Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French department of

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, and also the r ...

, of which it is the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

. Located on a plateau overlooking a

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...

of the river

, the city is nicknamed the "balcony of the southwest". The city proper's population is a little less than 42,000 but it is the centre of an urban area of 110,000 people extending more than from east to west. Formerly the capital of

Angoumois Angoumois (), historically the County of Angoulême, was a county and province of France, originally inferior to the parent duchy of Aquitaine, similar to the Périgord to its east but lower and generally less forested, equally with occasional ...

during the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, Angoulême was a fortified town for a long time, and was highly coveted due to its position at the centre of many roads important to communication, so therefore it suffered many sieges. From its tumultuous past, the city, perched on a rocky spur, inherited a large historical, religious, and urban heritage which attracts a lot of tourists. Nowadays, Angoulême is at the centre of an agglomeration, which is one of the most industrialised regions between

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) 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. It rises in the so ...

and

Garonne The Garonne ( , ; Catalan language, Catalan, Basque language, Basque and , ; or ) is a river that flows in southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux � ...

(the

paper industry The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood, specifically pulpwood, as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard, and other cellulose-based products. Manufacturing process In the manufacturing process, pulp is intro ...

was established in the 16th century, a

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

and

electromechanical engineering Electromechanics combine processes and procedures drawn from electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Electromechanics focus on the interaction of electrical and mechanical systems as a whole and how the two systems interact with each ...

developed more recently). It is also a commercial and administrative city with its own university of technology, and a vibrant cultural life. This life is dominated by the

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (AICF; ) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lucca Comics & Games and the Comiket of Japan. It has occur ...

, the FFA

Angoulême Francophone Film Festival The Angoulême Francophone Film Festival (, FFA) is an annual film festival held in Angoulême, France. It was founded by Dominique Besnehard in 2008 and has been held every year in December. It was launched as a showcase for all kind of francophon ...

and the

Musiques Métisses Musiques Métisses is an annual French music festival held in early summer. The festival was created in 1976 by Christian Mousset in Angoulême, France. In 2015, the American author Eddy L.Harris took over as president of the festival. History ...

Festival that contribute substantially to the international renown of the city. Moreover, Angoulême hosts 40 animation and video game studios that produce half of France's animated production.

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...

's ''

The French Dispatch ''The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun'' (or simply ''The French Dispatch'') is a 2021 American anthology comedy drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo ...

'' was filmed in this city. Angoulême is called "Ville de l'Image" which means literally "City of the Image". The commune has been awarded four flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Angoulême is an

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

city located on a hill overlooking a loop of the

limited in area upstream by the confluence of the

Touvre Touvre () is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Charente department The following is a list of the 359 communes of the Charente department of France on 1 January 2025. The ...

and downstream by the Anguienne and

Eaux Claires Eaux Claires, also known as the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, was a two-day music and arts festival that took place for four years in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The festival took what was to be a year-long hiatus in 2019 but was expected to r ...

Location and access

Angoulême is located at the intersection of a major north–south axis: the N10 Paris-Bayonne; and the east–west axis: the N14 ''route Central-Europe Atlantique'' Limoges-Saintes. Angoulême is also connected to

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is also the seat of ...

and Saint-Jean-d'Angely by the D939 and to

Libourne Libourne (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Geog ...

by the D674. *By train: the Paris-Bordeaux line, served mainly by

TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...

, passes through Angoulême and the TER Limoges-Saintes provides connections. *By water: although the river Charente is currently only used for tourism, it was a communication channel, especially for freight, until the 19th century and the port of l'Houmeau was very busy. The Angoulême-Cognac International Airport is at Brie-Champniers.

Districts

Old Angoulême is the old part between the ramparts and the town centre with winding streets and small squares. The city centre is also located on the plateau and was portrayed by

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

in "The Lost Illusions" as "the height of grandeur and power". There is a Castle, a town hall, a prefecture, and a cathedral with grand houses everywhere. Unlike Old Angoulême, however, the entire city centre was greatly rebuilt in the 19th century. Surrounding the city were five old faubourgs:

l'Houmeau L'Houmeau () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. Population See also * Communes of the Charente-Maritime department The following is a list of the 462 communes of the Charente-Maritime department of ...

, Saint-Cybard, Saint-Martin, Saint-Ausone, and la Bussatte. The district of l'Houmeau was described by Balzac as "based on trade and money" because this district lived on trade, boatmen, and their

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailboat, sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small ha ...

s. The port of l'Houmeau was created in 1280 on the river bank. It marked the beginning of the navigable part from Angoulême to the sea. Saint-Cybard, on the bank of the Charente, was created around the

Abbey of Saint-Cybard The Abbey of Saint-Cybard was a Benedictine monastery located just outside the northern city walls of Angoulême. According to Gregory of Tours in the ''Historia Francorum'' (VI, 8), the monastery was founded by Saint Eparchius in the sixth cen ...

then became an industrial area with

papermill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

s, especially ''Le Nil''. Saint-Martin - Saint-Ausone is a district composed of two former parishes outside the ramparts. At La Bussatte the Champ de Mars esplanade is now converted into a shopping mall, and adjoins Saint-Gelais. Today the city has fifteen districts: * Centre-ville * Old Angoulême * Saint-Ausone - Saint-Martin * Saint-Gelais * La Bussatte - Champ de Mars * L'Houmeau * Saint-Cybard * Victor-Hugo, Saint-Roch is notable for its military presence. * Basseau is a district which was created in the 19th century with the port of Basseau, the explosives factory in 1821, the Laroche-Joubert papermill in 1842, then the bridge in 1850. * Sillac - La Grande-Garenne was a private housing estate then was built up with HLM units. * Bel-Air, la Grand Font in the railway station district with housing blocks from the 1950s at Grand Font. * La Madeleine which was completely rebuilt after the bombings of 1944. * Ma Campagne is a district which was detached from Puymoyen commune in 1945Pierre Dubourg-Noves (dir.), ''History of Angoulême and its surroundings'', Toulouse, Éditions Privat, coll. "Univers de la France et des pays francophones", 1990, 319 p. (, notice BnF no FRBNF350724243), p. 295-296 and built-up as a collective habitat from 1972. * Le Petit Fresquet was also detached from Puymoyen and is semi-rural. * Frégeneuil was also detached from Puymoyen and is semi-rural.

Panorama of the city

Neighbouring communes and villages

Google Maps
/ref>

Hydrography

The ''Port-l'Houmeau'', the old port on the Charente located in the district of l'Houmeau is in a flood zone and during floods the Besson Bey Boulevard is usually cut.

Geology

Geologically the town belongs to the

Aquitaine Basin The Aquitaine Basin is the second largest Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary basin in France after the Paris Basin, occupying a large part of the country's southwestern quadrant. Its surface area covers 66,000 km2 onshore. It formed on Varisca ...

as does three-quarters of the western department of

. The commune is located on the same

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

from the

Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...

period which occupies the southern half of the department of Charente, not far from

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 143.1 Mya. ...

formations beginning at Gond-Pontouvre. The earliest Cretaceous period - the

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

- is in the relatively low areas (l'Houmeau, the heights of Saint-Cybard, Sillac), at an average altitude of 50m. The city was established on the

Plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

(altitude 100m) that dominates the loop of the River Charente, a

Turonian The Turonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, the second age (geology), age in the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch, or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Upper Cretaceous series (stratigraphy), ...

