Saint-Étienne
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Saint-Étienne | |
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Prefecture and commune | |
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 Coat of arms | |
Location of Saint-Étienne  | |
  Saint-Étienne  Saint-Étienne | |
| Coordinates: 45°26′05″N 4°23′25″E / 45.4347°N 4.3903°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Loire |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Étienne |
| Canton | Saint-Étienne-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 |
| Intercommunality | Saint-Étienne Métropole |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2014–2020) | Gaël Perdriau (LR) |
| Area 1 | 79.97 km2 (30.88 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | 172,718 |
| • Rank | 14th in France |
| • Density | 2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 42218 /42000, 42100 |
| Elevation | 422–1,117 m (1,385–3,665 ft) (avg. 516 m or 1,693 ft) |
| Website | www.saint-etienne.fr |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Saint-Étienne (French: [sɛ̃t‿etjɛn]; Arpitan: Sant-Etiève, Template:Lang-oc; Template:Lang-en) is a city in eastern central France, in the Massif Central, 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, on the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon. Saint-Étienne is the capital of the Loire department and has a population of approximately 172,023 (2013) in the city itself and over 508,000 in the metropolitan area (2011).
In the last years Saint-Étienne made important transformations for transitioning from a 19th-century industrial city to the 21st century "European capital of design". This approach led to important urban renovations of the main districts of the city.[2]
History
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Named after Saint Stephen, the city first appears in the historical record in the Middle Ages as Saint-Étienne de Furan (after the River Furan, a tributary of the Loire). In the 13th century, it was a small borough around the church dedicated to Saint Etienne. On the upper reaches of the Furan, near the Way of St. James, the Abbey of Valbenoîte had been founded by the Cistercians in 1222. In the late 15th century, it was a fortified village defended by walls built around the original nucleus.
From the 16th century, Saint-Étienne developed an arms manufacturing industry and became a market town. It was this which accounted for the town's importance, although it also became a centre for the manufacture of ribbons and passementerie starting in the 17th century.
Later, it became a mining centre of the Loire coal mining basin, and more recently, has become known for its bicycle industry.
In the first half of the 19th century, it was only a chief town of an arrondissement in the département of the Loire, with a population of 33,064 in 1832. The concentration of industry prompted these numbers to rise rapidly to 110,000 by about 1880. It was this growing importance of Saint-Étienne that led to its being made seat of the prefecture and the departmental administration on 25 July 1855, when it became the chief town in the département and seat of the prefect, replacing Montbrison, which was reduced to the status of chief town of an arrondissement. Saint-Étienne absorbed the commune of Valbenoîte and several other neighbouring localities on 31 March 1855.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1793 | 25,000 | — |
| 1806 | 18,035 | −27.9% |
| 1821 | 19,102 | +5.9% |
| 1831 | 33,064 | +73.1% |
| 1841 | 48,554 | +46.8% |
| 1851 | 56,003 | +15.3% |
| 1861 | 92,250 | +64.7% |
| 1872 | 110,814 | +20.1% |
| 1881 | 123,813 | +11.7% |
| 1891 | 133,443 | +7.8% |
| 1901 | 146,559 | +9.8% |
| 1911 | 148,656 | +1.4% |
| 1921 | 167,967 | +13.0% |
| 1931 | 191,088 | +13.8% |
| 1946 | 177,966 | −6.9% |
| 1954 | 181,730 | +2.1% |
| 1962 | 210,311 | +15.7% |
| 1968 | 223,223 | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 220,181 | −1.4% |
| 1982 | 204,955 | −6.9% |
| 1990 | 199,396 | −2.7% |
| 1999 | 180,210 | −9.6% |
| 2011 | 170,049 | −5.6% |
| 2016 | 171,924 | +1.1% |
Culture
Saint-Étienne became a popular stop for automobile travelers in the early 20th century.
In 1998, Saint-Étienne set up a design biennale, the largest of its kind in France.[3] It lasts around two weeks. A landmark in the history of the importance ascribed to design in Saint-Étienne was the inauguration of La Cité du design on the site of the former arms factory in 2009.
The city also launched the Massenet Festivals, (the composer Jules Massenet hailed from the area) devoted mainly to perform Massenet's operas. In 2000, the city was named one of the French Towns and Lands of Art and History. On 22 November 2010, it was nominated as "City of Design" as part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network.[4]
Saint-Étienne has four museums:
- the Musée d'Art Moderne has one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in France
- Musée de la Mine
- Musée de l'Art et de l'Industrie
- Musée du vieux Saint-Etienne
Climate
Saint-Étienne has a continental-influenced oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), that is heavily influenced by its relative distance to the sea. Summer days are very warm for a marine climate type, but fall into the range due to the cool nights that keep the mean average temperatures below the subtropical threshold of 22 °C (72 °F). Winters are cold. Saint-Étienne is the snowiest city of France, with an average of 82 cm (around 3 ft) of snow per winter. Precipitation levels are very low for this type of climate regime during winter, although the summers are wet and humid.
