Romans-sur-Isère

Romans-sur-Isère (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɑ̃syʁizɛːʁ]; lit. 'Romans-on-Isère'; known simply as Romans until 1920;^[3] Occitan: Rumans or Rumans d'Isèra;^[4] Old Occitan: Romans) is a commune in the Drôme department in Southeastern France. With a population of 33,139 as of 2022, it is the third-most populous city in Drôme after Valence and Montélimar.

Romans-sur-Isère Rumans (Occitan)
Commune
A view of Romans-sur-Isère and the river Isère
Coat of arms
Location of Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère Show map of France Romans-sur-Isère Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
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[1]
Area 1	33.08 km2 (12.77 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	33,139
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Demonym	Romanais
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)
Website	www.ville-romans.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Romans-sur-Isère is on the right bank of the river Isère, 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 inhabitants in the urban area including the neighbouring town of Bourg-de-Péage across the river. Romans is close to the Vercors.

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 city was the end point for Stage 16 of the Tour de France.

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[5] and INSEE (1968–2017)[6]

Transport

Romans-sur-Isère is served by Romans–Bourg-de-Péage station on the Valence–Moirans railway.

Economy

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

Sights

Collegiate Church of Saint-Barnard

Sights in Romans-sur-Isère include:

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

Twin towns and sister cities

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

Romans-sur-Isère is twinned with:^[7]

• 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

Climate

Climate data for Romans-sur-Isère (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1990–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	22.1 (71.8)	22.2 (72.0)	25.9 (78.6)	30.1 (86.2)	34.5 (94.1)	39.5 (103.1)	41.1 (106.0)	40.8 (105.4)	35.0 (95.0)	30.0 (86.0)	23.8 (74.8)	18.6 (65.5)	41.1 (106.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.1 (46.6)	9.9 (49.8)	14.7 (58.5)	18.2 (64.8)	22.4 (72.3)	26.6 (79.9)	29.3 (84.7)	29.0 (84.2)	24.0 (75.2)	18.7 (65.7)	12.4 (54.3)	8.4 (47.1)	18.5 (65.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.4 (39.9)	5.4 (41.7)	9.1 (48.4)	12.2 (54.0)	16.3 (61.3)	20.2 (68.4)	22.3 (72.1)	22.1 (71.8)	17.9 (64.2)	13.7 (56.7)	8.4 (47.1)	5.0 (41.0)	13.1 (55.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	0.8 (33.4)	0.9 (33.6)	3.5 (38.3)	6.2 (43.2)	10.3 (50.5)	13.7 (56.7)	15.4 (59.7)	15.1 (59.2)	11.7 (53.1)	8.8 (47.8)	4.4 (39.9)	1.5 (34.7)	7.7 (45.9)
Record low °C (°F)	−13.2 (8.2)	−10.3 (13.5)	−11.2 (11.8)	−6.5 (20.3)	0.9 (33.6)	5.3 (41.5)	7.1 (44.8)	5.1 (41.2)	1.7 (35.1)	−4.2 (24.4)	−9.1 (15.6)	−12.0 (10.4)	−13.2 (8.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	52.3 (2.06)	41.8 (1.65)	51.5 (2.03)	72.9 (2.87)	83.7 (3.30)	66.1 (2.60)	59.0 (2.32)	68.8 (2.71)	104.4 (4.11)	115.8 (4.56)	106.0 (4.17)	54.4 (2.14)	876.7 (34.52)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	8.0	6.9	7.3	8.4	8.8	6.9	6.5	6.3	6.3	9.2	9.3	8.2	92.3
Source: Meteociel[8]

See also

• Communes of the Drôme department
• Vercors Regional Natural Park