Draguignan (; oc, Draguinhan) 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
Var
Var or VAR may refer to:
Places
* Var (department), a department of France
* Var (river), France
* Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran
* Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the
administrative region
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
of
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...
(formerly
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
), southeastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
It is a
sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of Artillery" and "''Porte du
Verdon Verdon may refer to:
People
* Verdon (surname)
Places
France
* Verdon, Dordogne, in the Dordogne ''département''
* Verdon, Marne, in the Marne ''département''
* Vinon-sur-Verdon, an old French town in the département of Var, Provence-Alpes- ...
''".
The city is from
Saint-Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...
, and from
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
.
Name and motto
![Saint George et le dragon, enluminure](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Saint_George_et_le_dragon%2C_enluminure.jpg)
According to legend, the name of the city is derived from the Latin name "Draco/Draconem" (''dragon''): a bishop, called Saint Hermentaire, killed a dragon and saved people.
The Latin motto of Draguignan is ''Alios nutrio, meos devoro'' (I nourish others, I devour my own).
Geography
The elevation is 200 m. The highest hill near Draguignan is Malmont (551 m). The main river near Draguignan is the Nartuby.
The city is set in a valley NW-SE, about wide.
Climate
Draguignan's climate is the same as the normal conditions of the
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
. The nights of frost are rare and the negative temperatures occur only a few days a year. Thus the winters are mild and wet, and the summers warm and dry, the town is protected from the winds by the Malmont and the western massif of the Selves. During the summer the precipitation is extremely low whereas autumn is subjected to frequent rains.
Geology
The hills downstream of Draguignan date from the Middle Triassic, while those that rise upstream belong to the Upper Triassic.
Up North, we can see a long bar of stony plateau, with summits made of
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
limestones
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when th ...
, sometimes intersected by deep canyons. This northern region of the "baous" or also called massive mountainous barriers, deeply wrinkled and fractured, reveals successive basins in the east–west direction.
Draguignan is in a zone of moderate risk of
seismicity
Seismicity is a measure encompassing earthquake occurrences, mechanisms, and magnitude at a given geographical location. As such, it summarizes a region's seismic activity. The term was coined by Beno Gutenberg and Charles Francis Richter in 19 ...
.
Didacticiel de la règlementation parasismique
www.planseisme.fr, Le site internet de la prévention du risque sismique
Communication routes
Roads
There is no highway going through the city of Draguignan but the town is directly connected by the D 1555 to a major highway, the A8.
A bypass route makes it possible to avoid the city center from the south when arriving from Trans-en-Provence
Trans-en-Provence (; Provençal: ''Tranç'') is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Trans-en-Provence is famous among the ufologists as the site of an alleged UFO incident called th ...
and to get to the hospital in the north of the city more quickly.
The city is located 869 km away from Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, 141 km from Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, 89 km from Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
, 86 km from Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, 30 km from Fréjus, 105 km from Digne-les-Bains
Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Cô ...
and about 35 km from the Gulf of Saint-Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...
.
Rail transport
Since 1981, the closest railway station is Les Arcs–Draguignan, which is served by the TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
and is located twelve kilometers from the city center. Bus shuttles have been set by the agglomeration community
An agglomeration community (french: communauté d'agglomération) is a government structure in France, created by the Chevènement Law of 1999. It is one of four forms of intercommunality, less integrated than a métropole or a communauté u ...
of Draguignan from the former railway station of Draguignan, which was converted into a bus station. Draguignan train station features two turnstiles: one for SNCF and another for the transport of the agglomeration.
Public transport services
Urban transports are managed by the TED community, which offers three urban lines as well as lines to other municipalities such as Les Arcs-Draguignan, Ampus
Ampus (; oc, Empus) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
The hilltop village of Ampus is situated 14 km northwest of Draguignan.
See also
*Communes of the Var department
T ...
, Flayosc
Flayosc (; Provençal: ''Flaiòsc'') is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in southeastern France.
Geography
Flayosc is far from Draguignan, and about from the Mediterranean Sea.
The village is loca ...
, Le Muy
Le Muy (; oc, Lo Muei) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 9,288.
Le Muy was one of the first places to be liberated in the Allied invasion of ...
and Lorgues
Lorgues (; oc, Lòrgas) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is situated 13 km south-west from the town of Draguignan.
Geography
Location
Lorgues is situated in the ce ...
. The buses of the General Council of the Var serve from Draguignan the cities of Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, Brignoles
Brignoles (; oc, Brinhòla) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Alongside Draguignan, it is one of two subprefectures in Var.