(also called ''Angoumien'') formation which forms a dissected plateau of parallel valleys and a

cuesta A cuesta () is a hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side, and a steep slope on the other. In geology, the term is more specifically applied to a ridge where a harder sedimentary rock overlies a softer layer, the whole being tilted somew ...

facing north that extends towards La Couronne to the west and Garat to the east. This limestone plateau contains natural cavities which have been refurbished by man in the form of three or four floors of caves, some of which include antique grain silos. The valley of the Charente is made up of old and new alluvium which provides rich soil for farming and some sandpits. These alluvial deposits were deposited successively during the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

period on the inside of two meanders of the river that are Basseau and Saint-Cybard. The oldest alluviums are on the plain of Basseau and reach a relative height of 25m.

Relief

The old part of the city is built on the plateau - a rocky outcrop created by the valleys of the Anguienne and Charente at an altitude of - while on the river bank the area subject to flooding is high. Angoulême is characterized by the presence of ramparts on a cliff high. The plateau of ''Ma Campagne'', south of the old town, has almost the same features and peaks at 109 m in the woods of Saint-Martin. The plateau is elongated and separates the valleys of Eaux Claires, which is the southern boundary of the commune, from that of Anguienne, which is parallel. Both plateaux overlook the Charente valley and the outlying areas such as l'Houmeau, Basseau, and Sillac at their western ends. The plateau of Angoulême is the northwest extension of the Soyaux plateau. L'Houmeau, the station area, and that of Grand-Font are to the north of the plateau along the small Vimière valley, also a tributary of the Charente, but further north (towards Gond-Pontouvre and

L'Isle-d'Espagnac L'Isle-d'Espagnac () is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Charente department The following is a list of the 359 communes of the Charente department of France on 1 January ...

) than Anguienne is to the south. The highest point of the city of Angoulême is at an altitude of 133m near Peusec located to the south-east near the border with Puymoyen. The lowest point is 27 m, located along the Charente at Basseau.IGN Map on

Géoportail Géoportail is a comprehensive web mapping service of the French government that publishes maps and geophysical aerial photographs from more than 90 sources for France and its territories. The service, first developed by two public agencies (the ...

The ramparts

Since Roman times ramparts have surrounded the Plateau of Angoulême. Repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, their reconstruction was finally stopped in the 19th century. The Ramparts are classified as historical monumentsMinistry of Culture, Mérimée and the ''Ramparts Tour'' is one of the main attractions of the city. ;The Ramparts of Angoulême File:Angoulême1.4.JPG, North Rampart File:Ang remp1.JPG, Near the covered market File:Ang remp4.JPG, The Léchelle Tower File:Angouleme20050314Blorg.JPG, The Rampart du midi

Climate

Angoulême is under an oceanic influence and similar to that of the city of Cognac where the departmental weather station is located. Precipitations are modest all year long, with a slight drying tendency during summer.

Toponymy

Since Antiquity and through the Middle Ages, the name of the town has been attested in many forms in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

: *''Iculisma''Letter of Ausone, Louis Maurin in: Jean Combes (dir.) and Michel Luc (dir.), ''Charente from prehistory to modern times (collective work)'', St-Jean-d'Y, Imprimerie Bordessoules, coll. "History by documentrs", 1986, 429 p. (, notice BnF no FRBNF34901024q), p. 56,69,70 and ''Eculisna''Ernest Nègre, ''Toponymy General of France'', Librairie Droz, Genève, volume 1: Pre-Celtic, Celtic, and Roman formations, 1990, 704 pages, p. 53
Read online
consulted on 31 December 2012 from the 4th century *''civitas Engolismensium'' around 400AD *''Ecolisima'' (

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

currency)''Etymological Dictionary of place names in France'', Librairie Guénégaud, Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, 1979, Paris, , p. 19a *''Ecolisina'' and ''Aquilisima'' in 511 *''Ecolisna'' in the 6th century *''Egolisma'' *''Egolisina'' in the 10th century *''Equalisma'', ''Engolma'', ''Egolesma'', and ''Engolisma'' *''Engolesme'' at the end of the 12th century. The absence of any convincing explanation of the origin of the name of the city has led to several attempts to fit etymological explanations unrelated to the well documented old forms and phonetically unlikely: *It came from ''incolumissima'' meaning "very safe and healthy," but there is no trace of an in the most ancient forms and no trace of a ieither. *It was an alteration of ''in collisnā'' meaning "on the hill" but a toponym is never formed from the Latin preposition ''in''. As for the French word ''colline'' (hill), it was borrowed from the Italian ''collina'' at the time of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

(attested for the first time in 1555). In addition the suffix ''-isnā'' was not used to produce derivations from Latin words and it is doubtful that it even exists. Finally, independent alterations of regular phonetic changes occur as a result of analogy or more precisely of

popular etymology A false etymology (fake etymology or pseudo-etymology) is a false theory about the origin or derivation of a specific word or phrase. When a false etymology becomes a popular belief in a cultural/linguistic community, it is a folk etymology (or po ...

: that is to say analogy with other similar and frequent used names in the region or an attempt to connect the toponym to a term that makes sense. It is clear that the old forms of Angoulême are mostly obscure. Some hypotheses have been advanced with a stronger basis: *It is possible to recognize the suffix ''-isma'' in some of the oldest forms which represents an evolution of the Gallic suffix ''-isama'' (usually a superlative mark) which is found in the name of the Gallic divinity '' Belisama'' and very common in toponymy in toponymic types such as Blesme,

Bellême Bellême () is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère. The musicologist Guillaume André Villoteau (1759–1839) was born in Bellême, as was Aristide Boucicaut (1810–1877), ...

, etc. including changes in the final ''-esme, -ême'' which is similar to Angoulême.Xavier Delamarre also cited ''Uxisama'' "very high" giving

Exmes Exmes () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Orne Departments of France, department in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Gouffern en Auge.Huismes, etc. and ''*Lētisamā'' "very grey" giving Louesme (

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

, ''Leesma'' in 1101), Lesme (Saône-et-loire)Xavier Delamarre, ''Dictionary of the Gallic language'', éditions Errance, Paris, 2001, p. 199,329, . Article uxellos and -leto In this context the first element would be ''Icul- / Ecol-'' an unknown pre-Latin element. *The identification of the primitive form ''Eculisna'' then alternating the old forms ''-isna'' and ''-isma'' led Ernest Nègre to prefer the first with ''-isna''. The first element would be ''Ecul-''. According to him, we can neither affirm the Celticity of these two elements nor their meaning. The alteration in ''*Angulisma'' was caused by the attraction of the Germanic personal name ''Angelisma'' whose existence was confirmed by Marie-Thérèse Morlet. *''Iculisma / Ecolisma'' would consist of a Gallic radical ''eco'' meaning "water", followed by the suffix ''-lisima'' meaning "relates to". ''Iculisma'' would be "well-watered".Jean-Marie Cassagne and Stéphane Seguin, ''Origin of names of towns and villages of Charente'', Jean-Michel Bordessoules, 1998, 311 pages, p. 15 and 16, Xavier Delamarre analysed the element ''Eco-'' to come from ''Equoranda'' (or ''Egoranda'') as the origin of many names in France and considers that the element ''ico / equo-'' was not Celtic. At the time of the French Revolution the city was known by the transient name of ''Montagne-Charente''. *The district of Bussatte takes its name from the Low Latin ''buxetta / buxettum'' which means "place planted with boxwood" equivalent to '' Boissay'' in the langue d'oïl. *The district of l'Houmeau meaning "small elm" or "abalone". The term is probably derived from Low Latin ''ulmellum''. *Sillac probably comes from Low Latin ''Sīliācum'' meaning that the village was built around the property (suffix ''-ācum'') of a Gallo-Roman named ''Sīlius''.

