valleys of the Boivre and the Clain . The old town occupies the slopes and

784-613: The TGV Atlantique line between Paris and Bordeaux . The station is in the valley to the west of the old town centre. Services run to Angoulême , Limoges and La Rochelle in addition to Paris and Bordeaux. The direct TGV puts Poitiers 1h40 from Paris' Gare Montparnasse . Poitiers–Biard Airport is located 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) west of Poitiers with flights to Lyon—Saint Exupéry , London Stansted , Edinburgh and Shannon , Ireland on Ryanair . Urban transportation in Poitiers

840-507: The Tree of Paradise . Below the left arm of the cross on the outside appears the Virgin Mary . Here, she is dressed in blue and rose colored robes with her hands clasped at her breast and an expression of compassion on her face. Next to Mary is Longinus , a bearded Roman soldier dressed in a yellow cap and blue clothes. He hold a spear to Christ ready to plunge it into his side. Under the right arm of

896-539: The University of Poitiers is considered to be one of the best in France. The program was ranked second by l'Étudiant magazine in 2005. Poitiers Cathedral Poitiers Cathedral ( French : Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Poitiers ) is a Roman Catholic church in Poitiers , France . It is the seat of the Archbishop of Poitiers. Its construction began in 1162 by Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine on

952-573: The University of Poitiers , before leaving for Paris. During the 17th century, many people emigrated from Poitiers and the Poitou to the French settlements in the new world and thus many Acadians or Cajuns living in North America today can trace ancestry back to this region. During the 18th century, the town's activity mainly depended on its administrative functions as a regional centre: Poitiers served as

1008-483: The 12th and 13th centuries; the end window, the Crucifixion Window contains the figures of Henry II and Eleanor. It was completed in about 1165, making it one of the earliest stained-glass cathedral windows in France. The choir stalls, carved between 1235 and 1257, are also among the oldest in France. The Crucifixion Window at Poitiers Cathedral depicts three stories in three registers of the lancet window . At

1064-598: The 12th century) as well as the Palace of Poitiers , until recently a courthouse (12th century), the former palace of the Counts of Poitou , Dukes of Aquitaine , where the Queen of France and England Eleanor of Aquitaine held her court. The city's name is associated with two major battles that took place in the area. The first, in 732, also known as the Battle of Tours (to avoid confusion with

1120-603: The 1st century and demolished in the 3rd century, were uncovered in 1877. In 1879 a burial-place and tombs of a number of Christian martyrs were discovered on the heights to the south-east of the town. The names of some of the Christians had been preserved in paintings and inscriptions. Not far from these tombs is a huge dolmen (the Pierre Levée ), which is 6.7 metres (22 ft) long, 4.9 metres (16 ft) broad and 2.1 metres (7 ft) high, and around which used to be held

1176-463: The 2008–2009 season). The PB86 or Poitiers Basket 86 (www.pb86.fr) play in the French Pro A basketball league. In the 2009–10 season, three Americans played for PB86: Rasheed Wright, Kenny Younger and Tommy Gunn. The team played the French championship playoffs in the 2009–10 season and was the Pro B French Champion for the 2008–2009 season. The team's communication strategy is considered by some to be one of

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1232-640: The American Forces Network, Europe, headquartered in Frankfurt (now Mannheim , Germany ). The town benefited from industrial décentralisation in the 1970s, for instance with the installation during that decade of the Michelin and Compagnie des compteurs Schlumberger factories . The Futuroscope theme-park and research park project, built in 1986–1987 in nearby Chasseneuil-du-Poitou , after an idea by René Monory , consolidated Poitiers' place as

1288-461: The Celtic word for elm , Lemo . After Roman influence took over, the town became known as Pictavium , or later "Pictavis", after the original Pictones inhabitants themselves. There is a rich history of archeological finds from the Roman era in Poitiers. In fact until 1857 Poitiers hosted the ruins of a vast Roman amphitheatre , which was larger than that of Nîmes . Remains of Roman baths , built in