| Climate data for Saint-Étienne (1981–2010 averages) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
33.7 (92.7) |
37.8 (100.0) |
41.1 (106.0) |
39.3 (102.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
29.2 (84.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.2 (68.4) |
41.1 (106.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) |
8.4 (47.1) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
19.8 (67.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.3 (79.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
10.8 (51.4) |
7.4 (45.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) |
4.3 (39.7) |
7.4 (45.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
16.4 (61.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
4.1 (39.4) |
11.5 (52.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) |
0.1 (32.2) |
2.4 (36.3) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.8 (47.8) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.2 (57.6) |
13.8 (56.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
3.3 (37.9) |
0.7 (33.3) |
6.5 (43.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −25.6 (−14.1) |
−22.5 (−8.5) |
−13.9 (7.0) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
2.9 (37.2) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−18.6 (−1.5) |
−25.6 (−14.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 36.6 (1.44) |
28.2 (1.11) |
36.7 (1.44) |
61.3 (2.41) |
91.6 (3.61) |
78.3 (3.08) |
64.0 (2.52) |
70.4 (2.77) |
75.7 (2.98) |
71.8 (2.83) |
63.1 (2.48) |
40.5 (1.59) |
718.2 (28.28) |
| Average precipitation days | 7.7 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 8.8 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 8.9 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 97.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 81 | 78 | 73 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 68 | 71 | 75 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 75.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 85.6 | 108.8 | 159.3 | 182.4 | 212.9 | 239.5 | 273.1 | 251.4 | 187.3 | 133.5 | 83.5 | 67.9 | 1,985.1 |
| Source 1: Météo France[5][6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity, 1961–1990)[7] | |||||||||||||
Sport
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The city's football club AS Saint-Étienne has won the Ligue 1 title a record ten times, achieving most of their success in the 1970s. The British indie-dance band Saint Etienne named themselves after the club.
St. Étienne has many sports stadiums, the largest being Stade Geoffroy-Guichard used for football and Stade Henri-Lux for athletics. St. Étienne was the capital of the French bicycle industry. The bicycle wheel manufacturer Mavic is based in the city and frame manufacturers Motobécane and Vitus are also based here. The city often hosts a stage of the Tour de France.
St. Étienne resident Thierry Gueorgiou is a world champion in orienteering. The local rugby union team is CA Saint-Étienne Loire Sud Rugby.
Transport
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The nearest airport is Saint-Étienne - Bouthéon Airport which is located in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, 12 km (7.46 mi) north-northwest of Saint-Étienne. The main railway station is Gare de Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux, which offers high speed services to Paris, Lyon (Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway), and several regional lines.
Saint-Étienne is also notable for its tramway (Saint-Étienne tramway) – which uniquely with Lille, it kept throughout the 20th century – and its trolleybus system (Saint-Étienne trolleybus system) – which is one of only three such systems currently operating in France.
Bus and tram transport is regulated and provided by the Société de Transports de l'Agglomération Stéphanoise (STAS), a public transport executive organisation.
The bicycle sharing system Vélivert with 280 short term renting bicycles has been available since June 2010.
Colleges and universities
- Jean Monnet University
- École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne (EMSE or ENSMSE)
- École nationale d'ingénieurs de Saint-Étienne (ENISE)
- Telecom Saint Etienne (TSE)
- EMLYON Business School
- ENSASE (Ecole National Supérieure d'Architecture de Saint-Étienne)
Notable people
Saint-Étienne was the birthplace of
- René Diaz, French journalist and illustrator
- Augustin Dupré (1748–1833), engraver of French coins and medals, France's 14th Graveur général des monnaies
- Claude Fauriel (1772–1844), historian, philologist and critic
- Saint Marcellin Champagnat (1789–1840), Catholic priest and founding members of the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) who founded the Marist Brothers and was canonised in 1999
- Antonin Moine (1796–1849), sculptor
- Jules Janin (1804–1874), writer and critic
- Francis Garnier (1839–1873), officer and explorer who explored the Mekong River, much to the surprise of the inhabitants
- Jules Massenet (1842–1912), composer best known for his operas
- Paul de Vivie, aka Velocio (1853–1930), publisher of Le Cycliste, early champion of the dérailleur and father of French cycle touring
- Claudine Chomat (1915–1995), member of the French Resistance during World War II, feminist, communist activist
- Jean Bonfils (1921–2007), classical organist and composer
- André Bourgey (1936), geographer
- Jean-Michel Othoniel (1963), contemporary artist
- Bernard Lavilliers (b. 1946), (Bernard Ouillon), singer
- Orlan (1947–), contemporary artist
- Willy Sagnol (b. 1977), French International football player
- Jean Guitton (1901–1999), Catholic philosopher and theologian
- Thierry Gueorgiou (b. 1979), Orienteering world champion
- Norma Ray, singer
- Alexis Ajinca, basketball player
- Sylvain Armand, footballer
- Sliimy, singer
- Aravane Rezai, tennis player
- Loïc Perrin, footballer
It was also the place where Andrei Kivilev died.
International relations
Saint-Étienne is twinned with:
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See also
- Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne
- Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
- Saint-Étienne Cathedral
- Saint-Étienne – Gorges de la Loire Nature Reserve
- André César Vermare Sculptor of Franco-Prussian war memorial.
- Creative Cities Network
References
- Notes
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Saint-Étienne", Wikipédia (in French), 4 November 2018, retrieved 18 November 2018
- ^ "La Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne". Cité du design. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ St-Etienne and Sydney nominated UNESCO Creative Cities , 22 November 2010.
- ^ "Données climatiques de la station de Saint-Étienne" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Climat Rhône-Alpes" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "Normes et records 1961-1990: Saint-Étienne - Bouthéon (42) - altitude 400m" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ Griffin, Mary (2 August 2011). "Coventry's twin towns". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Coventry - Twin towns and cities". Coventry City nonoCouncil. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
Bibliography
External links
Saint-Étienne travel guide from Wikivoyage- City council website
- Tourist board official website
- Local events website
- Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Etienne
- École nationale supérieure des mines de Saint-Étienne
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