Épinal

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title: "Épinal" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["épinal", "communes-of-vosges-(department)", "prefectures-in-france", "duchy-of-lorraine", "vosges-communes-articles-needing-translation-from-french-wikipedia"] topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Épinal" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox French commune"]

FieldValue
nameÉpinal
commune statusPrefecture and commune
imageEpinal Passerelle.jpg
image coat of armsBlason Épinal.svg
captionThe river Moselle
arrondissementÉpinal
cantonÉpinal-1 and 2
INSEE88160
postal code88000
mayorPatrick Nardin
term2020–2026
intercommunalityCA Épinal
coordinates
elevation m340
elevation min m315
elevation max m492
area km259.24
population
population date
population footnotes
urban pop61743
urban area km2161.3
urban pop date2022
metro area pop118915
metro area km21288
metro area pop date2022
websitewww.epinal.fr
::

|name = Épinal |commune status = Prefecture and commune |image = Epinal Passerelle.jpg |image coat of arms = Blason Épinal.svg |caption = The river Moselle |arrondissement = Épinal |canton = Épinal-1 and 2 |INSEE = 88160 |postal code = 88000 |mayor = Patrick Nardin |term = 2020–2026 |intercommunality = CA Épinal |coordinates = |elevation m = 340 |elevation min m = 315 |elevation max m = 492 |area km2 = 59.24 |population = |population date = |population footnotes = |urban pop = 61743 |urban area km2 = 161.3 |urban pop date = 2022 |metro area pop = 118915 |metro area km2 = 1288 |metro area pop date = 2022 |website = www.epinal.fr Épinal (; ; ) is a commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges department.

Geography

The commune has a land area of 59.24 km2. It is situated on the river Moselle, 60 km south of Nancy. Épinal station has rail connections to Paris, Remiremont, Strasbourg, Belfort and Nancy.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Epinal-Hôtel_de_Ville_(2).jpg" caption="Hôtel de Ville"] ::

The mythical founding date of Épinal is said to be 983 since celebrations took place for the "Millennium" in June 1983. This date was chosen for political reasons to mark a "starting point" following the election of Philippe Séguin as mayor in March 1983.

In 1444, the town of Épinal was still part of the domain of the bishops of Metz. In September, representatives of the town took advantage of King Charles VII's passage through Nancy to offer him the submission of the town and to ask for his protection in return. The act of submission of Épinal is dated September 7, 1444. The king promised never to alienate the city; however, Louis XI handed over the town to the Marshal of Burgundy in 1465. Eventually, Épinal came under the guardianship of the Duke of Lorraine.

The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1757.

In 1790, the Constituent Assembly requested the departmental assembly of Vosges to choose between Mirecourt and Épinal as the capital of the department. The departmental assembly convened in Épinal on June 1 and, with three hundred and eleven votes against one hundred and twenty-seven, chose the city of Épinal. Mirecourt became a sub-prefecture.

During World War II, in January 1944, the Stalag 315 prisoner-of-war camp was relocated from the German-occupied Netherlands to Épinal, and it housed Indian POWs. At least 40 POWs were killed and 80 were wounded after the camp was hit during a bombing of the town on 11 May 1944.

Many of the prisoners took advantage of the chaos to escape. Once free, most of them began marching south towards the region of Porrentruy, the first town in Swiss territory, some 100 kilometers away. By the end of June 1944, the Swiss authorities had recorded the entry into Swiss territory of 500 former prisoners from the Epinal camp. This was the largest escape of prisoners of war during the Second World War. This episode is recounted in the book 'The Great Epinal Escape' by British historian Ghee Bowman.

Population

In 2022, 32,296 people lived in the town proper, while its functional area had a population of 118,915.

| align = none | cols = 2 | percentages = pagr | source = EHESS and INSEE (1968–2023) | graph-pos = bottom |1793 |6688 |1800 |7321 |1806 |7905 |1821 |7941 |1831 |9070 |1836 |9526 |1841 |10012 |1846 |11485 |1856 |11076 |1861 |11957 |1866 |11870 |1872 |11847 |1876 |14894 |1881 |16445 |1886 |20932 |1891 |23223 |1896 |26525 |1901 |28080 |1906 |29058 |1911 |30042 |1921 |28352 |1926 |26849 |1931 |27350 |1936 |27708 |1946 |23395 |1954 |28688 |1962 |30313 |1968 |36856 |1975 |39604 |1982 |37818 |1990 |36732 |1999 |35794 |2007 |33528 |2012 |32387 |2017 |31740 |2023 |32251

Main sights

The old town centre features the Place des Vosges, the Chapitre district, Saint-Maurice's Basilica, medieval castle remains and the Roman House (11th and 13th centuries). It is also known for its parks and gardens, as well as a large communal forest with arboretum (the Arboretum de la Forêt d'Épinal).

There are major fortifications, extended and maintained until the early 20th century. There is a legend, among the populace of Épinal, that Napoleon's ghost strolls the wall ramparts on 9 September of each year at 05:00. It was on this day and at this time that, in 1811, Napoleon gave his first and last oration to the city of Épinal, wherein he addressed the challenges posed by northern expansion.

The Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial on the outskirts of the town where United States service members killed in World War II are buried.

Notable residents

Sportspeople

Economy

Épinal is best known for the "Images d'Épinal" – which is now a common expression in French language – the popular prints created by a local company, the Imagerie d'Épinal, formerly known as the Imagerie Pellerin. These stencil-colored woodcuts of military subjects, Napoleonic history, storybook characters and other folk themes were widely distributed throughout the 19th century. The company still exists today, and still uses its hand-operated presses to produce the antique images. Other local industries include textiles, metals, morocco leather, precision instruments, and bicycles. There is a school of textile weaving.