History

Antiquity

The history of the city is not very well known before the Roman period: it is simply known that the plateau was occupied by an

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

, traces of which were found during excavations in the Saint-Martial cemetery under the name ''Iculisma''. Its currency was Lemovice. Ang musarcheo7b

The town was not located on major roads and was considered by the poet

Ausonius Decimius Magnus Ausonius (; ) was a Latin literature, Roman poet and Education in ancient Rome, teacher of classical rhetoric, rhetoric from Burdigala, Gallia Aquitania, Aquitaine (now Bordeaux, France). For a time, he was tutor to the future E ...

as a small town. No Roman monuments have been found but it benefited from the ''

Pax Romana The (Latin for ) is a roughly 200-year-long period of Roman history that is identified as a golden age of increased and sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace and order, prosperous stability, hegemonic power, and regional expansion, a ...

'' and from trade on the river. The town had a prosperous period at the end of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. The rocky promontory overlooking the Charente high and over the Anguienne high formed a strategic position. It was raised to the rank of capital of ''civitas'' (at the end of the 3rd or 4th centuries) and the first fortress dates from the end of the Roman Empire. The rampart called Bas-Empire which surrounds 27 hectares of land was maintained until the 13th century. The network of

Roman roads Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

were then reorganized to link the town with the surrounding cities of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, Saintes,

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

, and Périgueux. The city of ''Haut-Empire'' remained unknown for a long time. Recent excavations have provided details on the power of the Roman city. A well dug in an early era shows that the water table was very high. A large thermal spa complex was found under the courthouse which is usually related to water supply through an aqueduct. The first

bishop of Angoulême A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

was Saint Ausone of Angoulême in the 3rd century. The administrative importance of the city was strengthened by the implementation of a County in the 6th century with Turpion (or Turpin) (839–863), adviser to

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

. However, the town was always attached to the various kingdoms of Aquitaine and the end of antiquity for the city was in 768, when

Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...

defeated Hunald II and linked it to the Frankish kingdom. In June 2019, archeologists discovered a prehistoric stone with an engraving of a horse and other animals near Angoulême station. The

Palaeolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

stone plate is estimated to be about 12,000 years old.

Middle Ages

When held by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

, the city followed the

Arian Arianism (, ) is a Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered he ...

version of Christianity and was besieged for the first time by Clovis in 507 after Vouillé then taken in 508; "miraculously" according to

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

and Ademar of Chabannes. During the battle, however, Clovis was seriously wounded in the leg - probably a fracture. The fact is reported by tradition and on a wall of a tower from the 2nd century a leg is carved called the "leg of Clovis". Tour clovis detail

During his stay in Angoulême, after putting the garrison to the sword, Clovis pulled down the old Visigothic cathedral dedicated to Saint-Saturnin to build a new one bearing the name of Saint-Pierre. All that remains of the original building are two carved marble capitals that frame the bay of the axis in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

of the present cathedral. In the 7th century Saint Cybard stayed secluded in a cave beneath the extension to the north wall of Angoulême called Green Garden which caused the creation of the first abbey: the Abbey of Saint-Cybard, then created the first abbey for women: the Abbey of Saint-Ausone where the tomb of the first bishop of the city is located. In 848 Angoulême was sacked by the

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

chief

Hastein Hastein (Old Norse: ''Hásteinn'', also recorded as ''Hastingus'', ''Anstign'', ''Haesten'', ''Hæsten'', ''Hæstenn'' or ''Hæsting'' and alias ''Alsting''Jones, Aled (2003). ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society: Sixth Series'' Cambridge ...

. In 896 or 930 the city suffered another attack from invading Vikings but this time the Vikings faced an effective resistance. Guillaume I, third Count of Angoulême, at the head of his troops made them surrender in a decisive battle. During this engagement, he split open to the waist Stonius, the Norman chief, with a massive blow together with his helmet and breastplate. It was this feat that earned him the name ''Taillefer'', which was borne by all his descendants until

Isabella of Angoulême Isabella (, ; c. 1186/ 1188 – 4 June 1246) was Queen of England from 1200 to 1216 as the second wife of King John, Countess of Angoulême in her own right from 1202 until her death in 1246, and Countess of La Marche from 1220 to 1246 as t ...

who was also known as Isabelle Taillefer, the wife of King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

. The title was withdrawn from the descendants on more than one occasion by Richard Coeur-de-Lion then the title passed to King John of England at the time of his marriage to Isabella of Angoulême, daughter of Count Aymer of Angoulême. After becoming a widow, Isabella subsequently married Hugh X of Lusignan in 1220, and the title was passed to the Lusignan family, counts of Marche. On the death of Hugh XIII in 1302 without issue, the County of Angoulême passed his possessions to the crown of France. In 1236

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

communities in Anjou and

Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

, particularly Bordeaux and Angoulême were attacked by

crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

. 500

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

chose conversion and over 3000 were massacred. Pope

Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the P ...

, who originally had called the crusade, was outraged about this brutality and criticized the clergy for not preventing it. From the 10th to the 13th centuries the counts of Angoulême, the Taillefer, then the Lusignan strengthened the defences of the city and widened it to encompass the district of Saint-Martial. In 1110, Bishop Girard II ordered the construction of the present cathedral.

The commune charter

On 18 May 1204 a charter was signed by King John of England to make official the creation of the commune of Angoulême. The King "grants to residents of Angoulême to keep the freedoms and customs of their fair city and defend their possessions and rights". The city celebrated their 800th anniversary throughout 2004.

The Hundred Years War

In 1360 the city, like all of Angoumois, passed into the hands of the

Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet ( /plænˈtædʒənət/ ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct royal houses: the Angev ...

English with the Treaty of Brétigny. From 16 to 22 October 1361,

John Chandos Sir John Chandos, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin Peninsula, Cotentin, Constable of Aquitaine, Seneschal of Count of Poitiers, Poitou, (c. 1320 – 31 December 1369) was a medieval English knight who haile ...

, Lieutenant of

King Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

of England and the Constable of Aquitaine responsible for implementing the Treaty particularly in Angoumois, took possession of the city, its castles, and the "mostier" (monastery) of Saint-Pierre. He received oaths of allegiance to the King of England from the main personalities of the city. The English were, however, expelled in 1373 by the troops of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

who granted the town numerous privileges. The County of Angoulême was given to Louis d'Orléans who was the brother of King Charles VI in 1394 and it then passed to his son Jean d'Orléans (1400–1467), the grandfather of

Marguerite de Navarre Marguerite de Navarre (, ''Marguerite d'Alençon''; 11 April 149221 December 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was a princess of France, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen of Navarre by her second mar ...

and François I. The ''Good Count'' Jean of Angoulême greatly expanded the County castle after his return from English captivity in the middle of the 15th century.

