Please help expand and improve this article or section by translating from the French Wikipedia into English. (December 2008)
|
|
This article is part of a coordinated drive intended to transfer encyclopedic content from another language wikipedia into English. Please help expand and improve this article or section by translating from the French Wikipedia into English. (December 2008) |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007) |
|
Commune of Cognac |
|
| Location | |
  Cognac
|
|
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Poitou-Charentes |
| Department | Charente |
| Arrondissement | Cognac |
| Mayor | Jérôme Mouhot (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 5–53 m (16–170 ft) (avg. 27 m/89 ft) |
| Land area1 | 15.5 km2 (6.0 sq mi) |
| Population2 (1999) |
19,534 |
| - Density | 1,260 /km² (3,300 /sq mi) (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 16102/ 16100 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
 |
|
Cognac is a commune in the French département of Charente, of which it is a sub-prefecture. The inhabitants of the town are known as Cognaçais.
Contents |
Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right bank area known as the Saint Jacques district.
The town is situated on one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostella.
Unknown prior to the 9th century, the town was subsequently fortified. During the Hundred Years' War, the town changed sides on several occasions as the result of fighting and treaties in the region.
Francis I granted the town the right to trade salt along the river, guaranteeing strong commercial success, which in turn led to the town's development as a centre of wine and later brandy.
The town's medieval quarter "Vieux Cognac" runs from the Tours Saint-Jacques, alongside the river, up to the Saint-Léger church. The area contains many unusual buildings, built between the 15th and 18th centuries, situated on narrow cobbled streets. Many contain sculptures of the salamander, the symbol of King Francis I, as well as gargoyles and richly decorated facades.
The area also contains many Romanesque churches as well as several châteaux. The musée des arts du Cognac
The town gives its name to one of the world's best-known types of brandy or eau de vie. Drinks that bear this name must be made in certain areas around the town of Cognac and must be made according to strictly-defined regulations in order to be granted the name Cognac.
The region's economy is dominated by the manufacture of brandy. Industries surrounding this include:
Farmland that is unsuitable for winemaking, principally low-lying areas that are prone to late frosts, are used for growing cereals.
Recently, winemakers have increasingly made a table wine vin de pays charentais using totally different grapes and methods to those required for cognac. This is partly to limit the effects of any unforeseen problems with the growth of the main crops.
Tourism and associated industries have also developed strongly in recent years.
The town is also home to the French Air Force training base 709.
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20798 | 22062 | 22237 | 20660 | 19528 | 24579 | 10542 |
Cognac is twinned with:
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cognac |
![[1]](http://www.bernezac.com/Cognac_St_Leger_03.jpg){kind=link}
![[2]](http://www.ville-cognac.fr/IMG/cache-200x267/doc-190-200x267.jpg){kind=link}