Valréas
Valréas is a town with 9672 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) in the Vaucluse department ( Provence- Alpes- Côte d' Azur), France. It is situated in Provence near the Valley of the Rhone. The place and the same canton form an exclave of the department of Vaucluse, surrounded by the area of the Drôme Provençale. The canton also includes the municipalities Grillon, Richerenches and Visan. Valréas located 37 km southeast of Montelimar and 14 km west of Nyons. The distance to the most famous mountain in the Provence, Mont Ventoux is around 40 km away. The north part of the city is touched by the river Coronne.
History and Buildings
Valréas looks back over a thousand years of history. Pope John XXII. , The second Pope, who resided in Avignon, bought in 1317, the area around Valréas and placed it under the authority of the Holy See. The area remained until the French Revolution in papal possession. The Canton is therefore called " L' Enclave des Papes " ( Pope's Enclave ) referred to and forms an enclave in the area of Drôme. Valréas is also called " Cité des Etats pontificaux ".
Worth seeing in the historic Old Town is the Château de Simiane ( castle ), the Romanesque church of Notre -Dame-de -Nazareth as well as the tour ( tower) du Tivoli.
Economy
Valréas is agricultural. In addition to viticulture and the cultivation of typical Provencal lavender plays an important role. The city is also known for their cardboard factory and calls himself " Capitale du cartonnage " (capital of cardboard). Tourism is also an important industry.
The vineyards of the village lying in the wine region of the southern Rhone Valley. The wines may be marketed under the appellations of Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages stricter quality.
Twinning
- 1986: Saint -Paul -de- Joliette (Canada, Québec)
- Since 1994: Saxony Home ( Germany )
- Since 2005: Montignoso (Italy )
Sons and daughters of the town
- Bruno Chevillon ( born 1959 ), jazz bassist
- Joseph Daultanne (1759-1828), General