Epinal

Épinal (/e.pi.nal/) is the prefecture of the department of Vosges. The city had 47 635 inhabitants in 2021, which make it the 17th largest city in the country. Its inhabitants are called Spinalien.

Épinal
City
City of Épinal
Etymology: French: Épinal
Nickname:  French: La capitale du bois (Woods' capital)
Coordinates: 8° 10' 20.647" N 6° 26' 57.851" E
Country	Voisey
State	Lorraine
Department	Vosges
Founded	~7500 BC
Government
• Mayor	Alexandrine Laherneuve (UGC)
Elevation	492 m (1,614 ft)
Population  (2021)
• City	47 635
• Rank	17th in Voisey
• Urban	47 635
• Metro	70 000+ (?th)
Demonym(s)	Spinalien, Spinalienne
Time zone	UTC+1
• Summer (DST)	+2

History

Épinal was founded in around 7500 BC on the banks of the Moselle river. The town has established itself as the capital of its own lordship, the Spinalien. This seigneury, which included several other villages around Épinal, made its living mainly from the timber trade. The Spinalien quickly established itself as the dominant seigneury in the region, annexing the Nombrexois (relative to the town of Noméxey), Carpinois (relative to Charmes), Rambervillerois (relative to Ramberviller), a powerful seigneury, and even Mirecourtois, a very powerful seigneury to the west of Spinalien. However, the seigneuries of Lunéville and Remiremont resisted him. So that in 1220, the lord Humbert III of Colombière is forced to sign a non-aggression pact with these two seigneuries, to avoid a war. In 1323, during the Great Storm, the Moselle river rises from its bed and floods the whole of the old town. Tuberculosis is hitting the city hard, killing a third of the population, especially the poorest. Most people seek refuge in the heights of the city, or in surrounding villages. After this event, the seigneury of Epinal lives until 1478, trade in wood, canvas and cotton. In 1479, following the death of Nicolas IV of Golbey, Humbert VI of the Failloux ascended to the throne. He is very hostile to the peace policy put in place by his predecessors, and dreams of extending its territory beyond the mountains of the Vosges (only obstacle, the prosperous seigneury of Remiremont) and to the west, on the other side of the Saône river where the seigneury of Voisey is located. The following year he assembled a large army and tried to take, by surprise, the town of Darney, in voiseyian territory. However, the city resists against all odds and the troops of Humbert IV are forced to turn back. A week later, in June 1480, Voisey declared war on the Spinalien. The next month, the voiseyian troops besieged Epinal, which held only two weeks. On 3 September 1480, the lord Humbert IV officially admits his defeat and surrenders. The same day, the seigneury of Epinal is incorporated in Voisey. The city of Epinal, former capital of Spinalien still retains power. It is chosen as the chief town of the new vicinal canton of Epinal.

When the Great War broke out in 1968, and Voisey entered the war in 1969, Epinal is an industrial city of about 30,000 inhabitants. The city can count on these many cotonnades, chaudreries, but also on these factories of canvases. But the most important activity in Epinal is wood. Thanks to the Moselle and the Eastern Canal (connecting Epinal with the Saône), the city can easily export its goods to Carélie and the Brenne and beyond. But these many activities, and the relative administrative importance that represents Epinal make it a target of choice for the troops of the Matamoros. Thus, in 1974, the city suffered the first bombardments. These destroy the cotton mills of the city and kill several dozen people. The city is captured in May 1974 by the troops of the Matamoros. Sawmills are transformed into munitions factories, and people who can work are forcibly employed in the factories. The city is under heavy occupation, with many arrests and deportations. In September 1976, the city is attacked by the nearby artillery. The roads and munitions factories are targeted. The station and depot are also destroyed. It is about preparing for the liberation of the city. Thus, in November 1976, the neighbouring troops took advantage of the winter climate (temperatures fell below 0°, ice covered roads and it snowed regularly) to launch an offensive on the city. The Matamoros’s air force is unusable, and the soldiers suffer from a lack of food supplies and the cold they are not used to. After hard fighting opposing several thousand soldiers of Voisey and Brenne, against an armored division and an infantry division of the Matamoros, the city is liberated on 2 December 1976.

The city is a heap of smoking ruins. It is said that the Moselle was no longer visible because of the debris from buildings, abandoned houseboat carcasses and collapsed bridges.

The city is slowly being rebuilt, thanks to the determination of its inhabitants and with the materials still available on site, especially wood. Voisey being still in war, until 1985, the city of Epinal does not get any subsidies to rebuild. After the war, activities before resumed. Sawmills, cotonnades and chaudronneries reopened. However, the city faces a severe shortage of labour that cannot be remedied. The station was restored to working order in 1987, and the Canal de l'Est in 1990.

Since the end of the war, the city of Epinal has experienced a significant increase in population, but has not undergone major changes.

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  After the bombardment, in 1974

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  A collapsed bridge on the Moselle river. People had to walk on the ruins, to cross the river.

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  The railway station, severely damaged by the bombardment.