The modern era

Angoulême, the seat of the County of Angoumois, came into the possession of a branch of the family of Valois from which came François I, King of France from 1515 to 1547 who was born in

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

in 1494. In 1524 the Italian navigator

Giovanni da Verrazzano Giovanni da Verrazzano ( , ; often misspelled Verrazano in English; 1491–1528) was an Italian ( Florentine) explorer of North America, who led most of his later expeditions, including the one to America, in the service of King Francis I of ...

returned from the Indies. He told François I he had discovered a new territory that he named

New Angoulême The written history of New York City began with the first European explorer, the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1528. European settlement began with the Dutch in 1608 and New Amsterdam was founded in 1624. The "Sons of Liberty" campaigned ...

in his honour. This area later became

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

then

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The duchy, now crown land, thereafter was passed on within the ruling house of France. One of its holders was

Charles of Valois Charles, Count of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, which ruled over France from 1328. He was the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella o ...

, the "natural" (illegitimate) son of Charles IX. The last duke of Angoulême was Louis-Antoine (died 1844), eldest son of

Charles X of France Charles X (Charles Philippe; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother of reigning kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported th ...

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

, the promoter of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and friend of Jean du Tillet the archdeacon of Angoulême, was forced to flee Paris in 1533 and took refuge in Angoulême in the caves of Rochecorail at Trois-Palis. He wrote some of his ''

Institutes of the Christian Religion ''Institutes of the Christian Religion'' () is John Calvin's seminal work of systematic theology. Regarded as one of the most influential works of Protestant theology, it was published in Latin in 1536 at the same time as Henry VIII of England's ...

'' there which first edition was published in Latin in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

in 1536. Angoulême was affected by the Revolt of the Pitauds peasant revolt: in 1541, the gabelle (salt tax) was imposed on Saintonge and Angoumois. These provinces did not pay the tax on salt. The revolt broke out around Angoulême and farmers from the surrounding countryside took the city in July 1548 During the first wars of religion the city took up arms: it was reconquered in 1563 by Louis, Duke of Montpensier, Montpensier. In 1565 Charles IX passed through the city during his Charles IX's grand tour of France, royal tour of France (1564–1566) accompanied by the court. In October 1568 the city was taken by the Protestants under Gaspard II de Coligny, Coligny. Henry III of France, Henry III was, in his infancy, the Duke of Angoulême. He left an unflattering description: "The streets of Engolesme are twisted, houses are disordered, the walls built out of various kinds of masonry which show that it was built several times and often taken and ruined" In 1588 the mayor of Angoulême, François Normand Lord of Puygrelier, was ordered by Henri III to arrest the Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette, Duke of Épernon, governor of Angoumois. He led the assault, was repelled, and died on 10 August 1588. In 1619 Marie de Médicis escaped and was received by the Duke of Épernon, governor of Angoumois. At that time the castle was the residence of the governors.

French Revolution

During the French Revolution the city was called ''Mountagne-Charente''. The first arbre de la liberté, tree of liberty was planted on 5 July 1792.

World War II

DUPUY PILS 55 - ANGOULEME - La Place des Halles centrales

SJS 81 - ANGOULEME - Eglise et Faubourg Saint-Ausonne

On 24 June 1940, the 2nd Verfügungstruppe division (special intervention troops) 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, Das Reich supported by other units of the Wehrmacht arrived in Angoulême. These troops took prisoners and neutralized the many refugee French soldiers in the city. Their number is estimated between 10 and 20 thousand. They were released in the following days. The Das Reich division, which became tragically famous in 1944 during the Battle of Normandy, continued their "lightning war" by quickly moving to the Spanish border to quickly set the line of demarkation to cut France in two. Angoulême was located in the Zone occupée, occupied zone under German authority and was the seat of the ''Feld Kommandatur''. The border with the zone libre, free zone, colloquially called the ''zone nono'' (non-occupied) passed about east of Angoulême through the Forest of Braconne and split the department in two. On 20 August 1940 a convoy of Spanish Republicans were sent from Angoulême: convoy 927. This was the first convoy of the history of Deportation in Europe. Men over the age of 13 were sent to the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, Mauthausen camp where very few survived; women and children were sent to Francisco Franco, Franco. These refugees were gathered in camps of "Combe aux Loups" at Ruelle-sur-Touvre and "Alliers" in Angoulême. It also served as a concentration camp for Romani people, Gypsies until June 1946. On 21 October 1941 the young Gontran Labrégère, who tried with his friend Jean Pierre Rivière to set fire to a train carrying straw and munitions in Angoulême railway station, was shot by the occupiers. This was the first of a long list of 98 resistance fighters or hostages from Charente. In 1942 Mayor Guillon was dismissed and accused of belonging to an organisation outlawed by the Vichy regime. He was replaced by a notable industrialist, Pallas. On 8 October 1942, 387 people of Jewish origin were arrested and deported to Auschwitz. Only eight of them ever returned. On 19 March 1944 allied bombing caused widespread damage and one casualty at the National Explosives factory. On 15 June and 14 August 1944, the railway station was the target of American Flying Fortresses that dumped a carpet of bombs with little damage to the Germans but killing 242 civilians, destroying 400 houses, and caused 5,000 disaster victims in l'Éperon, l'Houmeau, Madeleine, and Grand-Font districts. At the end of August 1944 the Elster column, which was composed of the remains of various German units and the Indische Legion, passed through the city without incident and withdrew. Various units of French Forces of the Interior, FFI from the department and reinforcements from Dordogne then began the encirclement of the city. On the evening of 31 August an attack was launched, putting to flight the remnants of the German garrison. They fortunately did not have an opportunity to reorganize the defence of the city using the numerous and formidable fortifications erected for this purpose. On the night of 31 August to 1 September the city was liberated and a Comité départemental de libération, Liberation Committee with a new prefect was installed. This attack, however, resulted in 51 casualties among the different units involved: Maquis de Bir Hacheim, Groupe Soleil, SSS (Special Section for Sabotage), etc. A museum in the commune is devoted to the French Resistance, Resistance and the The Holocaust, deportations of Jewish and political prisoners. A statue near the station commemorates the deportations to the concentration camps. The survivors of Operation Frankton, notable for their daring raid by canoe on the German U-boat base at Bordeaux, made their escape across country to a safe house at Ruffec, Charente, Ruffec just north of Angoulême. This is now the site of a shop featuring British goods. The Monument to the Resistance is in Chasseneuil to the east.

Postwar history

After the war, the city underwent a major expansion of its suburbs. First Grand Font and Bel-Air, following the MRU reconstruction program for war damage of the area around the station which was bombed in 1944. Then in the 1960s the districts of Basseau (ZAC) and the Grande-Garenne were built and then there was the creation of Priority Urban Zones (ZUPs) at Ma Campagne in the 1970s. Gradually industries moved into more spacious industrial zones created in the peripheral communes between 1959 and 1975: *Sillac-Rabion (1959) *les Agriers (1964) *ZI No. 3: Gond-Pontouvre and

(1967) *Nersac (early 1970s) *Combe at Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente, Saint-Yrieix (1980) Urbanisation also affected the peripheral communes with housing estates at Soyaux and Ruelle-sur-Touvre and the agglomeration became one of the largest cities in the south-west. In 1972, the city signed a "pilot city" contract with the State (Délégation interministérielle à l'aménagement du territoire et à l'attractivité régionale, DATAR, represented by Albin Chalandon), which allowed the city to make large scale public works - e.g. the small ring road (bridge and Rue Saint-Antoine, Boulevard Bretagne, Tunnel of Gâtine) penetrating Ma Campagne and called the way to Europe, the ZUPs at Ma Campagne, the Saint-Martial town centre, underground parking at Bouillaud and Saint-Martial, Montauzier indoor swimming pools at Ma Campagne, a pedestrianized street, a one-way traffic plan with computerized management of traffic lights (Angoulême is one of the first cities in France with Bordeaux which has the Gertrude computerized system called ''Philibert'' in Angoulême), STGA urban transport (ten routes with flexible buses), development of Bouillaud square, Conservatory of Music. In 1989 after defeat in the municipal elections, the Socialist Party (France), PS deputy mayor, Jean-Michel Boucheron (Charente politician), Jean-Michel Boucheron left a hole of 164 million francs in the finances of the city and a debt of 1.2 billion francs. This deficit has burdened the finances of the city and long served as justification for the non-involvement in the completion of public works. The small ring road (the southwest quarter - i.e. the Aquitaine Boulevard, a second bridge over the Charente, and the connection to the ''way of Europe'') was completed in 1995. Following the construction of the Nautilis swimming complex at Saint-Yrieix by the urban community, the town of Angoulême closed three swimming pools in 2001 (Montauzier, Ma Campagne and the Bourgines summer pool).

