Thionville - PK70

Thionville was settled already in early times by the Germanic Allemanni. King Pepin the Short had a "Kaiserpfalz" ("royal palace") constructed here.

The Synod of Thionville was held here beginning in 835. It reinstated Emperor Louis the Pious. From the 10th century onward, the area was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was in possession of the House of Luxembourg until 1462, then of the Duke of Burgundy and from 1477 to 1643, it was Habsburg territory.

The Siege of Thionville in June 1639 occurred as part of the Thirty Years' War. In 1659 "Diedenhofen" (the German name for the town) was annexed by France.

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the area of Alsace-Lorraine was annexed by the newly created German Empire and became a "Reichsland". Following the armistice with Germany ending the First World War, the city was transferred to France by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, after it again became Thionville.


Seen in the backdrop is the "Tour aux puces", the keep of the former castle. Seen in front is "PK70" a rocket. created by Stéphane Costarella. Reminds me of "Destination Moon", one of "The Adventures of Tintin".