Autruche

Autruche (French pronunciation: [otʁyʃ] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region of northern France.

Geography

Autruche is located some 43 km east by south-east of Rethel and 20 km north-east of Vouziers. Access to the commune is by the D947 from Germont in the south-west which passes through the southern corner of the commune and continues east to Bar-lès-Buzancy. The D12 also comes from Authe in the north-west and joins the D947 in the commune. Access to the village is by a local road branching from the D947 which goes north to the village. The commune is entirely farmland except for some lakes in the south.^[3]

The Bar river forms the southern border of the commune as it flows west then follows the Canal des Ardennes to eventually join the Meuse at Vrigne-Meuse. The Ruisseau de Saint Pierremont flows from the north of the commune towards the south-west and continues to join the Bar west of the commune. The Ruisseau du Clageot rises in the north of the commune and flows south-west down the centre of the commune and also joins the Bar on the southern border.^[3]

Neighbouring communes and villages

^[3]

Heraldry

The official status of the blazon remains to be determined. Blazon: Argent, a stalk of grass leaved and stalked in Vert with head of Sable between two pales of Gules, in chief Sable embattled of four and charged with three billets posed in fesse.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[4]

From	To	Name
1995	2014	Claude Lambert
2014	current	Anne Sembeni

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Autruchiens or Autruchiennes in French.^[5]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 225 —     1800 248 +1.40% 1806 256 +0.53% 1821 217 −1.10% 1831 239 +0.97% 1836 246 +0.58% 1841 242 −0.33% 1846 254 +0.97% 1851 240 −1.13% 1866 222 −0.52% 1872 217 −0.38% 1876 207 −1.17% 1881 213 +0.57% 1886 207 −0.57% 1891 199 −0.79% 1896 200 +0.10% 1901 197 −0.30%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1906 207 +1.00% 1911 196 −1.09% 1921 160 −2.01% 1926 183 +2.72% 1931 156 −3.14% 1936 142 −1.86% 1946 119 −1.75% 1954 117 −0.21% 1962 113 −0.43% 1968 101 −1.85% 1975 87 −2.11% 1982 71 −2.86% 1990 48 −4.78% 1999 44 −0.96% 2007 52 +2.11% 2012 61 +3.24% 2017 69 +2.50%
Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE[7]

Sites and monuments

The Church of Saint-Nicolas (16th century)

is registered as an historical monument.^[8] The church contains two items that are registered as historical objects:

• 6 Statuettes (17th century)
  ^[9]
• A Sculpture: Triumphant Virgin (17th century)
  ^[10]

See also

• Communes of the Ardennes department

References

External links

• Autruche on the old IGN website (in French)
• Autruche on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Autruche on the 1750 Cassini Map