Romans-sur-Isère

Romans-sur-Isère
Commune
A view of Romans-sur-Isère and the river Isère
Coat of arms
Location of Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère Romans-sur-Isère
Coordinates: 45°02′47″N 5°03′06″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Drôme
Arrondissement	Valence
Canton	Romans-sur-Isère and Bourg-de-Péage
Intercommunality	CA Valence Romans Agglo
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Marie-Hélène Thoraval
Area 1	33.08 km2 (12.77 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	32,911
• Density	990/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	26281 /26100
Elevation	122–291 m (400–955 ft) (avg. 167 m or 548 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Romans-sur-Isère (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɑ̃ syʁizɛːʁ]; Occitan: Rumans d'Isèra; Old Occitan: Romans) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.

Geography

Romans-sur-Isère is located on the Isère, 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 inhabitants in the urban area (if the neighboring town of Bourg-de-Péage is included). Romans is close to the Vercors.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 5,742 —     1800 6,473 +1.73% 1806 6,997 +1.31% 1821 8,837 +1.57% 1831 9,285 +0.50% 1836 9,972 +1.44% 1841 9,471 −1.03% 1846 9,958 +1.01% 1851 10,869 +1.77% 1856 11,219 +0.64% 1861 11,257 +0.07% 1866 11,524 +0.47% 1872 12,674 +1.60% 1876 12,923 +0.49% 1881 13,806 +1.33% 1886 14,733 +1.31% 1891 16,545 +2.35% 1896 16,702 +0.19%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 17,140 +0.52% 1906 17,622 +0.56% 1911 17,201 −0.48% 1921 17,054 −0.09% 1926 17,596 +0.63% 1931 18,957 +1.50% 1936 19,489 +0.56% 1946 22,171 +1.30% 1954 22,559 +0.22% 1962 26,377 +1.97% 1968 31,545 +3.03% 1975 33,030 +0.66% 1982 33,152 +0.05% 1990 32,734 −0.16% 1999 32,667 −0.02% 2007 33,234 +0.22% 2012 33,701 +0.28% 2017 33,160 −0.32%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

Economy

• Nuclear fuel manufacture (FBFC, Franco-Belge de Fabrication du Combustible), Framatome subsidiary.
• Shoe manufacture (including Robert Clergerie)

History

• Historian Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie wrote Carnaval de Romans (1980) a microhistorical study, based on the only two surviving eyewitness accounts, of the 1580 massacre of about twenty artisans at the annual carnival in the town. He treats the massacre as a microcosm of the political, social and religious conflicts of rural society in the latter half of the 16th century in France.
• On 18 July 2017, the town was the end point for Stage Sixteen of the Tour De France.
• On 4 April 2020, two people were killed and five wounded in a knife attack, in what the interior minister called a terrorist incident. Prosecutors said the suspect was a Sudanese refugee in his 30s who lived in the town.

Sights

• Collegiate Church of Saint-Barnard
• International Museum of Footwear
• Tower of Jacquemart clock

Collegiate Church of Saint-Barnard

Twin towns - sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Romans-sur-Isère is twinned with:

• Coalville, England, United Kingdom
• Corsano, Italy
• Straubing, Germany
• Varese, Italy
• Zadar, Croatia
• Zlín, Czech Republic

Notable people

• Hippolyte Charles (1773-1837), lover of Joséphine Bonaparte
• Robert Clergerie, shoe designer
• Érik Comas (1963-), former Formula One driver
• Pierre Latour (1993-), cyclist
• Jules Nadi (1872-1928), former mayor and councilor who did much to develop the city
• Baptiste Reynet, professional footballer
• Philippe Saint-André, rugby player and national team coach
• Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally, general of Irish Jacobite ancestry

See also

• Communes of the Drôme department
• Parc naturel régional du Vercors

External links

• Town council website (in French)
• Communauté de communes du Pays de Romans website
• New Uranium Leak Found in French Areva Factory
• "Romans" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.