CLERMONT-FERRAND

'Clermont-Ferrand' (''Auvergnat'' dialect of Occitan: ''Clarmont-Ferrand / Clarmont d'Auvèrnhe'') is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of approximately 140,000 (2005). Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census.

It is the prefecture (capital) of the Puy-de-Dôme department. Serge Godard is the current Mayor of the city.
Clermont-Ferrand sits on the plain of Limagne in the Massif Central and is surrounded by a major industrial area. The city is famous for the chain of volcanoes surrounding it, the Chaîne des Puys. The Puy-de-Dôme (13km from the city) is the highest of these and well-known for the telecommunication antennas that sit on its top and are visible from far away.
Clermont-Ferrand's most famous public square is ''place de Jaude'', on which stands a grand statue of Vercingetorix sitting imperiously on a horse and holding a glaive. The inscription reads: ''J'ai pris les armes pour la liberté de tous'' (). This statue was sculpted by Frédéric Bartholdi who also created the Statue of Liberty.

Contents

History

Economy

Culture

Religious architecture

Famous people

Twin towns

References

External links

History

Clermont ranks among the oldest cities of France. The first known mention was by the Greek geographer Strabo. The city was at that time called ''Nemessos''—a Gaulish word for a sacred forest. It witnessed the famous Battle of Gergovia won by the Gauls led by Vercingetorix over the Romans led by Julius Caesar, in 52 BC. After the Roman conquest, the city was called ''Augustonemetum'', a name which combined its original Gallic name with that of the Emperor Augustus. Its population was estimated at 15,000–30,000 inhabitants in the 2nd century, making it one of the largest cities of Roman Gaul. In the late fifth century, Auvergne was the target of Visigothic expansion, and the city was besieged by Euric. Although defended by Sidonius Apollinaris, it became part of the Visigothic kingdom in 475. A generation later, it became part of the kingdom of the Franks.
In 848, the city was renamed ''Clairmont'', after the castle Clarus Mons. During this era, it was an episcopal city ruled by its bishop, and it was the starting point of the First Crusade from the Christian world to free Jerusalem from Muslim domination—Pope Urban II preached the crusade there in 1095 at the Council of Clermont. In 1120, to counteract the power of the clergy, the counts of Auvergne founded the city of Montferrand on the model of the new cities of the Midi. In 1551, Clermont became a royal city, and in 1610, the inseparable property of the Crown.
On 15 April, 1630, the Edict of Troyes (the First Edict of Union) forcibly joined the two cities of Clermont and Montferrand. This union was confirmed in 1731 by Louis XV with the Second Edict of Union. At this time Montferrand was no more than a satellite city of Clermont, in which condition it remained until the beginning of the 20th century. Wishing to retain its independence, Montferrand made three demands for independence, in 1789, 1848, and 1863.
In the 20th century, the construction of the Michelin factories and city gardens, which shaped the modern Clermont-Ferrand, definitively reunited Clermont and Montferrand. Today, although the two cities are amalgamated, one may find in Clermont-Ferrand two distinct downtowns, and Montferrand retains a strong identity.

Economy

Food production and processing as well as engineering are major employers in the area, as are the many research facilities of major computer software and pharmaceutical companies.
The French tyre manufacturer Michelin created the radial tyre and grew up from Clermont-Ferrand to become a worldwide leader in its industry. It has kept its headquarters in the city.

Culture

Clermont-Ferrand's most famous figure is the mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal who tested Evangelista Torricelli's hypothesis concerning the influence of gas pressure on liquid equilibrium. This is the famous experiment where a vacuum is created in a mercury tube: Pascal's experiment had his brother-in-law carry a barometer to the top of the Puy-de-Dôme. The Université Blaise-Pascal (or Clermont-Ferrand II) is located primarily in the city and is named after him.
A racing circuit, the Charade Circuit, close to the city, using closed-off public roads held the French Grand Prix in 1965, 1969, 1970 and 1972. It was a daunting circuit, with such harsh elevation changes that caused some drivers to be ill as they drove. Winners included Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart (twice), and Jochen Rindt.
The city is also host to a high-profile rugby union club, ASM Clermont Auvergne, as well as Clermont Foot Auvergne, a football club that will compete in France's second division, Ligue 2, during the 2007-2008 season.
Clermont-Ferrand hosts an annual international short film festival, which originated in 1979.
Additionally, the city was the subject of the acclaimed documentary The Sorrow and the Pity, which used Clermont-Ferrand as the basis of the film, which told the story of France under Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime of Marshal Pétain.

Religious architecture

Clermont-Ferrand has two famous churches :

★ Notre-Dame du Port: a Romanesque church built during the 11th and 12th centuries (the bell tower was rebuilt during the 19th century). It was nominated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.

★ Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral (''Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Clermont-ferrand''): a Gothic church built between the 13th and the 19th centuries.

Famous people

Clermont-Ferrand was the birthplace of:

★ Blaise Pascal (19 June 1623–19 August 1662), mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher

★ Jacqueline Pascal (4 October 1625–4 October 1661), sister of Blaise Pascal

★ Jacques Delille (June 22, 1738 - May 1, 1813), poet

★ Nicolas Chamfort (April 6, 1741- April 13, 1794) writer

★ George Onslow (July 27 1784 – October 3 1853) composer

★ Patrick Depailler (9 August 1944 - 1 August 1980), Formula 1 driver

★ Lolo Ferrari (born 4 March 1962 - 5 March 2000), dancer and actress

★ Bernard Loiseau (1950-2003), celebrity chef

★ Aurélien Rougerie, rugby player, member of the French national team
People that have lived in Clermont-Ferrand

★ Sidonius Apollinaris (c. 430 – after 489)Gallo-Roman poet, diplomat and bishop

★ Paul Bourget (September 2, 1852–December 25, 1935), novelist and critic

Twin towns

★ Aberdeen, Scotland (since 1955)

★ Salford, England

★ Regensburg, Germany, since 1969

★ Gomel, Belarus

★ Oviedo, Spain

★ Braga, Portugal

★ Norman, United States

★ North Queensland Australia

References

★ Choices in Vichy France : The French under Nazi Occupation, , John F., Sweets, , 1986,

External links

★ Official Clermont-Ferrand town homepage

★ Unofficial Clermont-Ferrand website

★ Clermont-Ferrand film festival

★ Joan of Arc's Letter to Clermont-Ferrand - Translation by Allen Williamson of an entry concerning Joan of Arc's letter to this city on 7 November 1429.