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