Aubenas (; oc, Aubenàs) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the southern part of the

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

. It is the seat of several government offices. The mountainous and rugged countryside is popular for vacation homes. The river

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Annonay Annonay (; oc, Anonai) is a commune and largest city in the north of the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department although it is not the capital ...

and before

Guilherand-Granges Guilherand-Granges () is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. It is a suburb of Valence, Drôme. It is one of the most populous commune in the Ardéche department, after Annonay and Aubenas, and before Tournon-sur-Rhône. ...

and

Tournon-sur-Rhône Tournon-sur-Rhône (; oc, Tornon) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. It is one of the most populous commune in the Ardèche department, after Annonay, Aubenas, and Guilherand-Granges. Geography It is located on the ...

. Aubenas is the centre of an

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

, composed of 22 towns and villages including

Vals-les-Bains Vals-les-Bains (; oc, Vals) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and te ...

, with 41,568 inhabitants (2018). Aside from its long-year commercial activity, it has a good strategic position on the tourist field, at crossroads of a regional natural park, the zone of the Ardèche river canyon and the start of mountains. The

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

industry is one testimony of the intense agricultural activity earlier in time.

Etymology

The root ''alb-'', meaning a height, is present in the name of the city ( lat, Albenate). And in fact, it is sat on the strategic position of a limestone base overlooking the valley of Ardèche. Due to the long distance from a water source, the city was known informally as the city without water until the 19th century, when on 28 June 1863, under the leadership of the then Mayor John Mathon, water was pumped from an external source which fed 50 fountains across the city. At the foot of the promontory pass route of

Montélimar Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; la, Acumum) is a town in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in north Provence, Southeastern France. It is the second-largest city in the department after Valence. In 2018 ...

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, literally ''Le Puy in Velay''; oc, Lo Puèi de Velai ) is the prefecture of the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Located near the river Loire, the city is famous for its ca ...

, lies the oldest axis of movement between the Rhone valley and the mountains of Auvergne. The privileged location between ''l'Ardèche méridionale'' (Southern Ardèche) and ''l'Ardèche verte'' (Green Ardèche) allowed for a crossroads between different types of agriculture and business.

History

The Middle Ages

The hill on which the city is built is mentioned during the 5th century AD. It tells of a conflict between the bishops of the hill and the bishops of Viviers, which is a local commune in the same modern day department; for the construction of a fortress. By 1084, the bishop of the hill won the lengthy conflict. The area became the possession of the Baron, Montlaur; all the way from the Ardèche mountains to what is now the western border of the current day department of Ardèche. The Baron's family reigned 1084 to 1441 and built the tower, the wall and two large, round towers of the castle which is surrounded by a moat that is why in French Aubenas is called ''"La cité des Montlaur"''. The lords who were not only at the origin of the economic growth of the city, but also the social and material development of its residents. Their motto was: ''"Montlaur, au plus haut!"''.

Renaissance

During the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

, the city became

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, and after the third French war of religion, the residents refused to allow royal troops within the city walls.

Demographics

Local government

The Mayor of Aubenas is Jean-Yves Meyer. He entered office in 2018.

Economy

Aubenas is the seat of the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie Ardèche Méridionale. It is also the seat of the Centre de formation d'apprentis (CFA) et is a training centre. Aubenas is a city which survives today on commerce, tourism, and food manufacturing companies, producing things like cheese, chestnuts and other foodstuffs, the likes of which one might find in a delicatessen. It is also close to the commune of Lanas, which is home to a small aeroport (an aerodrome). The city hosted the arrival of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

on 24 July 2009, the day prior to the climbing of mount Ventoux.

The City

The city hall which is situated in the city centre is surrounded by many paved roads, this is also the highest part of the city, it overlooks the medieval castle that overlooks the valley of the Ardèche. The city had a railway until 1969 for passengers and until 1988 for goods. The line

Vogüé Vogüé (; oc, Vogüer) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Geography Vogüé is located along the banks of the river Ardèche. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list o ...

Lalevade-d'Ardèche Lalevade-d'Ardèche (; oc, La Levada d'Ardecha) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. It is the commune with the smallest area in the department. Economy In the 19th century, the commune was an active industrial cente ...

