Sisteron

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Sisteron
Commune
Sisteron in 2004
Coat of arms
Location of Sisteron
Sisteron Show map of France Sisteron Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 44°11′28″N 5°56′50″E / 44.1911°N 5.9472°E / 44.1911; 5.9472
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Arrondissement	Forcalquier
Canton	Sisteron
Intercommunality	Sisteronais Buëch
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Daniel Spagnou[1]
Area 1	50.25 km2 (19.40 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	7,699
• Density	150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	04209 /04200
Elevation	448–1,145 m (1,470–3,757 ft) (avg. 485 m or 1,591 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Sisteron (French pronunciation: [sistəʁɔ̃]; Occitan: [sisˈtɛru(n)], Mistralian norm: Sisteroun; from Old Occitan: Sestaron) 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.

It is 135 km (84 mi) from Marseille, also 135 km (84 mi) from Grenoble, 180 km (110 mi) from Nice and 40 km (25 mi) from Forcalquier.

There are 1,573 hectares (3,890 acres) of forest and wood within the commune.^[3]

History

Sisteron has been inhabited for 4,000 years. The

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

in 1815, the town ignored him and let him through.

On 15 August 1944 French

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.

Sights

The town's buildings include the citadel and the 12th century former

(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.^[4][5]

International relations

Sisteron is twinned with:

• Fidenza, Italy
• Herbolzheim, Germany
• Oliva
  , Spain
• Nyingtri, Tibet,^[6]
  China

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 4,000 —     1800 3,891 −0.39% 1806 3,642 −1.10% 1821 4,125 +0.83% 1831 4,429 +0.71% 1836 4,546 +0.52% 1841 3,844 −3.30% 1846 4,392 +2.70% 1851 4,576 +0.82% 1856 4,509 −0.29% 1861 4,338 −0.77% 1866 4,210 −0.60% 1872 4,575 +1.40% 1876 4,280 −1.65% 1881 3,974 −1.47% 1886 3,864 −0.56% 1891 3,996 +0.67% 1896 3,905 −0.46%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 3,874 −0.16% 1906 3,702 −0.90% 1911 3,575 −0.70% 1921 3,341 −0.67% 1926 3,354 +0.08% 1931 3,302 −0.31% 1936 3,378 +0.46% 1946 3,432 +0.16% 1954 4,070 +2.15% 1962 5,325 +3.42% 1968 6,289 +2.81% 1975 7,243 +2.04% 1982 6,470 −1.60% 1990 6,594 +0.24% 1999 6,964 +0.61% 2007 7,288 +0.57% 2012 7,360 +0.20% 2017 7,460 +0.27%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE (1968-2017)[8]

In popular culture

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

See also

• Route Napoléon
• Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department
• List of works by Louis Botinelly

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Digne". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sisteron.

• Official website (in French)
• Additional town information (in French)