Heraldry

;Development of the coat of arms *The first known blazon was: ''Azure Semé-de-lis of Or, a city gate with two towers of argent debruised by the whole''. *Under Philip V in 1317: The Two Towers became three. *Under Charles VI in 1381 are: ''Azure Semé-de-lis of Or, a bend compony of Argent and Or debruised by the whole for brisure''. The door at tower three encloses an outdoor ornament. *Under Charles VII in 1452 the brisure changes for: ''a label of three points, with the middle pointed''. *In the 16th century, the door with two towers reappears surmounted by a fleur de lys of gold. *In 1850 a star replaced the fleur de lys which reappeared in 1855. *At an unknown date the crown was added.

Administration

Municipality

List of Successive Mayor (France), Mayors since 1944

Cantons

Angoulême is divided over three cantons: *Canton of Angoulême-1, Angoulême-1, which comprises the commune of Fléac and part of Angoulême *Canton of Angoulême-2, Angoulême-2, which comprises the commune of

and part of Angoulême *Canton of Angoulême-3, Angoulême-3, which comprises the commune of Soyaux and part of Angoulême

Intercommunality

The ''Urban Community of Greater Angoulême'' or ''Grand Angoulême'' includes 16 communes: Angoulême, Fleac, Gond-Pontouvre, La Couronne, Linars, L'Isle-d'Espagnac, Magnac-sur-Touvre, Mornac, Nersac, Puymoyen, Ruelle-sur-Touvre, Saint-Michel, Charente, Saint-Michel, Saint-Saturnin, Charente, Saint-Saturnin, Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente, Soyaux, and

. The population of the conurbation was 103,501 inhabitants in 2006 (102,368 in 1999).

Budget and taxation

Taxation is at a rate of 40.20% on buildings, 71.94% on undeveloped land, and 18.43% for the housing tax (2007 figures). The urban community levies 19.20% business tax.

Urban development

The Champ de Mars is the central square of the city and has had an underground shopping arcade since September 2007. The eastern ring road was opened in 2004 (2010 for the final section) which opened up several districts. The deviation of the N10 which has bypassed the city since 1973 has formed a western ring road since 2004 when the initial Fléac-Linars project was abandoned. Rehabilitation operations for collective housing are underway as part of the government Operation for Urban Renewal. The districts of Grande Garenne, Basseau and Ma Campagne were combined in a program of urban regeneration. File:Angouleme hv marche.JPG, The historic centre with the city hall and the market File:Angouleme hv rue pietonne.JPG, Pedestrian shopping area in the centre File:Houmeau Angoulême.JPG, The port of l'Houmeau and, in the background, the town centre of Angoulême. File:Angouleme grande garenne.jpg, District of Grande-Garenne File:Ang grandfont.JPG, District of Grand-Font File:Angoulême - Halles.JPG, Les Halles File:Angoulême Hôtel de Bardines 2012.jpg, The Bardines Hotel

Movies and TV series shot in Angoulême

*''Blanche and Marie'' by Jacques Renard with Miou-Miou and Sandrine Bonnaire, shot in Angoulême and Rouillac, Charente, Rouillac, released in 1985 *''The Child of the Dawn'' with Thierry Lhermitte filmed at Angoulême and Cognac, France, Cognac *''SOS 18'' shot in and around Angoulême *''Father and Mayor'' filmed in the communes of Angoulême and Magnac-sur-Touvre (in the series, Angoulême is called Ville-Grand) *''My son anyway'' by Williams Crépin with Clémentine Célarié in 2004. *''And you About Love?'' by Lola Doillon, 2007 *''Mammuth'' by Benoit Delépine and Gustave Kervern *''To the four winds'' by Jacques Doillon *''Dying of love'' by Josée Dayan, with Muriel Robin *''At the bottom of the ladder'' by Arnaud Mercadier with Vincent Elbaz, Claude Brasseur, Bernadette Lafont, and Helena Noguerra *''Victoire Bonnot'' with Valerie Damidot and Shirley Bousquet filmed at the Saint-Paul Secondary School *''The Lies'' by Fabrice Cazeneuve with Hippolyte Girardot and Marilyne Canto, filmed in Angoulême and Puymoyen, released in 2010 *''Code Lyoko Evolution'', filmed mid-2012 at the Lycée Guez de Balzac * filmed at Angoulême and the ZAC at Montagnes by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern with Albert Dupontel and Benoît Poelvoorde 2012. *''Indiscretions'' by Josée Dayan with Muriel Robin, filmed during the summer of 2013 in Angoulême, Saint-Même-les-Carrières and Bassac, Charente, Bassac, released in November 2013. *''

'' - ''

''s 10th film was shot in the area between 2018 and 2019.

Twin towns – sister cities

Angoulême is Sister city, twinned with: * Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Bury, England, United Kingdom (1959) * Hildesheim, Germany (1965) * Vitoria Gasteiz, Spain (1967) * Saguenay, Quebec, Saguenay, Canada (1969) * Gelendzhik, Russia (1977) * Ségou, Mali (1984) * Turda, Romania (1994) * Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Hoffman Estates, United States (1996) * Chaves, Portugal, Chaves, Portugal (2017)

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Angoumoisins'' or ''Angoumoisines'' in French.

Demographic classification

By population Angoulême is by far the largest city in Charente with 41,711 inhabitants on 1 January 2018. With a communal area of 2,185 hectares, the population density is 1,909 inhabitants per km², making it the most densely populated city in Charente. In 2018, the urban unit of Angoulême, which includes eighteen communes, totaled 109,395 inhabitants. It is the seventh most populous urban unit of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and extends over from north to south. Its functional area (France), functional area has 179,758 inhabitants (2018), and is composed of 94 communes in the impact zone of the city.

Demographic changes

In 2017 Angoulême had 41,740 inhabitants, down 13% from its largest population in 1962, and down 2.2% compared to 2007. The commune was 172nd in size at the national level, while it was at 145th in 1999, and 1st at the departmental level out of 366 communes.