. The station still sells tickets for the SNCF. Since 4 June 2007, the service "tout'enbus" of the community of the communes of Pays d'Aubenas-Vals has also worked in the commune of Aubenas, Saint-Privat, Ucel and Vals-les-Bains.

Places and monuments

* Château d'Aubenas, classed as a historic monument (France), now houses the city hall. Originally it was a strong castle in the 14th century. It was refurbished in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today it boasts a large collection of paintings, sculptures and engravings. It offers an exceptional dungeon panorama. * The Gargoule house, from the sixteenth century, by the castle. * The Saint Laurent composite church. * The Saint-Benoît cathedral of the 17th and 18th centuries is the old chapel of a benedictine convent.

Personalities

Jean Mathon Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Je ...

, old mayor of the city. *

Albert Seibel Albert Seibel (1844–1936) was a French physician and viticulturist who made hybrid crosses of European wine grapes (''Vitis vinifera'') with native North American grapes. His crosses are known as Seibel grapes. Biography Seibel was born in Aub ...

, creator of several hybrid vines. *

Franck Sauzée Franck Gaston Henri Sauzée (born 28 October 1965) is a French former professional footballer and manager. He played 39 times for the France national team between 1988 and 1993, scoring nine goals and captaining the team several times. He achiev ...

, footballer *

Léonce Verny François Léonce Verny, (2 December 1837 – 2 May 1908) was a French officer and naval engineerSims, Richard. (1998) ''French Policy Towards the Bakufu and Meiji Japan 1854-95: A Case of Misjudgement and Missed Opportunities,'' p. 246./ref> ...

, engineer * Cédric Barbosa, footballer *

Jean-Marc Gounon Jean-Marc Gounon (born 1 January 1963) is a French racing driver. He raced in Formula One in and , participating in a total of 9 Grands Prix and scoring no championship points. He is the father of fellow racing driver Jules Gounon. Career After ...

, racecar driver *

Rémy Martin Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the commune of Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big four" cognac houses (along with Henne ...

, player of rugby * Jean Charay, Priest and historian * Dominique Guillo, comedian and director *

Laurent Paganelli Laurent Paganelli (born 20 October 1962) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. He works as a journalist (consultant) for Canal + since 1997. He holds the record of the youngest player in French Division 1. Honours ...

, footballer * Jacques Espérandieu, journalist *

Anthony Mounier Anthony Mounier (born 27 September 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Greek Super League 2 club Kallithea. Club career Olympique Lyonnais Born in Aubenas, France, Mounier began playing football when he was ...

, footballer * Renaud Cohade, footballer * Nimdus and

bonio Bonio is a brand of dog biscuit A dog biscuit is a hard biscuit-based dietary supplement for dogs or other canines, similar to human snack food. Dog biscuits tend to be hard and dry. Dog biscuits may be sold in a flat bone-shape. The dry an ...

* Delphine Combe, athlete *

Amandine Leynaud Amandine Suzanne Monique Leynaud (born 2 May 1986) is a French professional handball player. She is openly lesbian and she and her wife Annabelle are parents to Marcel and Mila. Career She competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 and won a silver med ...

, handballer *

Jules Gounon Jules Gounon (born 31 December 1994 in Aubenas) is an Andorran-based French professional racing driver. He is best known for his victories in the 24 Hours of Spa in 2017 and 2022 and Bathurst 12 Hour in 2020 and 2022. Career 1994-2015: Youth i ...

, racecar driver and son of Jean-Marc Gounon

Twin towns – sister cities

Aubenas is twinned with: *

Cesenatico Cesenatico ( rgn, Ziznàtic) is a port town with about 26,000 inhabitants on the Adriatic coast of Italy. It is located in the province of Forlì-Cesena in the region of Emilia-Romagna, about south of Ravenna. Cesenatico's port canal was surv ...

, Italy *

Schwarzenbek Schwarzenbek is a town in the district of Lauenburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 10 km northeast of Geesthacht, and 35 km east of Hamburg. Schwarzenbeks' coat of arms shows a black wolf on a yellow fiel ...

, Germany *

Sierre Sierre (; german: Siders, ; frp, Siérro, ) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 16,332. Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun (french: Cité du Soleil) for ...

, Switzerland *

Zelzate Zelzate () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Zelzate proper. In 2021, Zelzate had a total population of 13,124. The total area is 13.71 km2. Zelzate is divided in ...

, Belgium