Saint-Étienne
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| Ville de Saint-Étienne | ||
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| Coat of arms | ||
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Motto: Franco-Provençal |
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| Saint-Charles Cathedral | ||
| Location | ||
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| Time Zone | CET (GMT +1) | |
| Coordinates | 45°26′05″N 04°23′25″E / 45.43472°N 4.39028°E | |
| Administration | ||
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| Country | France | |
| Region | Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Loire | |
| Canton | Chief town of 9 cantons | |
| Intercommunality | Saint-Étienne Métropole | |
| Mayor | Maurice Vincent (PS) (since March 2008) |
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| Statistics | ||
| Elevation | 422–1,117 m (1,380–3,660 ft) (avg. 516 m/1,690 ft) |
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| Land area1 | 79.97 km2 (30.88 sq mi) | |
| Population2 | 175,700 (2005 estimate) | |
| - Ranking | 16th in France | |
| - Density | 2,197 /km² (5,690 /sq mi) | |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| INSEE/Postal code | 42218/ 42000, 42100 | |
| Website | http://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. | ||
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | ||
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France.
It lies 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region and is the capital of the Loire département. It is situated in the Massif Central.
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[edit] Geography
The town is situated on the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon through the Massif Central.
[edit] History
The city was named after Saint Stephen. From the 16th century Saint-Étienne developed an arms manufacturing industry. 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. During the French revolution Saint-Étienne was briefly renamed Armeville - 'arms town' - because of this activity.
Later it became a coal mining centre, and more recently has been 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, usurping the position hitherto belonging to Montbrison. The latter 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.
In 1990 Saint-Étienne set up the design biennale which is the largest of its kind in France. the next edition is in 2010. It also launched the Massenet Festivals (the place of birth of the composer) devoted mainly to perform his operas.
[edit] Main sights
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The city is home to three museums, of which the Musée d'Art Moderne has one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary art in Europe. It is surpassed only by the equivalent museums in Paris and New York City in terms of content. The other two main museums in Saint-Etienne are Musée de la Mine and Musée des Ponts et Chaussées.
[edit] Demographics
Population of the city at the 1999 census was 180,210 (177,300 as of February 2004 estimates). Population of the whole metropolitan area at the 1999 census was 321,703.
Inhabitants of Saint-Étienne are called stéphanois in French. They are named so because "Étienne" derives from the Greek Stephanos.
[edit] Sport
The city's football club AS Saint-Étienne has won the Ligue 1 title a record ten times.
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.
[edit] Transport
Saint-Étienne is also notable for its Tramway de Saint Etienne tram system (which uniquely with Lille, it kept throughout the 20th century).
Bus and tram transport is regulated and provided by the STAS, a public transport executive organisationss.
[edit] 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)
- Institut supérieur des techniques avancées de Saint-Étienne (ISTASE)
- Saint-Étienne School of Management
[edit] Personalities
Saint-Étienne was the birthplace of:
- Claude Fauriel (1772-1844), historian, philologist and critic.
- Saint Marcellin Champagnat (1789-1840), a Catholic priest and founding members of the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) who founded the Marist Brothers and was canonised in 1999.
- 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.
- Bernard Lavilliers (b. 1946) (Bernard Ouillon), singer.
- Orlan (1947-), contemporary artist
- Willy Sagnol (b. 1977) French International Soccer Player
- Muriel Robin (b. 1955 in Montbrison) French stand-up humorist
- Jean Guitton (1901-1999) a Catholic philosopher and theologian.
- Thierry Gueorgiou (b. 1979), Orienteering world champion
It was also the place where Andrei Kivilev died.
[edit] Twin towns
Annaba, Algeria, since 1981
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, since 2006
Ben Arous, Tunisia, since 1994
Coventry, United Kingdom, since 1955
Des Moines, United States, since 1984
Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, since 1960
Fes, Morocco, since 2006
Geltendorf, Germany, since 1966
Granby, Canada, since 1960
Katowice, Poland, since 1994
Luhansk, Ukraine, since 1959
Nazareth Illit, Israel, since 1974
Oeiras, Portugal, since 1995
Patras, Greece, since 1990
Toamasina, Madagascar, since 1967- Warsaw, Poland, since 1995[1]
- Windsor, Canada, since 1963
- Wuppertal, Germany, since 1960
Xúzhōu, China, since 1984
[edit] See also
- Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne
- Saint-Étienne - Bouthéon Airport
- AS Saint-Étienne
- Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
- Gare de Saint-Étienne - Châteaucreux
- Ligne de Saint-Étienne - Lyon
- Société de Transports de l'Agglomération Stéphanoise
- Tramway de Saint-Étienne
- Saint-Étienne Cathedral
- Saint Etienne (band)
- Furan River
- Saint-Étienne - Gorges de la Loire Nature Reserve
[edit] References
- ^ (Polish) "Miasta partnerskie Warszawy". um.warszawa.pl. Biuro Promocji Miasta. 2005-05-04. http://um.warszawa.pl/v_syrenka/new/index.php?dzial=aktualnosci&ak_id=3284&kat=11. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint-Étienne |
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