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Sisteron

Field	Value
name	Sisteron
commune status	Commune
image	Sisteron depuis le massif du Molard.jpg
caption	Sisteron in 2004
image coat of arms	Blason Sisteron 04.svg
arrondissement	Forcalquier
canton	Sisteron
INSEE	04209
postal code	04200
mayor	Daniel Spagnou
term	2020–2026
intercommunality	Sisteronais Buëch
coordinates
elevation m	485
elevation min m	448
elevation max m	1145
area km2	50.25
population
population date
population footnotes

|image coat of arms = Blason Sisteron 04.svg

Sisteron (; , ; from ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France.

Sisteron is situated on the banks of the river Durance just after the confluence of the rivers Buëch and Sasse. It is sometimes called the "Gateway to Provence" because it is in a narrow gap between two long mountain ridges. Despite its relatively small population, it serves as a long-distance navigation reference point, routinely signed as far away as Grenoble.

It is 135 km from Marseille, also 135 km from Grenoble, 180 km from Nice and 40 km from Forcalquier.

There are 1573 ha of forest and wood within the commune.

History

Map of the town and citadel of Sisteron (c. 1752)

Sisteron has been inhabited for 4,000 years. The Romans used the route through Sisteron as can be shown by a Latin inscription in the rocks near the road to Authon. It escaped the barbarian invasions after the fall of Rome, but was ravaged by the Saracens. It was first fortified by the Counts of Forcalquier in the 11th century and later was the northern boundary of the domain of the Counts of Provence. In 1483 during the reign of Louis XI, Sisteron re-joined the kingdom of France. Around this time there were seven plagues that killed two thirds of the population. Between 1562 and 1594 the town and its citadelle was fought over by Protestants and Catholics including two sieges. During this time the walls of the town were built. The plague returned in 1630, and typhus in 1744, killing many of the town's population.

During the French Revolution the town remained Royalist. Consequently, when Napoleon arrived on his march north after his escape from Elba in 1815, the town ignored him and let him through.

On 15 August 1944 French Martin B-26 Marauder bombers and American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 42nd Bomber Wing tried to destroy the railway bridge and the road bridge which span the Durance. The weather was unfavorable and the bridges were not destroyed. A bomber during a manoeuvre to avoid a collision accidentally dropped several bombs on the town, including a full church, causing about 100 fatalities and seriously damaging the citadel. On 17 August the French aircraft returned and destroyed the bridges.

Road sign in the Grenoble urban area indicating the direction to Sisteron (142 km away)

Sights

The town's buildings include the citadel and the 12th century former Sisteron Cathedral dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Thyrsus (Cathédrale Notre Dame des Pommiers et Saint Thyrse). There are three museums of note: the Citadel Museum, the Baden-Powell Scout Museum and Musée Terre & Temps (about the earth and the measurement of time).

Tourist attractions include the countryside, rock climbing, the lido and the airfields at Vaumeilh, La Motte-du-Caire and Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, which are dedicated to the sport of gliding. There is an annual festival with many events throughout the summer months. There is a market every Wednesday and Saturday. A long-distance walk, the GR 6 (Grande Randonnée) passes east–west through Sisteron.

Transport

Sisteron is served by the A51 autoroute, which now by-passes the town, eliminating it as a notorious 'bottle-neck' for traffic. There is also a railway station on the line from Marseille to Briançon and Grenoble.

Personalities born in Sisteron

Jean-Baptiste d'Ornano (1581-1626), illustrious French nobleman, governor of Gaston, Duke of Orléans and instigator of the Chalais conspiracy.
Paul Arène (1843–1896), poet.
Louis Antoine Jullien (1812–1860), popular music conductor and composer of light music.

International relations

Sisteron is twinned with:

ITA Fidenza, Italy
GER Herbolzheim, Germany
ESP Oliva, Spain
CHN Nyingtri, Tibet, China

Population

|1793 |4000 |1800 |3891 |1806 |3642 |1821 |4125 |1831 |4429 |1836 |4546 |1841 |3844 |1846 |4392 |1851 |4576 |1856 |4509 |1861 |4338 |1866 |4210 |1872 |4575 |1876 |4280 |1881 |3974 |1886 |3864 |1891 |3996 |1896 |3905 |1901 |3874 |1906 |3702 |1911 |3575 |1921 |3341 |1926 |3354 |1931 |3302 |1936 |3378 |1946 |3432 |1954 |4070 |1962 |5325 |1968 |6289 |1975 |7243 |1982 |6470 |1990 |6594 |1999 |6964 |2007 |7288 |2012 |7360 |2017 |7460

In popular culture

The town was featured in the 2014 racing game Forza Horizon 2 and the 2022 series The 7 Lives of Lea.

References

(2 December 2020). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires".
Roger Brunet, « [http://tresordesregions.mgm.fr/ Canton de Sisteron] », ''Le Trésor des régions'', read 9 June 2013.
Faul, Michel. (2006). "Louis Jullien, musique, spectacle et folie au XIXe siècle". Atlantica.
[http://louisjullien.site.voila.fr Louis Antoine Julien]
[http://dspagnou.celeonet.fr/?p=1713 Daniel Spagnou's website Accessed 22 July 2011]
{{Cassini-Ehess. 36408. Sisteron
[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-04209#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

communes-of-alpes-de-haute-provence alpes-de-haute-provence-communes-articles-needing-translation-from-french-wikipedia vauban-fortifications-in-france

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