Villers-Cotterets

Viliers Costret' Villers-Cotterets is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardie in northern France. The chateau, known as Chateau de Noue was built in the 16th century for Francis I. It is famous because of the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterets 1539 signed by king Francis I of France which made French the official language in the kingdom. From Topographia Galliae , a fine series of engravings of 17th-century French landscapes, gardens, buildings and cities. Matthaeus Merian (1593-1650) was one of the most prominent members of the leading print publishing family of 17th-century Germany.