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
Metropolis of Lyon
The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
in eastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
Location
It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
and on the main road between that city and Saint-Étienne. It lies between the
Monts du Lyonnais The ''Monts du Lyonnais'' are a range of low-altitude mountains and eastern foothills of the Massif Central located in the Loire and Rhône departments in France.
Geography
The monts du Lyonnais' highest summit is the ''crêt Malherbe'' (946 m).
...
to the north and west and the foothills of
Mont Pilat
Mont Pilat or the Pilat massif is a mountainous area in the east of the Massif Central of France.
Name
The origin of the name "Pilat" is uncertain.
The word may have a Latin origin (''Mons Pileatus'').
Another legend says that the body of Pontiu ...
to the south and west.
The city has long served as a crossroads between the communities of the Rhône and those of the
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
.
The A47 autoroute runs through the heart of Givors connecting it to Saint-Étienne, Lyon and
Vienne
Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Pilat Regional Natural Park.
History
Early years
Before Roman times the
Segusiavi
The Segusiavī (Gaulish: *''Segusiauī/Segusiawī'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling around the modern city of Feurs ( Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Segusiavis'' by Caesar (mid-1st ...
occupied the territory where the present city of Givors is found.
The fishing community lay on the Roman Via Aquitania.
The Tour de Varissan was a Roman post of some importance.
In 1032 the province came under rule of the emperor
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
, and was German until 1157, when Frederick Barbarossa officially recognizes that the province belonged to the Kingdom of France. In the 12th century the current city of Givors came into the possession of the Archbishop of Lyon, who was both temporal and spiritual leader of the region.
In 1208 the archbishop of Lyon, Renaud de Forez, decided to build a stone castle halfway up the Saint Gerald hill.
The Castle of Saint Gerald was the residence of the canons representing the archbishop in Givors.
The castle was destroyed in 1591 when Givors was stormed by the troops of Lesdiguières, and was never rebuilt.
Today, the ruins of the castle of Saint-Gerald may still be detected.
From the 17th to the 19th century the city was noted for the presence of corporations of watermen for whom the church of Saint-Nicolas was the religious center.
The second church of Saint Nicholas was built in 1646 to replace the chapel that the sailors had formerly dedicated to Saint Nicholas, patron of the inland waterways.
Industrial growth and decline
Coal mining increased significantly in the 18th century, so much that it was carried on mules to Lyon and Vienna.
It is estimated that the amount of ore transported daily averaged four tons.
On 10 May 1749 King
Louis XV of France
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
authorized Sieurs Esnard and Robichon to build a glass works at Givors with furnaces heated by coal from Rive-de-Gier.
Until then these glass makers had operated in Franche-Comté and in Alsace, but were experiencing a shortage of wood for fuel.
Givors became well known as a glass making center during the later part of the 18th century.
On 6 September 1761 the brothers François and Guillaume Zaccharie were granted letters patent to build the Givors canal between Givors and Rive-de-Gier to carry coal and other goods (originally planned to continue on to the
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
). After many difficulties, the canal was opened in 1781.
Construction of the Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway began in September 1826, the first in France.
The section from Givors to Rive-de-Gier was opened for freight on 28 June 1830, with wagons initially pulled by horses.
The full length from Saint-Étienne to
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
was open by 4 April 1833.
With the construction of the canal and, subsequently, of the railway in the Gier valley, the city became a center of metallurgical industry from the middle of the 19th century until 1960.
The new pottery works were recognized throughout Europe. Other industries included brick and tile works, a light bulb factory and a manufacturer of children's pedal carts and prams.
Workers gradually demanded better conditions. The city supported the
Revolution of 1848
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...
.
Strikes grew more common by the end of the Second Empire in 1870. There were major strikes in March and April 1870 that affected all corporations of the city.
The city remained industrial with periodic strikes until the 1960s, when factories began closing. The glassworks closed in 2003. Today there is little industry and Givors is a dormitory town for Lyon. :fr:Givors
As of 2009, the former glassworkers were granted national media coverage around their struggle over occupational diseases.
On 1 January 1965 Givors was merged with Saint-Martin-de-Cornas.
Givors became of a member of the Urban Community of Lyon in 2007. On 1 January 2015 Givors left the department of Rhône to join the
Metropolis of Lyon
The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...
.
Population
People
Algerian community
A significant proportion of Givors' population is of
Karim Kerkar
Karim Kerkar (born 3 January 1977 in ) is a professional footballer who currently plays for Ajman Club in the UAE Football League. Born in Givors, Rhône, France, he represented Algeria at international level.
Personal
Kerkar was born to a fami ...
Djamel Bouras
Djamel Bouras (born 11 August 1971 in Givors, Rhône) is a French judoka of Algerian origin.
He won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
See also
*List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
The following i ...
, who won a gold medal in the
1996 Olympic Games
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
Djamel Bouras
Djamel Bouras (born 11 August 1971 in Givors, Rhône) is a French judoka of Algerian origin.
He won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
See also
*List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
The following i ...
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
player
*
Karim Kerkar
Karim Kerkar (born 3 January 1977 in ) is a professional footballer who currently plays for Ajman Club in the UAE Football League. Born in Givors, Rhône, France, he represented Algeria at international level.
Personal
Kerkar was born to a fami ...
- professional football player
* Salim Kerkar - professional football player
* Khaled Lemmouchia - professional football player
*
Anthony Lopes
Anthony Lopes (; born 1 October 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Lyon and the Portugal national team.
He came through the youth ranks at Lyon, being called to the first team in 2011 and making his ...
- professional football player
* Pascal Papé - professional
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
player
* Georges Le Rider - historian and librarian, died in Givors
Döbeln
Döbeln ( hsb, Doblin) is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde.
History
* 981: First written mention of Döbeln (Margravate of Meissen).
* Around 1220: Döbeln is describe ...
, Germany
*
Novopolotsk
Novopolotsk ( be, Наваполацк (Cyrillic), Navapołack ( Łacinka), translit=Navapolatsk, ; russian: Новополоцк, translit=Novopolotsk, ) is a city in Vitebsk Oblast, Belarus, with a population (2008 estimate) of 107,458. Founde ...
Vila Nova de Famalicão
Vila Nova de Famalicão () is a Portuguese town with a population of approximately 133,048 inhabitants () in an area of 201,59 km2, subdivided into 49 parishes (Administrative Division of 11 Unions of Parishes and 23 Parish Councils,). Insert ...