Annonay
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2008)
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Annonay |
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| The Valgelas bridge over the Deûme river | |
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 Annonay
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Location within Rhône-Alpes region
Annonay
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Ardèche |
| Arrondissement | Tournon-sur-Rhône |
| Canton | Annonay-Nord and Annonay-Sud |
| Intercommunality | Bassin d'Annonay |
| Mayor | Olivier Dussopt (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 270–746 m (890–2,448 ft) (avg. 358 m or 1,175 ft) |
| Land area1 | 21.20 km2 (8.19 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 17,156 (2008) |
| - Density | 809 /km2 (2,100 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 07010/ 07100 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Coordinates: 45°14′27″N 4°40′17″E / 45.2408°N 4.6714°E
Annonay (French pronunciation: [anɔnɛ]; Anonai in Occitan) is a commune in the north of the Ardèche department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department, although it is not the capital, which resides in the smaller town of Privas.
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Geography [edit]
Annonay lies a few kilometres from the Rhône River, 75 km (47 mi) south of Lyon and 40 from Saint-Étienne.
Annonay is built on the hill over the deep gorges of the Deûme and the Cance and upon the steep walls of the gorges themselves, the waters of which supplied power to the factories of the town in a series of small dams up and downstream. The escarpments of Annonay are surrounded by plateaus and gentle hills used for cultivating cherries, apricots, apples, pears, and other crops. A reservoir created by damming the Ternay north-west of the town provides of water for industrial and domestic use.
The rocks of Annonay consist of mostly grey or light orange leucogranite and orthogneiss rich in biotite, sillimanite and cordierite with alternating bands of felsic and mafic material.
History [edit]
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The town's name may be of Roman origin.
By the Middle Ages, the town was already thriving and was the home to several powerful families. Pilgrims stopped in the town on the way from the Rhône valley to the shrine of the Virgin Mary at Puy-en-Velay. The town was plundered several times by invading armies and armed bands, and suffered during the Hundred Years' War despite the walls that were built around the town.
In the first half of the 16th century, the town was influenced by Lutheran and Calvinist ideas and there were several skirmishes between Protestants and Catholics, with several "heretics" being burnt alive.
The population of the town had reached 3,500 by the start of the religious wars in 1562. The wars were used as a pretext to deprive the town of its prosperity. The nearby castle of Pugneux was badly damaged on two occasions. the years 1585 to 1586 were especially disastrous, with not only war, but famine and the plague. Calm and prosperity returned after the 1598 Edict of Nantes.
On June 4, 1783, Annonay was the location of the Montgolfier brothers first public unmanned hot air balloon flight. The event is celebrated annually each June, on the site of the flight in the place des Cordeliers. The Montgolfier brothers were natives of the town, and there is an obelisk in honour of them.
In 1822, the Congregation of St. Basil, a Catholic order of priests was founded in the town.
On March 8, 2001, an ETA suspect was arrested at a local roadblock.
Economy [edit]
Annonay has a strong industrial tradition. In the past it was noted for its leather goods. Although the industry has declined, the Tannerie d'Annonay (Tannery) continues the tradition under the Grison brand.
Irisbus, a Renault Vehicles Industries and Fiat Iveco joint venture, constructs buses and is the largest single employer with around 2,000 staff, and several associated businesses.
The multinational paper company Arjo Wiggins' subsidiary Papeteries Canson et Montgolfier SA, which dates back to 1557 owns three of the several paper factories in the town.
Other industries in or close to the town include plastics, textiles, and pharmaceutical companies including Ciba, Aguettant and Tetra Médical.
There are a number of vineyards near the town.
The average salary in the area is 23,300 euro.
Population [edit]
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 5,800 | — |
| 1800 | 5,550 | −4.3% |
| 1806 | 6,083 | +9.6% |
| 1821 | 7,748 | +27.4% |
| 1831 | 8,277 | +6.8% |
| 1836 | 9,031 | +9.1% |
| 1841 | 10,384 | +15.0% |
| 1846 | 11,938 | +15.0% |
| 1851 | 13,214 | +10.7% |
| 1856 | 13,679 | +3.5% |
| 1861 | 16,271 | +18.9% |
| 1866 | 18,445 | +13.4% |
| 1872 | 17,033 | −7.7% |
| 1876 | 15,848 | −7.0% |
| 1881 | 17,291 | +9.1% |
| 1886 | 17,308 | +0.1% |
| 1891 | 17,626 | +1.8% |
| 1896 | 17,028 | −3.4% |
| 1901 | 17,490 | +2.7% |
| 1906 | 17,300 | −1.1% |
| 1911 | 16,661 | −3.7% |
| 1921 | 15,032 | −9.8% |
| 1926 | 14,690 | −2.3% |
| 1931 | 15,427 | +5.0% |
| 1936 | 15,669 | +1.6% |
| 1946 | 15,462 | −1.3% |
| 1954 | 16,201 | +4.8% |
| 1962 | 18,434 | +13.8% |
| 1968 | 20,757 | +12.6% |
| 1975 | 20,832 | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 19,484 | −6.5% |
| 1990 | 18,525 | −4.9% |
| 1999 | 17,522 | −5.4% |
| 2008 | 17,156 | −2.1% |
Miscellaneous [edit]
The town is home to an annual international film festival.
A tribunal of commerce, a board of trade-arbitrators, a branch of the Bank of France, and chambers of commerce and of arts and manufactures are among the public institutions.
On film [edit]
The 2003 part-British funded movie L'homme du train (The Man on the Train) was filmed in Annonay.
Notable residents [edit]
Annonay was the birthplace of:
- Marc Séguin (1786–1875), engineer, inventor of the wire-cable suspension bridge and the fire-tube boiler
- Joseph Canteloube (Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret) (1879–1957), composer, singer and folk-song collector
- Auguste Bravais (1811-1863), physicist who created the mathematical models of crystal structures known as Bravais lattices
Twin towns [edit]
Annonay is twinned with:
See also [edit]
References [edit]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Annonay |
- A tour of the historical sites (in French)
- Town Hall and local information (in French)
- Regional Chamber of Commerce (in French)
- Industrial data (in French)
- Annonay in Google maps
