Aubenas (; ) is a commune in the southern part of the

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

. It is the seat of several government offices. The mountainous and rugged countryside is popular for vacation homes. The river

Ardèche Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Annonay Annonay (; ) is a Communes of France, commune and largest city in the north of the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department although it is not the ...

and before Guilherand-Granges and

Tournon-sur-Rhône Tournon-sur-Rhône (; , before 1988: ''Tournon'') is a commune in the Ardèche department of southern France. It is one of the most populous communes in the Ardèche department, after Annonay, Aubenas, and Guilherand-Granges. Geography It i ...

. Aubenas is the centre of an

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

, composed of 22 towns and villages including

Vals-les-Bains Vals-les-Bains (; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes ...

, with 41,568 inhabitants (2018). Aside from its long-year commercial activity, it has a good strategic position on the tourist field, at crossroads of a regional natural park, the zone of the Ardèche river canyon and the start of mountains. The

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

industry is one testimony of the intense agricultural activity earlier in time.

Etymology

The root ''alb-'', meaning a height, is present in the name of the city (). And in fact, it is sat on the strategic position of a limestone base overlooking the valley of Ardèche. Due to the long distance from a water source, the city was known informally as the city without water until the 19th century, when on 28 June 1863, under the leadership of the then Mayor John Mathon, water was pumped from an external source which fed 50 fountains across the city. At the foot of the promontory pass route of

Montélimar Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine dialect, Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; ) is a town in the Drôme Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the second-largest town in t ...

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, ; , before 1988: ''Le Puy'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Loire Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of south-central France. Located near the rive ...

, lies the oldest axis of movement between the Rhone valley and the mountains of Auvergne. The privileged location between ''l'Ardèche méridionale'' (Southern Ardèche) and ''l'Ardèche verte'' (Green Ardèche) allowed for a crossroads between different types of agriculture and business.

History

The Middle Ages

The hill on which the city is built is mentioned during the 5th century AD. It tells of a conflict between the bishops of the hill and the bishops of Viviers, which is a local commune in the same modern day department; for the construction of a fortress. By 1084, the bishop of the hill won the lengthy conflict. The area became the possession of the Baron, Montlaur; all the way from the Ardèche mountains to what is now the western border of the current day department of Ardèche. The Baron's family reigned 1084 to 1441 and built the tower, the wall and two large, round towers of the castle which is surrounded by a moat that is why in French Aubenas is called ''"La cité des Montlaur"''. The lords who were not only at the origin of the economic growth of the city, but also the social and material development of its residents. Their motto was: ''"Montlaur, au plus haut!"''.

Renaissance

During 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 ...

, the city became

Protestant 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 after the third French war of religion, the residents refused to allow royal troops within the city walls.

Demographics

Local government

The Mayor of Aubenas is Jean-Yves Meyer. He entered office in 2018.

Economy

Aubenas is the seat of the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie Ardèche Méridionale. It is also the seat of the Centre de formation d'apprentis (CFA) et is a training centre. Aubenas is a city which survives today on commerce, tourism, and food manufacturing companies, producing things like cheese, chestnuts and other foodstuffs, the likes of which one might find in a delicatessen. It is also close to the commune of Lanas, which is home to a small aeroport (an aerodrome). The city hosted the arrival of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

on 24 July 2009, the day prior to the climbing of mount Ventoux.

The City

The city hall which is situated in the city centre is surrounded by many paved roads, this is also the highest part of the city, it overlooks the medieval castle that overlooks the valley of the Ardèche. The city had a railway until 1969 for passengers and until 1988 for goods. The line Vogüé- Lalevade-d'Ardèche. The station still sells tickets for the SNCF. Since 4 June 2007, the service "tout'enbus" of the community of the communes of Pays d'Aubenas-Vals has also worked in the commune of Aubenas, Saint-Privat, Ucel and Vals-les-Bains.

Places and monuments

* Château d'Aubenas, classed as a historic monument (France), now houses the city hall. Originally it was a strong castle in the 14th century. It was refurbished in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today it boasts a large collection of paintings, sculptures and engravings. It offers an exceptional dungeon panorama. * The Gargoule house, from the sixteenth century, by the castle. * The Saint Laurent composite church. * The Saint-Benoît cathedral of the 17th and 18th centuries is the old chapel of a benedictine convent.

Personalities

* Jean Mathon, old mayor of the city. *

Albert Seibel Albert Seibel (1844–1936) was a French physician and viticulturist who made hybrid crosses of European wine grapes (''Vitis vinifera'') with native North American grapes. His crosses are known as Seibel grapes. Biography Seibel was born in A ...

, creator of several hybrid vines. * Franck Sauzée, footballer * Léonce Verny, engineer * Cédric Barbosa, footballer *

Jean-Marc Gounon Jean-Marc Gounon (born 1 January 1963) is a French racing driver. He raced in Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédérati ...

, racecar driver *

Rémy Martin Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France, Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big f ...

, player of rugby * Jean Charay, Priest and historian * Dominique Guillo, comedian and director *

Laurent Paganelli Laurent Paganelli (born 20 October 1962) is a French former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He works as a journalist (consultant) for Canal+ (French TV channel), Canal + since ...

, footballer * Jacques Espérandieu, journalist * Anthony Mounier, footballer *

Renaud Cohade Renaud Cohade (born 29 September 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career In July 2016, Cohade signed a three-year contract with FC Metz after playing four seasons for AS Saint-Étienne Associat ...

, footballer * Nimdus and bonio * Delphine Combe, athlete * Amandine Leynaud, handballer * Jules Gounon, racecar driver and son of Jean-Marc Gounon * Olivier Coste, One Championship referee

Twin towns – sister cities

Aubenas is twinned with: * Cesenatico, Italy * Schwarzenbek, Germany *

Sierre Sierre (; ; ) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 18,020. Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun () for its average of 300 days of sunshine a year. It is t ...

, Switzerland * Zelzate, Belgium