Albi

French commune in Tarn, Occitania

Albi (Occitan: Albi) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, in the Occitanie region. It is on the side of the Tarn river, about 85 km (53 mi) to the northeast of Toulouse.

Albi
Albi featuring the Sainte-Cécile cathedral and the Pont Vieux (old bridge) over the river Tarn.
Albi featuring the Sainte-Cécile cathedral and the Pont Vieux (old bridge) over the river Tarn.
Coat of arms of Albi
Location of Albi
Map
Albi is located in France
Albi
Albi
Albi is located in Occitanie
Albi
Albi
Coordinates: 43°55′44″N 2°08′47″E / 43.9289°N 2.1464°E / 43.9289; 2.1464
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentTarn
ArrondissementAlbi
CantonAlbi-1
Albi-2
Albi-3
Albi-4
IntercommunalityAlbigeois
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Stéphanie Guiraud-Chaumeil
Area
1
44.26 km2 (17.09 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
49,024
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
81004 /81000
Elevation130–308 m (427–1,010 ft)
(avg. 169 m or 554 ft)
Official nameEpiscopal City of Albi
CriteriaCultural: iv, v
Reference1337
Inscription2010 (34th Session)
Area19.47 ha
Buffer zone64.09 ha
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is the seat of the Archbishop of Albi. The cathedral and the part of the city around it (the Episcopal City) was made a World Heritage Sites in 2010.[1]

History

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Close-up of the cathedral's bell tower

The first human settlement in Albi was in the Bronze Age (3000-600 BC). After the Roman conquest of Gaul in 51 BC, the town became Civitas Albigensium, the city of the Albigeois.

The Cathars had their main centre at Albi and so they were known also as Albigens after the city. The Cathar movement was a branch of Christianity which was persecuted in the Middle Ages. Because of this, the city was almost completely destroyed in a crusade between 1209 and 1229. Since 1678, the city is the seat of an archbishop. Since 1790, it is the capital city of the Tarn department.

Geography

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Albi is in southern France, in the centre of the Tarn department. The Tarn flows through the city and splits it in two; the historical city is on the left side of the river. Several small rivers, tributaries of the Tarn, flows also through the city.

It has an area of 44.26 km2 (17.09 sq mi) and its average altitude is 169 m (554 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 174 m (571 ft).[2]

Albi and its neighboring communes
 

The commune is at 85 km (53 mi) northeast of Toulouse and the closest cities are Castres, Toulouse, Mazamet, Graulhet, Lavaur, Gaillac, Montauban, Rodez et Carmaux. It is surrounded by the communes Lescure-d'Albigeois to the north; Saint-Juéry to the northeast; Cunac and Cambon to the east; Fréjairolles to the southeast; Puygouzon to the south; Le Sequestre, Carlus and Saliès to the southwest; Terssac, Marssac-sur-Tarn, Florentin, Rouffiac, Cagnac-les-Mines, Castelnau-de-Lévis.

Climate

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The climate of Albi is an oceanic climate with template summers, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.[3]

The average temperature for the year in Albi is 13.4 °C (56.1 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 22.3 °C (72.1 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 5.4 °C (41.7 °F).

The highest recorded temperature in Albi is 41.4 °C (106.5 °F), which was recorded in August. The lowest recorded temperature in Albi is −20.4 °C (−4.7 °F), which was recorded in January.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Albi is 1,023.6 mm (40.3 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is November with 101.6 mm (4.0 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is July with an average of 66 mm (2.6 in).

