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Château-Thierry (Municipality, Aisne, France)

Flag of Château-Thierry - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2025

Presentation of Château-Thierry
Flag of Château-Thierry
- Competition and finalist propositions
- Ceremonial flag

See also:

Presentation of Château-Thierry

Château-Thierry (15,068 inhabitants, 1,655 ha) is a French commune and subprefecture of the department of the Aisne.

From Wikipedia:
In the late years of the western Roman empire, a small town called Otmus was settled on a site where the Soissons-Troyes road crossed the Marne river. During the 8th century, Charles Martel kept king Theuderic IV prisoner in the castle of Otmus. At this time, the town took the name of Castrum Theodorici, later transformed in Château-Thierry (Castle of Thierry, Thierry is the French or early Roman language translation of Theuderic). In 946, the castle of Château-Thierry was the home of Herbert le-Vieux, Count of Omois of the House of Vermandois and Soissons.
Formerly the capital of the district of Brie Pouilleuse, Château-Thierry was captured by the English in 1421; by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1544; and by the duke of Mayenne in 1591. Château-Thierry is the birthplace of French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine, one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century (1621-1695).
Château-Thierry was the site of two important battles: in 1814 in the Napoleonic Wars between France and Prussia, and in 1918 in World War I between the United States and Germany. In 1918, a mounting for the Paris Gun was found near the castle, though the cannon itself had apparently been moved prior to the emplacement's discovery.

The coat of arms of Château-Thierry is blazoned: Azure, a castle of 5 towers roofed Argent, masonned, port and windows of Sable, between three fleurs-de-lis Or.

Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2025

Flag of Château-Thierry

The flag of Château-Thierry (photo, 2019; photo, 2025) was selected in 2019 after a competition organized with the help of the SFV (Société française de vexillologie).
The chosen symbols refer to:
- the medieval castle, a monument and heritage site of Château-Thierry, which appears on the coat of arms
- the gold fleurs-de-lis, symbols of the Kingdom of France, which appear on the town's coat of arms
- the flag of Champagne, recalling Château-Thierry's historical and emotional connection to Champagne.

Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2025

Competition and finalist propositions

Finalist propositions in the competition for a flag of Château-Thierry - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2025

Until 2019, the City of Château-Thierry apparently had no flag. In January 2019, Mayor Sébastien Eugène decided to provide his city with a flag, following a proposal from the SFV (French Society of Vexillology), with logistical support provided free of charge by the SFV. In March 2019, the Château-Thierry Town Hall invited the SFV to give a 45-minute presentation on vexillology to the town's residents. This presentation launched the municipal competition. Local flag-bearer associations and historical societies were also invited to this conference to seize the opportunity to provide the city with a new flag. The competition was then launched, and schools, societies, associations, and individuals were able to submit their designs to the Town Hall. Participants had until April 14, 2019, to submit an A4-sized illustration.
See these post ont the city's Facebook page about the competition: post #1, post #2.

On April 24th, the two flags selected by the Jury were unveiled.
The public was then able to vote until May 1st. See the city's Facebook page : post #3.

Jeanne Cathé had the honor of receiving the People's Choice Award in the "Let's Create Our Flag" competition from the Mayor. The awards ceremony provided an opportunity to thank all the participants and also the jury who had met during the selection phase. The new flag of Château-Thierry inaugurated the Jean de la Fontaine festival parade on Sunday, June 23, 2019 (photo).
NB: A thin blue fimbriation between the gold and white parts was added in the real flag.

Source about the competition on the SFV website: "Pourquoi doter sa commune d'un drapeau", Febr. 2021.

Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2025

Ceremonial flag of Château-Thierry

Ceremonial flag of Château-Thierry - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2025

In 2024, Château-Thierry received a tricolor flag bearing the Legion of Honour and the 1914-1918 War Cross. This project was supported by APAC (Association of Flag Bearers, Veterans, and Former Combatants of France) for the town where its headquarters are located.
The graphic design of this new flag was entrusted to the Philippe Fleury embroidery company, based in Brazey-en-Plaine, in the Côte-d’Or department. The flag features the town's name and its motto, "Nul ne s’y frotte" (No one dares mess with it), as well as its War Cross and Legion of Honour insignia, and the letters RF embroidered in the four corners. Frédéric Jacquesson, deputy mayor in charge of commemorative activities, explains: " This flag made its first official appearance during the 2024 commemoration of May 8, 1945. It was carried by a member of the Youth Council." Mayor Sébastien Eugène adds: "Curiously, the City had not possessed its own commemorative flag for decades. With the Association of Flag Bearers (APAC), chaired by Christophe Delannoy, we remedied this with financial support from the Region."

Sources: APAC website (link #1, link #2), local information weblog axomois.fr

Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2025