1344-554: The Counts of Poitiers governed a large domain, including both Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Poitou . The town was often referred to as Poictiers , a name commemorated in warships of the Royal Navy , after the battle of Poitiers. The first decisive victory of a Western European Christian army over a Muslim power, the Battle of Tours , was fought by Charles Martel 's men in the vicinity of Poitiers on 10 October 732. For many historians, it

1400-494: The advice of the Mois et Cent " (broad council). The mayor appears to have been an advocate of a mixed constitution; not all Frenchmen in 1595 would have agreed with him, at least in public; many spoke in favour of absolute monarchy . The democratic element was not as strong as the mayor's words may seem to imply: in fact, Poitiers was similar to other French cities, Paris, Nantes , Marseille , Limoges , La Rochelle , Dijon , in that

1456-445: The best in the French basketball league. Brian Joubert , the figure skating champion, practices at Poitiers' ice rink and lives with his family in the city. Historic churches, in particular Romanesque church buildings, are the main attraction inside Poitiers itself. The town's centre is picturesque, with generally well-preserved architecture and a recently re-zoned pedestrian area. There are numerous shops, cafes and restaurants in

1512-426: The city's affairs fief from the king: that is, they swore allegiance and promised support for him, and in return he granted them local authority. This gave them the advantage of being able to claim that any townsperson who challenged their authority was being disloyal to the king. Every year the mayor and the 24 échevins would swear an oath of allegiance "between the hands" of the king or his representative, usually

1568-563: The corps was moved west to the area around Lake Balaton , where it was responsible for defending the left flank of the Operation Spring Awakening ( Frühlingserwachen ), near Stuhlweissenberg . After the failure of this operation, the Soviet Vienna offensive tore a gap between the corps and the neighbouring Hungarian Third Army . After escaping an encirclement thanks to the efforts of the 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" ,

1624-509: The corps was shifted south from Army Group A to join the 6th Army and to take part in the relief efforts. The operations were named Konrad . In Operation Konrad III , the largest of the relief operations, the corps destroyed all the tanks of the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in an intense two-week battle in Transdanubia but could not relieve the city. After the failure of Operation Konrad III,

1680-544: The corps withdrew towards Vienna . The remnants of the corps surrendered to the Americans on 9 May 1945. September 16, 1944 — Defence of Modlin January 17, 1945 — Operation Konrad III March 1, 1945 — Operation Spring Awakening Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou . In 2021 it had

1736-470: The cross, on the outer part of the window, appears St. John dressed in yellow clothes and a blue cloak carrying a jeweled book. Next to John is Sephaton , another Roman soldier ready to thrust upward a pole with a sponge. To the right and left of the arms of the Cross in the border appear figures of the sun with a halo of flames and the moon appearing out of green clouds holding a crescent moon in his hands. There

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1792-484: The first bishop of Poitiers from 350 to 367, Hilary of Poitiers or Saint Hilarius, proceeded to evangelize the town. Exiled by Constantius II , he risked death to return to Poitiers as Bishop. The first foundations of the Baptistère Saint-Jean can be traced to that era of open Christian evangelization. He was named "Doctor of The Church" by Pope Pius IX. In the 4th century, a thick wall 6m wide and 10m high

1848-416: The food supply would be adequate, visited markets. In the 16th century, Poitiers impressed visitors because of its large size, and important features, including "royal courts, university, prolific printing shops, wealthy religious institutions, cathedral, numerous parishes, markets, impressive domestic architecture, extensive fortifications, and castle." 16th-century Poitiers is closely associated with

1904-503: The great fair of Saint Luke . The Romans also built at least three aqueducts . This extensive ensemble of Roman constructions suggests Poitiers was a town of first importance, possibly even the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Aquitania during the 2nd century. As Christianity was made official and gradually introduced across the Roman Empire during the 3rd and 4th centuries,

1960-530: The late 1960s when Charles de Gaulle ended the American military presence, the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force had an array of military installations in France, including a major Army logistics and communications hub in Poitiers, part of what was called the Communication Zone (ComZ), and consisting of a logistics headquarters and communications agency located at Aboville Caserne, a military compound situated on