Politics

Épinal is contained within Vosges' 1st constituency for elections to the National Assembly.

Education

The engineering College École nationale supérieure des technologies et industries du bois dedicated to wood Industry is located in the city.

Sport

The commune is home to SAS Épinal, which play in the Championnat National 2, the fourth-tier of football in France. There is also a hockey team, Wildcats d'Épinal, which currently plays in the FFHG Division 1, the second tier of ice hockey.

International relations

Épinal is twinned with:

Climate

|metric first=y |single line=y |collapsed = Y |location = Épinal, elevation 317 m, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1986–present) |Jan record high C = 17.4 |Feb record high C = 20.6 |Mar record high C = 24.5 |Apr record high C = 27.6 |May record high C = 31.0 |Jun record high C = 36.8 |Jul record high C = 39.3 |Aug record high C = 38.0 |Sep record high C = 32.8 |Oct record high C = 27.9 |Nov record high C = 23.1 |Dec record high C = 17.8 |Jan record low C = -18.9 |Feb record low C = -17.1 |Mar record low C = -17.8 |Apr record low C = -7.5 |May record low C = -1.6 |Jun record low C = 0.9 |Jul record low C = 4.4 |Aug record low C = 2.6 |Sep record low C = -0.6 |Oct record low C = -6.7 |Nov record low C = -13.6 |Dec record low C = -18.8 |Jan high C = 4.9 |Feb high C = 6.6 |Mar high C = 11.1 |Apr high C = 15.3 |May high C = 19.2 |Jun high C = 22.9 |Jul high C = 25.1 |Aug high C = 24.9 |Sep high C = 20.3 |Oct high C = 15.2 |Nov high C = 9.2 |Dec high C = 5.7 | year high C = 15.0 |Jan mean C = 2.0 |Feb mean C = 2.9 |Mar mean C = 6.2 |Apr mean C = 9.5 |May mean C = 13.5 |Jun mean C = 17.1 |Jul mean C = 19.1 |Aug mean C = 18.9 |Sep mean C = 14.8 |Oct mean C = 10.8 |Nov mean C = 5.9 |Dec mean C = 3.0 | year mean C = 10.3 |Jan low C = -0.9 |Feb low C = -0.8 |Mar low C = 1.2 |Apr low C = 3.7 |May low C = 7.8 |Jun low C = 11.3 |Jul low C = 13.2 |Aug low C = 12.9 |Sep low C = 9.3 |Oct low C = 6.5 |Nov low C = 2.7 |Dec low C = 0.2 | year low C = 5.6 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 76.7 |Feb precipitation mm = 65.0 |Mar precipitation mm = 67.1 |Apr precipitation mm = 61.8 |May precipitation mm = 82.1 |Jun precipitation mm = 73.1 |Jul precipitation mm = 71.5 |Aug precipitation mm = 72.6 |Sep precipitation mm = 77.1 |Oct precipitation mm = 88.8 |Nov precipitation mm = 83.1 |Dec precipitation mm = 88.1 |year precipitation mm = 907.0 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 12.3 | Feb precipitation days = 10.8 | Mar precipitation days = 10.7 | Apr precipitation days = 9.8 | May precipitation days = 11.8 | Jun precipitation days = 10.6 | Jul precipitation days = 10.7 | Aug precipitation days = 10.1 | Sep precipitation days = 9.4 | Oct precipitation days = 11.7 | Nov precipitation days = 12.2 | Dec precipitation days = 13.4 | year precipitation days =133.5 |Jan sun = 62.6 |Feb sun = 86.5 |Mar sun = 142.5 |Apr sun = 177.5 |May sun = 206.5 |Jun sun = 225.1 |Jul sun = 237.7 |Aug sun = 220.5 |Sep sun = 170.5 |Oct sun = 112.8 |Nov sun = 63.9 |Dec sun = 53.8 |year sun = 1759.8 |source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web |url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=88136001 |title=Normales et records pour Épinal (88) |publisher=Meteociel |access-date=21 November 2024}}}}

References

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Epinal-pano2.jpg" caption="Épinal from the ruins of the castle"] ::

References

  1. (2 December 2020). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires".
  2. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/88160-epinal Commune d'Épinal (88160)], INSEE
  3. (November 2021). "Vosges. Savez-vous que le marché d'Épinal existe depuis 983 ?".
  4. "Philippe Séguin - Histoire - La Ve République - Les Présidents de l'Assemblée nationale depuis 1958 - Assemblée nationale".
  5. Marot, Pierre. (1941). "L'expédition de Charles VII à Metz (1444-1445). Documents inédits". Bibliothèque de l'École des chartes.
  6. (2017). "A l' Origine des quartiers 2". The Municipal Archives of Épinal.
  7. (2022). "The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV". Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
  8. "The Great Épinal Escape".
  9. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=AAV2020-095+UU2020-88501+COM-88160 Comparateur de territoire], INSEE, retrieved 14 January 2026.
  10. {{Cassini-Ehess. 12739. Épinal
  11. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8643952?geo=COM-88160#tableau-POPREF_G1 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023], INSEE
  12. Jeanne Cressanges: installed in Épinal since 1968, novelist, essayist, screenwriter originally from Noyant in the Allier, who dedicated two of his works to his adopted region: "Je vous écris d’Épinal" and "Je vous écris des Vosges" éditions Serge Domini, respectively in 2009 and 2014.
  13. ''Nicolas Mathieu a le spleen des Vosges'' on [http://www.lemonde.fr/livres/article/2014/08/09/nicolas-mathieu-a-le-spleen-des-vosges_4469412_3260.html lemonde.fr].
  14. "Villes jumelles". Épinal.

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