Distribution of age groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Angoulême and Charente Department in 2017 Source: Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Angoulême (16015)
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Economy

Angoulême is a centre of the paper-making and printing industry, with which the town has been connected since the 14th century. Papermaking is favoured because of the uniform temperature and volume of the water year-round, partly due to the river Touvre, which joins the

at Angoulême. The Touvre is the second largest river with an underground source in France after the Sorgue (Fontaine-de-Vaucluse). Gondp foulpougne1

The Touvre emerges as a full-blown river from the head of the valley at Ruelle-sur-Touvre, Ruelle. A trout fishery is located at the source and a pumping station supplies the drinking water needs of Angoulême. Most of the paper mills are situated on the banks of watercourses in the neighbourhood of the town. Cardboard for packaging, as well as fine vellum for correspondence, have been produced in quantity. The best known export is Rizla cigarette roll-up paper, a combination of ''riz'' (rice paper) and LaCroix, after Monsieur LaCroix the founder. ''Le Nil'' is another local brand of roll-up paper, named not after the Nile in Egypt but after a small tributary of the Charente. The Le Nil paper-mill is now the Paper Museum. Paper-making in the town has been in decline. The economy of the modern town also is supplemented by annual tourist events and festivals. For example, the printers and paper-makers, whose industry relied on intricate machinery, became skilled mechanics and among the first to become fascinated with the motor car in the late 19th century. Motor trials were held regularly, starting on the long straight road through Puymoyen, now a suburb. Monsieur LaCroix (of RIZLA+) was a celebrated motorcycle racer. The Paris-Madrid road race of 1903, notorious for its cancellation due to numerous deaths, passed through Angoulême. Marcel, one of the brothers Renault, was one of the victims. The place of his death is marked by a memorial on road RN10 to Poitiers. The town has been closely associated with motor trials and racing. The Circuit des Remparts is held annually, one of the last such street-racing course in France, together with Pau (and Monaco). In addition to local heroes, internationally known racing drivers, such as Juan Manuel Fangio, José Froilán González, Jean-Pierre Wimille, Pierre Veyron and Maurice Trintignant, have been regular participants. The cars which they drove frequently are presented at the modern event. The hotel and restaurant trade receives a considerable boost from the races. Subsidiary industries, such as the manufacture of machinery, electric motors and wire fabric, are of considerable importance. Angoulême is the most inland navigable port on the Charente River. The traditional river boat is the Gabare. Iron and copper founding, brewing and tanning also continue. The manufacture of gunpowder, confectionery, heavy iron goods, gloves, boots and shoes (including the traditional ''pantoufle'' carpet slippers) and cotton goods are also important. There is wholesale and retail trade in wine, cognac and building-stone.

Transportation

The LGV Sud Europe Atlantique, new high-speed rail link between Tours and Bordeaux bypasses the town centre to the west, but with a link to Angoulême station from both the north and south. It opened in July 2017. Direct

journeys from Paris Gare Montparnasse take just over two hours. The Angoulême station, Angoulême railway station offers connections to Paris, Bordeaux, Tours, Limoges and several regional destinations. The main line of the Paris–Bordeaux railway, Paris Bordeaux railway passes through a tunnel beneath the town and is due for large-scale refurbishment to improve travel time. Angoulême - Cognac International Airport is situated NE of the city centre in Champniers, just off the N10. The runway can accommodate Boeing 737s, and a new restaurant and shops were added in 2008. However Ryanair stopped its Angoulême-Stansted service in 2010. Air France used to operate a service to Lyon. There are currently no regular flights to/from Angoulême airport. Local Buses – The city bus system is run b
STGA

Culture and heritage

Angoulême and Angoumois country together are classified as a French Towns and Lands of Art and History, City of Art and History. In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the ''Remparts'', from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the ''Seat of local government, City Hall'', the architecture is of little interest to purists. However, the "old town" has been preserved, maintained and largely reserved for pedestrians. It has a cobbled restaurant quarter, with several galleries and boutiques. Angoulême contains a very large number of buildings and structures which are registered as historical monuments. Below are listed some of the most interesting sites.

Civil heritage

*The Hôtel de Ville, Angoulême, Hôtel de Ville (town hall) (13th century) was designed by Paul Abadie and is a 19th-century structure. It has preserved and incorporated two 13th-century towers, Lusignan and Valois, from the Castle of the Counts of Angoulême on the site on which it was built. It contains museums of paintings and archaeology. *The Ramparts (4th century).Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The ramparts form a balcony overlooking the Charente. *The Market building (1886) is made of architectural glass and iron of Victor Baltard, Baltard type. *The Palace of Justice was built on an old convent at the end of the 19th century by Paul Abadie's father. *The Municipal Theatre has a superb façade. *The College Jules Verne, a former deanery, it has preserved the old chapel with stained glass and carved woodwork in the music room and a vaulted chapel with stone keystones and stained glass - visible from the Rue de Beaulieu - which has become the CDI. *The :fr:Lycée Guez-de-Balzac, Guez de Balzac School built by Paul Abadie father and son. There are very many old houses: *The Maison Saint-Simon in Rue de la Cloche-Verte (16th century) built in the Renaissance style. *The Hotel de Bardines at 79 Rue de Beaulieu (18th century) is attributed to the Angoulême architect Jean-Baptiste Michel Vallin de la Mothe. The building is impressive in size. *The Hotel Montalembert *The House called Archers *The Hôtel Mousnier-Longpré at 24 Rue Friedland (12th century) was rebuilt in the 15th century. It has remarkable façades on the Rue de l'Évêché, Rue de Friedland, and the courtyard. *A Hotel Particular described in ''Illusions perdues'' (Lost Illusions) by

as that of Madame de Bargeton. *An Ancient Portal at 59 Rue du Minage (17th century) *An Ancient Portal at 61 Rue du Minage (16th century) ;Places (Squares) in Old Angoulême Angouleme place du Palet

*The Place du Minage with its fountain from the Second Empire architecture, Second Empire and its benches has a Mediterranean flair in the heart of the old town. In the 14th and the 19th centuries there was intense commercial activity. *The Place Henri Dunant. Named after the founder of the Red Cross, it now borders the Gabriel Fauré conservatory, formerly the Saint-Louis College then a police station. *The Place New-York. This square, formerly called ''the Park'', was installed in the 18th century in the first real town planning project. It has remained a promenade and a venue for various events. In 1956 the square changed its name again. The city council decided to call it the ''Place New York'', in memory of the journey by

in the service of François I who, in 1524, named the site of the present

. *The Place Beaulieu''. Located at the western end of the plateau and the old city, it offers a vast panorama to passers-by and has long been a pleasant place to walk. It borders the imposing Guez de Balzac School on the site of an ancient abbey. *The Place Bouillaud and the Place de l'Hotel de Ville. In addition to the City Hall there is also (in front of the entrance to the City Hall) an art nouveau façade. *The Place Francis Louvel. Formerly called ''du mûrier'', it was and remains one of the busiest places in the old town. Formerly the garden of a convent until the 16th century, it was embellished in the 18th and 19th centuries with new buildings and a fountain. The Palace of Justice is there. The place changed its name in 1946 to take the name of ''Francis Louvel'' - a resistance fighter shot by the Germans in 1944. *The Place du Palet. This site occupies a vast space which, in the past, was in front of the main gate of the old city and for three centuries housed an imposing hall. The site was redeveloped in the 1980s. *The Place du Général Resnier. Tours of the town include the ''murs peints'', various walls painted in street-art cartoon style, a feature of Angoulême and related to its association with the ''bande dessinée'', the comic strip. A statue has been erected to Hergé, creator of ''The Adventures of Tintin''. The attractive covered market ''Les Halles'', on the site of the old jail, was restored and refurbished in 2004 and is a central part of city life. In 2009 the National Council of Cities and Villages in Bloom of France awarded four flowers to the commune in the competition for cities and villages in bloom. Angoulême1.5.JPG, Watchtower in the old Épernon wall Ang hv6.JPG, City Hall France - Charente - Angoulême - Rue piétonne - 92.jpg, The Pedestrian shopping area in 1992 Angoulême Hôt Montalembert Portail 2012.jpg, The 19th-century gate on the Hotel Montalembert Angoulême Palais de justice 2012.jpg, The Palace of Justice Angoulême Théâtre façade 2012.jpg, The Municipal Theatre Angoulême Lycée Guez de Balzac entrée 2012.jpg, Entrance to the Guez de Balzac school

