Forcalquier

French commune
nomcommune=Forcalquier
région=Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
département=Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
arrondissement=Forcalquier
canton=Forcalquier
insee=04088
cp=04300
maire=Christophe Castaner
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=
longitude=5.78055555556
latitude=43.96
alt moy=550 m
alt mini=397 m
alt maxi=904 m
hectares=4,276
km²=42.76
sans=4,650
date-sans=2004
dens=108
date-dens=2004

Forcalquier is a commune of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.

With a population of 4,375 and at an altitude of 550 m, Forcalquier is located in the "département" of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence between the Lure montain and Luberon mountain ranges, about 30 km south of Sisteron and 10 km west of the Durance river. In the Middle Ages it was the capital of the Haute-Provence.

Features

Forcalquier is built around the slopes of a steep conical hill, crowned by an octagonal chapel, Notre Dame de Provence, where the medieval citadel once stood. The citadel was destroyed in 1601; the chapel with its panoramic view was built in 1875. It has a carillon that can be heard every Sunday morning during the summer.

The oldest part of the town is the area around the Place Saint-Michel with its Renaissance fountain (1511) and its narrow side-streets. There many doorways dating to the 12th to 16th centuries can be found.

The present commercial and social center of town, the Place du Bourguet, is located below the Place St. Michel. The 12th century "concathedral" Notre Dame de l'Assomption with its bell towers stands across from the Place du Bourguet.

The Cordeliers Convent was built in the 13th century by Franciscans named "cordeliers" because of their rope belts. This convent was occupied by monks continuously until the Revolution. The Port de Cordeliers is all that remains of the town's fortified walls.

Monday morning is market day in Forcalquier. The market fills the Place du Bourguet and the adjoining streets.

Noteworthy is the Musée Municipal with its prehistoric and Gallo-Roman artifacts, glass works, and faïence pottery from Mane, Apt and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Location: 2 Place du Bourguet (beside the Mairie) Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone].

History

"Furnus calcarius" was the Latin name, from the lime ("chaux") ovens used in Roman times. (A Roman bridge still stands in the valley to the south of the town.) Its Provencal name is "Fourcauquié". At the end of the 11th century, a family of the Counts of Provence created the comté de Forcalquier that remained an independent state through the 12th century.

During this time, the town of Forcalquier was the capital of Haute Provence along the Durance, which included the towns of Manosque, Sisteron, Gap and Embrun. Forcalquier minted its own currency, and its church was elevated to the status of a "concathedral".

The Counts of Forcalquier grew to a power that could defy the Counts of Provence. Rivalry ended in 1195 when Gersende de Sabran, comtesse de Forcalquier, married Alphonse II, the Count of Provence. Their son, Ramon Bérenger IV inherited the two counties.

Ramon's four daughters all became queens: Marguerite (1221-1295) married Louis IX of France; Eleanor (1223-1291) married Henry III of England; Sanchia (1228-1261) married Richard, Earl of Cornwall, later elected Holy Roman Emperor with the title "King of the Romans"; and Beatrice (1231-1267) married Charles I of Sicily.

Miscellaneous

Turist office

:Office de Tourisme:Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone] :Email: [e-mail]; Web: www.forcalquier.com :Open Sept.-June: Mon-Sat, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. :Open July-Aug: daily, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. :June-Sept: also open Sunday mornings

Twin towns

Forcalquier is officially twinned with the following one city :

* Guastalla, Italy

Famous People

*Raoul Dufy
*Garsenda of Forcalquier
*Charles I of Naples
*Joan I of Naples
*Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
*Louis III of Naples
*Guigues VII of Viennois
*Alfonso II, Count of Provence
*Jaufre Reforzat de Trets
*Geoffrey II of Provence
*Ladislas of Naples
*Marguerite of Provence
*Louis Feuillée

External links

* [http://www.forcalquier.com Tourism office website]
* [http://www.beyond.fr/villages/forcalq.html Provence Beyond: Forcalquier]
* [http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alaupro/forcalqu/forcalqu.htm Provence Web: Forcalquier]
* [http://radio.zinzine2.free.fr Radio Zinzine: Public radio located in Forcalquier]