It was the summer residence of the counts of Pro ...
, Aups
Aups (; Provençal oc, Aups in the classical norm, ''Aup'' in the Mistralian norm, )However, after the preposition ''a ~ à'' 'to', the forms are ''as Aups ~ à-z-Aup'' and are pronounced is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alp ...
, Fayence
Fayence (; oc, Faiença) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 5,735.
Fayence is one of a series of "perched villages" overlooking the plain betwee ...
, Fréjus and Le Luc
Le Luc (; Provençal: ''Lo Luc''), also known as Le Luc-en-Provence (''Lo Luc de Provença''), is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 11,094. Le Luc is ...
.
A project by BHNS is being studied, to connect Draguignan city center to Les Arcs-Draguignan station in 17 minutes instead of 25 minutes currently.
History
The name of Draguignan ("Draconianum") appeared for the first time in 909. During the Middle-Ages, Draguignan was a small village whose people lived from olive and grape cultivation. Draguignan became the "prefecture" of the Var
Var or VAR may refer to:
Places
* Var (department), a department of France
* Var (river), France
* Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran
* Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...
in 1790, at the beginning of the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. This was despite the town by far not being the biggest city in the department. It remained the seat of the prefecture until 1974. In the 19th century and during a large part of the 20th century, the people of Draguignan (in French: "Dracénois", in English: "Draceners") voted for liberal parties (Radical-Socialist Party, Socialist Party).
The town was occupied by the Wehrmacht in 1942-44 and freed in August 1944, after Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...
. The city welcomed the "Ecole nationale d'artillerie" (Artillery School) in 1976, then the "Ecole nationale d'infanterie" (Infantry School) in 2010. The arrival of the military involved the development of the city : the small town became a city in the second part of the 20th century : 13,400 citizens in 1954, 33,000 in 2000, 38,000 in 2010. On June 15, 2010, the city was flooded. Torrential rain caused the deaths of 12 people in the town and 25 in the neighborhoods.
Population
Major attractions
* Museum of Artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
(Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
, etc.)
* Museum of "Arts et traditions populaires"
*Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial
Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial is a Second World War American military war grave cemetery, located within the city of Draguignan, north of Saint-Tropez, in Southern France. The cemetery, named for the Rhone river where most of those in ...
(American World War II cemetery) (see operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...
)
* The Eglise St Michel
* Eglise Notre-Dame du Peuple
* The Dolmen
A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...
Pierre de la fée (''fairy's Stone''), also known as the fruit rock.
Personalities connected to Draguignan
* Nicolas Agnesi, born in Draguignan
* Karl "Psycho" Amoussou, MMA fighter in Bellator Fighting Championships, born in Draguignan.
* Jean-Marie Auberson
Jean-Marie Auberson (May 2, 1920 – July 4, 2004) was a Swiss conductor and violinist.
Early life and education
Auberson was born in Chavornay, Vaud; his father, François Auberson, was a farmer. He studied violin and viola at the Lausanne Co ...
, died in Draguignan
* Sébastien Bouin
Sébastien Bouin, nicknamed Seb Bouin, (born 7 April 1993) is a French rock climber born in Draguignan. By 2022, Bouin was regarded as one of the strongest sport climbers in the world, being only the second-ever climber to establish a route gra ...
, rock climber, born in Draguignan
* Patricia Burke
Patricia Burke (23 March 191723 November 2003), was an English singer and actress in cinema, stage and TV. She was the daughter of actress Marie Burke and British operatic tenor Thomas Burke.
On stage she enjoyed success in the 1943 West End mu ...
, a British actress, died in Draguignan
* Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...
, was a politician of Draguignan: deputy of the district of Draguignan (1885–1893) and senator of the same district (1902–1920), French prime minister in 1906-1909 and 1917–1920
* Alain Connes
Alain Connes (; born 1 April 1947) is a French mathematician, and a theoretical physicist, known for his contributions to the study of operator algebras and noncommutative geometry. He is a professor at the , , Ohio State University and Vande ...
, born in Draguignan
* Michel Constantin
Michel Constantin (born Constantin Hokhloff, 13 July 1924 – 29 August 2003) was a French film actor.
Biography
Born to a Russian father and a Polish mother in Billancourt (near Paris), Constantin made his first film appearance in 1956. ...
