is a
Department in the northern part of
France named after the
Aisne River .
Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the
French Revolution on
March 4 ,
1790 . It was created from parts of the former provinces of
Île-de-France ,
Picardie , and
Champagne .
Most of the old-growth forests in the area were destroyed during battles in
World War I . The French offensive against the
Chemin Des Dames in spring 1917 is sometimes referred to as the ''
Second Battle Of The Aisne ''.
Aisne borders the
Ardennes Forest and
Belgium to the northeast. The Aisne River crosses the area from east to west, where it joins the
Oise River . The landscape is dominated by masses of rock which often have steep flanks. These rocks appear all over the region, but the most impressive examples are at
Laon and the
Chemin Des Dames ridge.
The principal cities in Aisne are :
See also: List of the
Communes Of The Aisne Department .
There is an average of 500 to 750 mm precipitation annually.
Agriculture dominates the economy, especially cereal crops.
Beet Sugar is one of the most important industrial crops of the area. Silk, cotton, and wool weaving flourish in Saint-Quentin and other towns.
Saint-Gobain is known for its production of mirrors, which started in the 17th century.
Guise is the agricultural centre of the northern area of Aisne.
During
World War I a number of significant architectural monuments were destroyed. Of the buildings that survived, the medieval churches in Laon,
Braine , and
Urcel are the most significant. The ruined castle of
La Ferté-Milon escaped further damage during the war.