2016-544: The lieutenant général or the sénéchaussée. For example, in 1567, when Maixent Poitevin was mayor, king Henry III came for a visit, and, although some townspeople grumbled about the licentious behaviour of his entourage, Henry smoothed things over with a warm speech acknowledging their allegiance and thanking them for it. In this era, the mayor of Poitiers was preceded by sergeants wherever he went, consulted deliberative bodies, carried out their decisions, "heard civil and criminal suits in first instance", tried to ensure that

2072-496: The life of François Rabelais and with the community of Bitards . The town saw less activity during the Renaissance . Few changes were made in the urban landscape, except for laying way for the rue de la Tranchée . Bridges were built where the inhabitants had used gués . A few hôtels particuliers were built at that time, such as the hôtels Jean Baucé, Fumé and Berthelot. Poets Joachim du Bellay and Pierre Ronsard met at

2128-502: The paintings at the Baptistry of St. Jean, and the remaining windows at the cathedral. On the night of 25 December 1681,← the organ was destroyed by fire. It was not until 1770-78 that a campaign was launched to build a replacement. François-Henri Clicquot , at that time the leading organ-builder in France, was appointed to undertake the work but died on Pentecost 1790 before completing the work. His son, Claude-François Clicquot , finished

2184-432: The perspective. Its length is 308 feet (94 m), and the keystone of the central vaulted roof is 89 feet (27 m) above the pavement. The exterior generally has a heavy appearance. The facade, which is broad relative to its height, has unfinished side-towers 105 feet (32 m) and 110 feet (34 m) tall, begun in the 13th century. an Most of the windows of the choir and the transepts preserve their stained glass of

2240-468: The ruins of a Roman basilica , and work was well advanced by the end of the 12th century. It is the largest medieval monument in the city of Poitiers. It is the best known example of a hall church of the Angevin Gothic style. It consists of a nave flanked on either side by an aisle. The nave and aisles are almost equal in height and width, all three of which decrease towards the west, thus enhancing

2296-514: The same way as Christ. In the upper right panel outside of the quatrefoil are the three Marys coming with staffs and flacons of perfume. On the left upper panel is the Angel of Resurrection seated on a stone bench. In the lobes of the quatrefoil are scenes of Adam and Eve , Nero being crowned, Saint Paul about to be decapitated, and the bottom lobe, being the donor's lobe, shows King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Henry II and Queen Eleanor hold

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2352-534: The seat for the regional administration of royal justice, the évêché, the monasteries and the intendance of the Généralité du Poitou . The Vicomte de Blossac , intendant of Poitou from 1750 to 1784, had a French garden landscaped in Poitiers. He also had Aliénor d'Aquitaine 's ancient wall razed and modern boulevards were built in its place. During the 19th century, many army bases were built in Poitiers because of its central and strategic location. Poitiers became

2408-622: The second), saw the Franks commanded by Charles Martel defeat an expeditionary army of the Umayyad Caliphate . The second , in 1356, was one of the key battles of the Hundred Years' War . It saw the defeat of a larger French royal army by the English and the capture of John II by the victorious Prince of Wales . The Poitiers agglomeration, located halfway between Paris and Bordeaux , is home to

2464-464: The shape of the mandorla. Below the Ascension panel, but still included in the Ascension scene, are Christ's Apostles craning their necks to look upwards at the Ascension. In the middle section of the window is the Crucifixion panel. In this panel, an abstract, almost nude body of Christ appears nailed to a ruby red cross with a blue border. This representation of the Cross with a leaf border symbolizes

2520-512: The summit of a plateau which rises 130 feet (40 m) above the streams which surround, and hence benefits from a very strong tactical situation. This was an especially important factor before and throughout the Middle Ages. Inhabitants of Poitiers are referred to as Poitevins or Poitevines, although this denomination can be used for anyone from the Poitou province. The climate in the Poitiers area