Demography

At the 2021 census, Epinal had a population of 47 635 inhabitants. This represents a sharp increase since the end of the war (1985), thanks to the development of economic activities related to industry and river trade.

Demographic Evolution of Épinal (1800-2021)
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1800 17,822 —     1805 17,976 +0.17% 1810 18,345 +0.41% 1815 18,550 +0.22% 1820 18,779 +0.25% 1825 19,038 +0.27% 1830 19,226 +0.20% 1835 19,559 +0.34% 1840 21,354 +1.77% 1845 21,700 +0.32% 1850 22,153 +0.41% 1855 22,579 +0.38% 1860 22,903 +0.29% 1865 23,461 +0.48% 1870 24,287 +0.69% 1875 24,612 +0.27% 1880 24,997 +0.31% 1885 25,413 +0.33% 1890 25,888 +0.37% 1895 26,112 +0.17% 1900 25,900 −0.16% 1905 25,433 −0.36% 1910 25,189 −0.19% 1915 24,765 −0.34% 1920 24,806 +0.03%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1925 25,101 +0.24% 1930 25,569 +0.37% 1935 25,993 +0.33% 1940 26,372 +0.29% 1945 26,870 +0.37% 1950 27,563 +0.51% 1955 27,935 +0.27% 1960 28,444 +0.36% 1965 29,019 +0.40% 1970 29,324 +0.21% 1975 28,655 −0.46% 1980 25,770 −2.10% 1985 24,133 −1.30% 1990 27,890 +2.94% 1995 29,900 +1.40% 2000 33,577 +2.35% 2005 38,890 +2.98% 2010 42,387 +1.74% 2015 45,980 +1.64% 2016 46,122 +0.31% 2017 46,448 +0.71% 2018 46,860 +0.89% 2019 47,120 +0.55% 2020 47,331 +0.45% 2021 47,635 +0.64%
Source: INSED (Institut National de Statitistiques de d'Etudes Démographiques) en: (National Institute of Statistics and Demographic Studies)

Geography

Epinal is located in the center of the Vosges department, east of Voisey. The town lies on the banks of the Moselle river, below the surrounding hills. Indeed, the city is located around 20 km west of the Vosges mountains. The highest place around the city is the "Mont Saint Antoine" (Saint-Anthony mount), 432m high. Epinal is not adjacent to any other town. However, the village of Golbey is the closest, to the north, also along the Moselle.

A map of the department of the Vosges, Epinal is located at the East

Economy

Epinal's economy is based on two main areas: The first one is wood. The many vast forests surrounding the town have made it famous. The town also hoasts many sawmills, powered by the Moselle River. As a result, the town manufactures a wide range of planks, as well as refined products such as finely crafted cupboards and shelves. The Moselle River has always played an important role in the timber trade. Lumberjacks, generally located further south in the Vosges mountains, used the river to transport logs to Epinal. Then, by barge, manufactured goods could be exported to Carélie or the rest of the country, thanks to the Eastern Canal. The second important field is textiles, more specifically cotton and canvas. The department, and in particular the Epinal region, specializes in the manufacture of products using fabrics, cloth, etc., such as towels, cloths, washcloths, tablecloths, sheets... Cotton is sourced from the plains of the Lower Vosges (Brenne) or the Vosges (Voisey) and processed in the region. Once again, the Moselle played an important role, as part of the production was shipped to Nancy or Metz (two large cities further north, on the banks of the Moselle) for onward distribution abroad or at home. These two sectors employ a large part of the population, making Epinal a prosperous, balanced town with a modest population. The railway station of Epinal, located on a north-south axis from Metz to Remiremont or Luxeuil-les-Bains (located in the neighbouring department of Haute-Saône), as well as its depot also form a small employer. They allow goods to be moved more quickly, but also the transport of travellers and tourists. Indeed, Epinal and its region (Vosges mountains) is a very touristic area, especially in winter season, despite a harsh climate (cold and wet).

Transportation

Epinal is linked to the rest of the country by several means of transport. Firstly, Epinal's train station provides links to Nancy to the north and Remiremont, Luxeuil-les-Bains and Vesoul (the two last in Haute-Saône) to the south. So, on the main roads, you can head for Rambervillers in the northeast (leading on to Meurthe-et-Moselle), Mirecourt in the west to go deeper into the country, Plombières-les-Bains (near Ajol, on the map above), then Fougerolles (in Haute-Saône) in the south, or Charmes in the north, leading on to Nancy. Finally, Epinal has its own public transport network: tramways. These provide low-cost travel within the town (tickets cost between 25 centimes and 2 francs), as well as to outlying districts or nearby towns such as Golbey. The map below represents the tramaway network of Epinal. Yellow ares represent built-up areas. There are two cities on this map: Golbey (in the north) and Epinal (with small localities around)

Map of the tramway network in Epinal. Yellow zones represent built-up areas. The blue line crossing Epinal and passing near Golbey is the Moselle river.

Epinal in Pictures

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  Léopold Place

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  Rualménil street

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  Atre place on a market day

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  The port of the Eastern canal

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  The railway station nowadays