Climate data for Albi, Tarn, France
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 9.4
(48.9)
11.2
(52.2)
14.7
(58.5)
17.4
(63.3)
21.6
(70.9)
25.5
(77.9)
28.7
(83.7)
28.4
(83.1)
24.7
(76.5)
19.7
(67.5)
13.2
(55.8)
9.8
(49.6)
18.7
(65.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.4
(41.7)
6.5
(43.7)
9.3
(48.7)
11.8
(53.2)
15.9
(60.6)
19.6
(67.3)
22.3
(72.1)
22.0
(71.6)
18.5
(65.3)
14.6
(58.3)
9.1
(48.4)
6.0
(42.8)
13.4
(56.1)
Average low °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)
1.7
(35.1)
3.8
(38.8)
6.2
(43.2)
10.2
(50.4)
13.6
(56.5)
15.8
(60.4)
15.6
(60.1)
12.3
(54.1)
9.5
(49.1)
4.9
(40.8)
2.1
(35.8)
8.1
(46.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 91.9
(3.62)
79.8
(3.14)
78.7
(3.10)
90.8
(3.57)
95.7
(3.77)
77.5
(3.05)
65.6
(2.58)
75.0
(2.95)
74.1
(2.92)
93.4
(3.68)
101.3
(3.99)
99.1
(3.90)
1,022.9
(40.27)
Source: Weatherbase.com [1]

Population

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The inhabitants of Albi are known, in French, as Albigeois (women: Albigeoises).[4]

The city of Albi has a population, in 2014, of 49,531;[5] its population density is of 1,119 inhabitants/km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 11,176—    
1800 9,649−2.08%
1806 10,061+0.70%
1821 10,644+0.38%
1831 11,665+0.92%
1836 11,801+0.23%
1841 12,408+1.01%
1846 14,211+2.75%
1851 13,788−0.60%
1856 14,636+1.20%
1861 15,493+1.14%
1866 16,596+1.38%
1872 17,469+0.86%
1876 19,169+2.35%
1881 20,379+1.23%
1886 21,224+0.82%
1891 20,903−0.30%
1896 21,948+0.98%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 22,571+0.56%
1906 23,303+0.64%
1911 25,100+1.50%
1921 26,628+0.59%
1926 29,015+1.73%
1931 29,351+0.23%
1936 30,293+0.63%
1946 34,342+1.26%
1954 34,693+0.13%
1962 38,709+1.38%
1968 42,930+1.74%
1975 46,162+1.04%
1982 45,947−0.07%
1990 46,579+0.17%
1999 46,274−0.07%
2007 48,889+0.69%
2012 49,231+0.14%
2017 48,970−0.11%
Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE (1968-2017)[7]

Administration

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Albi is the prefecture of the Tarn department since 1797. It is also the capital of four Cantons:

  1. Albi-1, formed with a part of Albi (15,740 inhabitants) (2014)
  2. Albi-2, formed with a part of Albi and 5 other communes (18,332 inhabitants) (2014)
  3. Albi-3, formed with a part of Albi and 8 other communes (18,145 habitants) (2014)
  4. Albi-4, formed with a part of Albi and 2 other communes (19,064 inhabitants) (2014)

It is part of the intercommunality Albigeois (French: Communauté d'agglomération de l'Albigeois).

Cathedral

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Episcopal City of Albi
UNESCO World Heritage Site
 
Sainte-Cécile cathedral in Albi
CriteriaCultural: (iv)(v)
Reference1337
Inscription2010 (34th Session)

St. Cecile´s cathedral is built like a fortress, in a gothic style. The cathedral is built in a very special style. Inside, there are frescoes from the Renaissance, worth a visit.

The cathedral has walls which are up to 6 m (20 ft) thick. This makes it the biggest brick building in the world.

Museum

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There is a museum dedicated to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the city. De Touluose-Lautrec was born in the city. There are also paintings of other people in the museum.

People from Albi

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Education

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Sister cities

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Albi is twinned with:

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Overview of Albi and the Tarn river during the sunset.
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References

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  1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre – World Heritage Committee inscribes five new cultural sites on World Heritage List and approves two extensions to existing properties. Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved on 28 May 2014.
  2. "Albi". Map-France.com. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  3. "Albi, France - Köppen Climate Classification". Weatherbase. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  4. "Albi (81000)" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  5. "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  6. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Albi, EHESS (in French).
  7. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  8. "Le jumelage Albi-Gérone" (in French). Ville d'Albi. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.

Other websites

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