Épinal

Épinal
Épinal
	The Moselle River
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	Épinal
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Country	France
Region	Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine
Department	Vosges
Arrondissement	Épinal
Canton	Épinal-Est and Épinal-Ouest
Intercommunality	Épinal-Golbey
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Michel Heinrich
Area1	59.24 km2 (22.87 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	35,814
• Density	600/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	88160 / 88000
Elevation	315–492 m (1,033–1,614 ft); (avg. 340 m or 1,120 ft)
Website	www.epinal.fr
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

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Épinal is a commune in northeastern France and the capital (prefecture) of the Vosges department. Inhabitants are known as Spinaliens.

Geography

The commune has a land area of 59.24 square kilometres (22.87 sq mi). It is situated on the Moselle River, 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Nancy.

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 5:00 am 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.

There is an American military cemetery on the outskirts of the town where United States service members killed in World War II are buried.

Famous Natives

Émile Durkheim, a founder of sociology, was born here in 1858.

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.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Épinal participates in town twinning to foster good international relations. Its current partners include:

Bitola, Macedonia Chieri, Italy Gembloux, Belgium La Crosse, United States	Loughborough, England^[1] Schwäbisch Hall, Germany^[2] Nový Jičín, Czech Republic