2576-520: The top of the window, in the lunette section, is a portrayal of the Ascension of Christ . Here, a bearded Christ appears in a mandorla with a cruciform halo, clothed in a white tunic with wine colored robes with a green border and a blue cloak. In his left hand he holds a yellow book and the right hand is upraised in benediction. On either side of the mandorla is an angel. Each angel raises one of their arms and contorts their bodies to fit and conform around

2632-625: The town centre. Since 1987, Poitiers' tourist industry has indirectly benefited from the Futuroscope theme-park and research park in nearby Chasseneuil-du-Poitou . The centre of town receives visits in complement to the theme-park and benefits from a larger proportion of European tourists, notably from the United Kingdom. In conjunction, Poitiers' tourism has directly benefited from the TGV high-speed rail link to Paris. Poitiers' railway station lies on

2688-487: The town had its share of the violent proceedings which underlined the Wars of Religion throughout France. In 1569 Poitiers was defended by Gui de Daillon, comte du Lude, against Gaspard de Coligny , who after an unsuccessful bombardment and seven weeks, retired from a siege he had laid to the town. The type of political organisation existing in Poitiers during the late medieval or early modern period can be glimpsed through

2744-459: The town thus came under Frankish dominion. During most of the Early Middle Ages , the town of Poitiers took advantage of its defensive tactical site and of its location, which was far from the centre of Frankish power. As the seat of an évêché (bishopric) since the 4th century, the town was a centre of some importance and the capital of the Poitou county. At the height of their power,

2800-407: The town's governing body ( corps de ville ) was "highly exclusive and oligarchical": a small number of professional and family groups controlled most of the city offices. In Poitiers many of these positions were granted for the lifetime of the office holder. The city government in Poitiers based its claims to legitimacy on the theory of government where the mayor and échevins held jurisdiction of

2856-510: The war in 1418, under duress, the royal parliament moved from Paris to Poitiers, where it remained in exile until the Plantagenets finally withdrew from the capital in 1436. During this interval, in 1429 Poitiers was the site of Joan of Arc 's formal inquest. The University of Poitiers was founded in 1431. During and after the Reformation, John Calvin had numerous converts in Poitiers and

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2912-426: The way people use individual cars to access the town centre and as an everyday way of transportation. On 29 September 2010, 12 streets were permanently closed off to motor vehicles and transformed into an entirely pedestrian zone. Eventually, a new line of fast buses will be added around 2017. The city of Poitiers has a very old tradition as a university centre, starting in the Middle Ages. The University of Poitiers

2968-500: Was built around the town. It was 2.5 km (2 mi) long and stood lower on the naturally defended east side and at the top of the promontory. Around this time, the town began to be known as Poitiers. Fifty years later Poitiers fell into the hands of the Arian Visigoths , and became one of the principal residences of their kings. Visigoth King Alaric II was defeated by Clovis I at Vouillé , not far from Poitiers, in 507, and

3024-548: Was established in 1431 and has welcomed many famous philosophers and scientists throughout the ages (notably François Rabelais ; René Descartes ; Francis Bacon ; Samir Amin ). Today Poitiers has more students per inhabitant than any other large town or city in France. All around, there are over 27,000 university students in Poitiers, nearly 4,000 of which are foreigners, hailing from 117 countries. The University covers all major fields from sciences to geography , history , languages economics and law . The law degree at

3080-471: Was one of the world's pivotal moments. Eleanor of Aquitaine frequently resided in the town, which she embellished and fortified, and in 1199 entrusted with communal rights. In 1152 she married the future King Henry II of England in Poitiers Cathedral . During the Hundred Years' War , the Battle of Poitiers , an English victory, was fought near the town of Poitiers on 19 September 1356. Later in

3136-890: Was placed under the command of former Wiking commander SS- Obergruppenführer Herbert Otto Gille . The corps was placed into the line around Warsaw , Poland , where it saw action against the Red Army as a part of the 9th Army . In August 1944, elements of the corps took part in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising . After holding the line near Warsaw, the corps was pushed back to the area near Modlin , where it saw heavy fighting until December. When SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch 's IX SS Mountain Corps and large numbers of Hungarian troops were encircled in Budapest in December 1944,

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