, died in Draguignan
* Abel Douay
Charles Abel Douay (2 March 1809 – 4 August 1870) was a general in the French army during the reign of the Emperor Napoleon III. He commanded troops in numerous French campaigns in Europe and overseas. He was killed in battle at the age of sixty- ...
, born in Draguignan
* Michaël Fabre, born in Draguignan
* Gustave Ferrié, studied in Draguignan
* Estève Garcin, born in Draguignan
* Claude Gay, born in Draguignan
* Maximin Isnard
Maximin Isnard (; 16 November 1755 Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes – 12 March 1825 Grasse), French revolutionary, was a dealer in perfumery at Draguignan when he was elected deputy for the ''département'' of the Var to the Legislative Assembly, wher ...
, was a politician of Draguignan
* Michel Lafourcade, died in Draguignan
* Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès
Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès (; 24 October 1817 – 31 May 1880) was a French chemist and inventor who is famous for his invention of margarine.
Early life
Hippolyte Mège was born on 24 October 1817 in Draguignan to Jean Joseph-Emmanuel Mège and ...
, born in Draguignan
* Charlotte Morel
Charlotte Morel (born 16 January 1989 in Draguignan, Var), is a French professional triathlete, twelve times National Champion in various duathlon and triathlon categories (''cadette, junior, espoir''), e.g. National U23 Triathlon Champi ...
, born in Draguignan
* Louis Moréri
Louis Moréri (25 March 1643 – 10 July 1680) was a French priest and encyclopedist.
Life
Moréri was born in 1643 in Bargemon, a village in the ancient province of Provence. His great-grandfather, Joseph Chatranet, a native of Dijon, had set ...
, studied in Draguignan
* Henri Mulet
Henri Gabriel Mulet (17 October 1878 – 20 September 1967) was a French composer, pipe and reed organist, and cellist.
Biography
Mulet was born on 17 October 1878 in Paris. His father Gabriel Léon Mulet was choirmaster of the Basilica of Sacr ...
, French organist and composer, spent the last 30 years of his life in Draguignan, as organist of the cathedral there.
* Émile Ollivier
Olivier Émile Ollivier (; 2 July 182520 August 1913) was a French statesman. Starting as an avid republican opposed to Emperor Napoleon III, he pushed the Emperor toward liberal reforms and in turn came increasingly into Napoleon's grip. He en ...
, was a politician of Draguignan: deputy of the district of Draguignan, then prime minister in 1870
* Lily Pons
Alice Joséphine Pons (April 12, 1898 – February 13, 1976), known professionally as Lily Pons, was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer, she s ...
, born in Draguignan
* Ronald Searle
Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI (3 March 1920 – 30 December 2011) was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comics artist, sculptor, medal designer and illustrator. He is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian's S ...
, a British artist, died in Draguignan
* Philippe Seguin, studied in Draguignan
* Georges Thill
Georges Thill (14 December 1897 – 17 October 1984) was a French opera singer, often considered to be his country's greatest lyric-dramatic tenor. Born in Paris, his career lasted from 1924 to 1953, peaking during the 1930s.
Career
A pupil of ...
, died in Draguignan
* Christopher Tolkien
Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English academic editor, becoming a French citizen in later life. The son of author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien edited much of his father' ...
, lived in Draguignan from 1975 until his death in January 2020
Twin towns
* Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen (Alemannic: ''Duttlinga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, ''Möhringen'' and ''Eßlingen'' are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen. Tuttlingen is located in Swabia eas ...
, Germany
Pictures
file:Draguignan Pierre de la fee.JPG, The Dolmen ''Pierre de la fée''.
file:Draguignan_Theatre_Municipal_1.jpg, The Town Theatre of Draguignan (''Théatre Municipal'').
file:Draguignan_Gare.jpg, The old Railway Station, which is still called ''Gare SNCF'' even though the tracks from Les Arcs to Draguignan were dismantled or closed down.
File:Eglise Saint Machel organ.jpg, Organ in the church of Saint Michael
File:Eglise Saint Machel hall.jpg, The church of Saint Michael
File:Art pieces on the street in Draguignan.jpg, Art pieces on the street in Draguignan
File:Draguignan In the old city.jpg, Draguignan In the old city
See also
* Communes of the Var department
The following is a list of the 153 communes of the Var department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):[List of works by Auguste Carli
Auguste Carli was born on July 12, 1868 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, and many of his works can be seen in Marseille itself and in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a departme ...]
References
External links
City council website
(in French)
{{Authority control
Communes of Var (department)
French Riviera
Subprefectures in France