Religious heritage

*Angoulême Cathedral (12th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée is dedicated to Simon Peter, Saint Peter and is a church in the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque style. It has undergone frequent restoration since the 12th century. It was partly rebuilt in the latter half of the 19th century by architect Paul Abadie. The façade, flanked by two towers with cupolas, is decorated with Arcade (architecture), arcades featuring statuary and sculpture with the whole representing the "Last Judgment". The crossing (architecture), crossing is surmounted by a dome. The north transept is topped by a fine square tower over high. The Cathedral contains a very large number of items that are registered as historical objects. *The remains of the

(13th century) at the International City of Cartoons and Images (CNBDI) *The Church of Saint-André at Rue Taillefer (12th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée has been rebuilt several times. The church contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects. *A Lantern of the Dead in the cemetery of the Church of Saint André (12th century) is actually a hearth - a remnant of the old Taillefer Palace. *The old Bishop's Palace at Rue Friedland (15th century) is today the Museum of Fine Arts of Angoulême. The bishop's house contains a number of items that are registered as historical objects: **A Sarcophagus (6th century) **A Crozier: The Annunciation (13th century) **2 Croziers: The Virgin (13th century) **A Crozier: Tau (12th century) *The Hospital Chapel was the old Chapel of the Cordeliers Convent where Guez de Balzac is buried. The chapel contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **A Tapestry: Pagan Sacrifice to an Idol (18th century) **A Tapestry: Rest after the Harvest (17th century) **A Chest of Drawers (18th century) **A Painting: The Virgin and Saint Antoine of Padua (18th century) **A Painting: The Dead Christ (18th century) **A Painting: The Descent from the Cross (18th century) **A Painting: Virgin and child (17th century) **A Commemorative Plaque (1654) **A Bronze Bowl (16th century) *The Church of Saint-Jacques de Lhoumeau (1840) The church contains a Gallery Organ (18th century) which is registered as an historical object. *The Church of Saint-Martial (1849)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée in Neo-Romanesque style by Paul Abadie. The church contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects. *The Church of Saint Ausone from the same period and architect. The church contains a Statue of Saint Ausone (17th century) which is registered as an historical object. *The Chapel Notre-Dame d'Obézine (or Bézines)(1895) *The Hôtel-Dieu *The old Carmelite convent Angoulême 16 Façade cathédrale 2014.JPG, Angoulême Cathedral Angoulême - Cathédrale Mandorle.JPG, An Aureola on the Cathedral Ang obez4.JPG, Church of Obézine Ang stroc1.JPG, Chapel Saint-Roch Angou sacre2.JPG, Church of the Sacred Heart Ang stjac2.JPG, Church of Saint-Jacques de l'Houmeau Ang staus4.JPG, Church Saint-Ausone Ang stcyb3.JPG, Chapel Saint-Cybard Angoulême - Chapelle des Cordeliers.JPG, Chapel of Cordeliers Angoulême Cheminée Taillefer 2012.jpg, "Lantern of the dead" near the Church of Saint-André

Environmental heritage

The valley of the

upstream from Angoulême is a Natura 2000 zone with remarkable species: 64 species of birds. Among them are species for marshland and wetland; and at Angoulême it is common to see wildfowl including mute swan, black-necked grebe, little grebe, horned grebe, great crested grebe, greylag goose, gadwall, Northern pintail, pintail, Eurasian wigeon, shoveler, garganey, teal and common pochard, tufted duck on the Charente. It is more rare to see waders. Terns and great cormorants return during periods of storms from far upstream on the river. Marquet island and the Forest of la Pudrerie have been finally cleared and will be provided to the population. Hiking trails and an old haulage road have become part of the green corridor which allows walks along the river.

Museums

*Museum of Angoulême *Museum of Paper *Museum of the Archaeological and Historical Society of Charente *Museum of Resistance and Deportation *Museum of Comics, Cartoons (CIBDI) *Decentralized branch of the Regional Contemporary Art Fund of Poitou-Charentes

Cartoons

In 1983 the Regional School of Fine Arts in Angoulême (EESI) was created with the first cartoon section in France. Angoulême is home to the ''International City of Cartoons and Images'' which registers all the comics published in France. There is also at ''la Cité'' the ''ENJMIN'' which is the first state-funded school in Europe for the key subjects of video games and interactive media. *Angoulême, known as the "City of the Image" or "Capital of Cartoons", is known for its "Painted walls" of cartoons "that punctuate the city centre.

Other cultural places

*The National Theatre *The ''Espace Carat (Exhibition and Convention Centre of Grand Angoulême - events, concerts) *La Nef (Concert Hall) *Gabriel Faure conservatory which has an auditorium and a library *The Alpha, a library currently under construction (opening scheduled for March 2014)

Schedule of festivals

End of January:

, Late May: ''Musiques Métisses'' (Mixed Music), Late August: Festival of Francophone Films, September: Circuit des Remparts (Car Race), Late October: Piano en Valois, Late November: Gastronomades, Early November: The Grand Dance Festival

City of festivals

Angoulême, along with paper and printing, has long been associated with animation, illustration and the graphic arts. The Cité internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image includes an exhibition space and cinema in a converted brewery down by the river. A new museum dedicated to the motion picture opened in 2007 at the newly restored ''Chai (wine)#Chai, chais'' on opposite side of the river at Saint Cybard. The architect was Jean-François Bodin. The

takes place for a week every year in January and attracts nearly a quarter of a million international visitors. Another festival, small yet influential, is FITA, held each December. FITA stands for ''Forum International des Technologies de l'Animation'', International Forum for Animation Technologies. The event was started in 1998. Some 250 to 300 French professionals from animation, effects, post-production and game development studios: SFX supervisors, head of studios, animators, technical directors, meet to share information and hear internationally renowned speakers on the latest advances and new ideas in entertainment technology. The Circuit des Remparts motor racing event, with its street circuit around the ramparts and past the Cathedral, is held the Sunday of the middle weekend in September. It is also the occasion of the world's largest gathering of pre-war Bugatti race cars, usually around 30 cars, many being examples of the legendary T35, the Ferraris of their day. British vintage and classic cars are also in attendance, most having been driven to the event. The Saturday of the "Remparts" weekend includes a tourist rally (as opposed to a speed event) for classic and sporting cars, around the Cognac area. In another international sports event, Angoulême was the site of the finish of Stages 18 and 19 (ITT) in the 2007 Tour de France. Angoulême also hosts the ''Gastronomades'' festival at Christmas, Music ''Metisse'' in May and ''Piano en Valois'' in October. A new exhibition centre (Le Parc Des Expos) and a new shopping mall at the Champ de Mars in the town centre (opening Sept/Oct 2007) are the latest additions to the town. Angoulême is the seat of a Diocese, bishop, a Prefecture, prefect, and an assize court. Its public institutions include tribunals of first instance and of commerce, a council of trade-arbitrators, a chamber of commerce and a branch of the Bank of France. It has several lycées (including the Lycee de l'Image et du Son d'Angoulême (LISA – High School of Image and Sound)), training colleges, a school of artillery, a library and several learned societies.

