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Ville Impériale network (France)

Last modified: 2014-05-04 by ivan sache
Keywords: ville impériale |
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Flag of Ville Impériale - Image by Ivan Sache, 24 February 2013


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Presentation of the Ville Impériale network

The brand "Ville Impériale" (Imperial Town; website) was launched on 21 October 2011 in Château de Malmaison by the municipality of Rueil-Malmaison, in partnership with the municipalities of Compiègne, Fontainebleau and Saint-Cloud.
The aim of the brand is "to rally all the municipalities that can justify, through their history and heritage, strong links with the First Empire and/or the Second Empire". The brand is further presented as "a means of promotion and communication aimed at giving a full historic and touristic visibility to the member municipalities, allowing them to develop their heritage linked to the First and/or Second Empire, particularly through tourist offer".

To apply, a municipality should document "a full legitimacy in its urban, architectural or landscape heritage linked to the reference characters and a developed and accessible place of memory involving buildings or collections". The reference characters are:
- Napoléon I;
- Napoléon III;
- The three Empresses (Joséphine, Marie-Louise and Eugénie);
- The King of Rome;
- Prince Eugène.
Up to now, the "Ville Impériale" network was joined by the municipalities of Compiègne, Fontainebleau, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, Saint-Cloud, Autun, Montereau-Fault-Yonne and Brienne-le-Châateau.

The flag of Ville Impériale was hoisted over the Town Hall of Saint-Leu-la-Forêt in early 2013, causing the wrath of the Front de Gauche group at the Municipal Council. They claimed that the Municipal Council had not been informed of the decision to hoist the flag, which they deemed "illegal". They see the flag as "lacking neutrality" and being "little republican and anti-democratic". The Mayor proudly defended his decision, arguing that the flag was nothing but "a tourist brand highlighting historical resources".
[VO News, 6 February 2013; Le Parisien, 7 February 2013]

Ivan Sache, 24 February 2013


Flag of Ville Impériale

The flag of Ville Impériale (photo) is white with the network's emblem in the middle. The emblem is made of a "N" surmounted by an Imperial crown, all black, the whole surrounded by two golden wreath and a yellow star on top. Beneath is written "VILLE" (black letters) / "IMPÉRIALE" (golden letters).

Olivier Touzeau, 24 February 2013