Facilities and services

Education

Colleges

*Marguerite de Navarre, Marguerite de Valois College *Anatole France College *Pierre Bodet College *Jules Michelet College *Jules Verne College *Michèle Pallet College

Schools

*:fr:Lycée Guez-de-Balzac, Lycée Guez-de-Balzac : general education school hosting literary Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles, CPGEs *School of Image and Sound of Angoulême (LISA): a general education high school (options cinema, theatre), BTS audiovisual and visual communication *Marguerite de Valois High School : general and technological lycée, *Charles de Coulomb High School: a general and technological education and vocational high school (industrial education) *Sillac High School: building trades vocational school *Jean Rostand School: vocational school for the fashion industry and services, *Jean-Albert Grégoire School: vocational school for careers in transport and logistics (Soyaux commune) *Oisellerie High School: agricultural college ( La Couronne commune) *Saint Paul High School: A private school grouping (elementary school, middle school, and general and technological high school) *Sainte-Marthe-Chavagnes School: a private school grouping (from kindergarten to BTS, general education, technological and professional)

University

The University Centre of Charente is administratively attached to the University of Poitiers. It includes: *a Faculty of Law and Social Sciences *a Faculty of Sport Sciences *CEPE (European Centre for children's products) *University Institutes of Technology (IUT) *a departmental site of the ''Graduate School of Teaching and Education'' from the University of Poitiers

Other institutions

*Gabriel Fauré Conservatory directed by Jacques Pesi. 56 teachers, 40 disciplines, and 1,015 students in 2010 *Isfac: a training centre offering 8 Brevet de technicien supérieur, BTS courses alternately as well as training for business *CNAM: a branch of the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts *EMCA: School for film animation *EGC: School of Management and Business *CIFOP: Vocational Training Centre for the ''Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Angoulême'' (

commune) *EIA: Engineering school by apprenticeship - CESI *ENJMIN: National School game and interactive digital media *EESI: Higher European School of Imaging *CREADOC: documentary of design

Sports

*Local rock climbing crags in such as Les Eaux-Claires, site of France's first route, by Fred Rouhling *Sailing school, based by Éric Tabarly at the lake of Saint-Yrieix *The women's handball team was in division 1 for the 2008–2009 season. *The Angoulême CFC (ACFC) is the football club that played in the National (3rd division) in the 2003–2004 season. *TTGF is the Table Tennis Club that played in National 1 (3rd division championship of France) for the 2009–2010 season. *The SC Angoulême Rugby Club *The ACA (Angoulême Rowing Club)

Health

All medical and paramedical specialties are present. *The ''Centre hospitalier d'Angoulême'', also called the Hospital of Girac, is in the commune of Saint-Michel, Charente, Saint-Michel. *The Saint-Joseph clinic is the only remaining clinic in the commune of Angoulême. Other clinics (Victor Hugo, Sainte-Marie, Saint-Cybard, etc.) are combined on one site: the clinical centre of Soyaux.

Local life

Worship

Catholic worship

*Angoulême Cathedral, Saint-Pierre Cathedral *Saint-André Church *Church of Our Lady of Obézine *Church of St. Ausone *Saint-Jacques Church of l'Houmeau *Church Saint-Martial *Church of Saint-Bernadette *Parish church of Saint-John the Baptist: the church is located on the Rue Pierre Aumaître *Church of Saint-Cybard *Church of the Sacred Heart

Markets

*The market of Halles, or ''Covered Market''. With its large roof and its late 19th-century architecture, it has been registered as an historical monument since 1993. *The Victor Hugo market *The market of Saint-Cybard *The districts of Basseau and Ma Campagne also have their markets.

Military presence

Two regiments of the French armed forces are currently garrisoned in the City: * INSIGN~1

1st Marine Infantry Regiment * The 515th ''Train (military), régiment du train''. Several other military formations have been previously garrisoned in the city, including: * The 107th Infantry Regiment (France), 107th Infantry Regiment, from before 1906 for an unknown period of time and then from in 1939 to 1940 * The 21st Artillery Regiment, 1906 * The 34th Artillery Regiment, 1906 * The 41st Divisional Artillery Regiment, 1939–1940 * The 502nd Tank Regiment, 1939–1940.

Notable people

(1186–1246), Queen of England as the second wife of John, King of England, King John *John, Count of Angoulême (1399–1467), grandson of King Charles V of France and grandfather of King François I, buried in Saint-Pierre d'Angoulême Cathedral *Mellin de Saint-Gelais (c. 1491–1558) poet of the

, favoured by Francis I of France, Francis I *Margaret of Valois-Angoulême (1492–1548), princess of France *André Thevet (1516–1592), explorer, cosmographer and writer *François Ravaillac (1578–1610), assassin of King Henry IV of France, Henry IV *François Garasse (1585–1631), Jesuit polemicist *Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac (1597–1654), writer *Marc René, marquis de Montalembert (1714–1800), military engineer and writer *Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe (1728–1799), court architect to Catherine the Great, Catherine II in Russia *Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1736–1806), military engineer and physicist *Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré (1789–1854), botanist *Curt John Ducasse (1881–1969), philosopher *Paul Iribe (1883–1935), illustrator and designer in the decorative arts *Maurice Dumesnil (1884–1974), classical pianist *Robert Couturier (sculptor), Robert Couturier (1905–2008), sculptor *Maurice Duverger (1917–2014), jurist, sociologist, political scientist and politician *Pierre-Jean Rémy (1937–2010), writer, member of the Académie française *Claude Arpi (born 1949), writer, journalist, historian and French tibetologist *Dominique Bagouet (1951–1992), dancer and choreographer of contemporary dance *Claire Désert (born 1967), classical pianist *Jean-Cédric Maspimby (born 1977), footballer *Amandine Bourgeois (born 1979), singer

Linked to the city

*Saint Cybard (504–581), monk and hermit, lived and died here *Francis I of France (1494–1547), Count of Angoulême before his accession to the throne *Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette (1554–1642), Duke of Épernon, Governor of Angoumois, pet of King Henry III of France *Zulma Carraud (1796–1889), writer, lived here in 1830–1834 and frequently hosted

who wrote ''La Grenadière'' here in one night *Paul Abadie (1812–1884), architect, built the churches of Saint-Martial, St. Ausone, the school chapel, restored the old castle and turned it into the city hall, and Angoulême Cathedral *Paul Valéry (1871–1945), writer and scholar, visited the ramparts where there is a plaque: "Paul VALERY stopped here on 9 December 1931 AAC ''O reward after a thought, a long look at the calm of the gods''Paul VALERY s'est arrêté ici le 9 décembre 1931 AAC "O récompense après une pensée, qu'un long regard sur le calme des dieux" *Lucien Loizeau (1879–1978), general and writer, died here *René Olry (1880–1944), general and commander of the Army of the Alps, died here *François Mitterrand (1916–1996), French President (1981–1995), completed his secondary education at Saint-Paul's College of Angoulême *Lindsay Anderson (1923–1994), British film director, died here *Prince Eudes, Duke of Angoulême (born 1968)

Notes

References

External links

Official Web site

Picture of the Cathedral

Circuit des remparts

Angoulême Cricket club

Angoulême on Géoportail
Institut géographique national, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Angoulesme'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Angouleme Angoulême, Communes of Charente Prefectures in France Papermaking in France Cities in Nouvelle-Aquitaine