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Sisteron | |
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 Sisteron in 2004 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Sisteron  | |
  Sisteron  Sisteron | |
| Coordinates:44°11′28″N5°56′50″E / 44.1911°N 5.9472°E /44.1911; 5.9472 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Forcalquier |
| Canton | Sisteron |
| Intercommunality | Sisteronais Buëch |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Daniel Spagnou[1] |
Area 1 | 50.25 km2 (19.40 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 7,776 |
| • Density | 150/km2 (400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04209 /04200 |
| Elevation | 448–1,145 m (1,470–3,757 ft) (avg. 485 m or 1,591 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Sisteron (French pronunciation:[sistəʁɔ̃];Occitan:[sisˈtɛru(n)],Mistralian norm:Sisteroun; fromOld Occitan:Sestaron) is acommune in theAlpes-de-Haute-Provencedepartment,Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeasternFrance.
Sisteron is situated on the banks of the riverDurance just after the confluence of the riversBuëch andSasse. It is sometimes called the "Gateway to Provence" because it is in a narrow gap between two long mountain ridges.
It is 135 km (84 mi) fromMarseille, also 135 km (84 mi) fromGrenoble, 180 km (110 mi) fromNice and 40 km (25 mi) fromForcalquier.
There are 1,573 hectares (3,890 acres) of forest and wood within the commune.[3]
Sisteron has been inhabited for 4,000 years. TheRomans used the route through Sisteron as can be shown by a Latin inscription in the rocks near the road toAuthon. It escaped the barbarian invasions after the fall ofRome, but was ravaged by theSaracens. It was first fortified by the Counts ofForcalquier in the 11th century and later was the northern boundary of the domain of theCounts of Provence. In 1483 during the reign ofLouis XI, Sisteron re-joined the kingdom of France. Around this time there were seven plagues that killed two thirds of the population. Between 1562 and 1594 the town and its citadelle was fought over byProtestants andCatholics including two sieges. During this time the walls of the town were built. The plague returned in 1630, and typhus in 1744, killing many of the town's population.
During theFrench Revolution the town remained Royalist. Consequently, whenNapoleon arrived on his march north after his escape fromElba in 1815, the town ignored him and let him through.
On 15 August 1944 FrenchB-26 Marauder bombers and AmericanB-17 Flying Fortresses of the 42nd Bomber Wing tried to destroy the railway bridge and the road bridge which span the Durance. The weather was unfavorable and the bridges were not destroyed. A bomber during a manoeuvre to avoid a collision accidentally dropped several bombs on the town, including a full church, causing about 100 fatalities and seriously damaging the citadel. On 17 August the French aircraft returned and destroyed the bridges.
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The town's buildings include the citadel and the 12th century formerSisteron Cathedral dedicated to theBlessed Virgin Mary andSaint Thyrsus (Cathédrale Notre Dame des Pommiers et Saint Thyrse). There are three museums of note: the Citadel Museum, the Baden-Powell Scout Museum and Musée Terre & Temps (about the earth and the measurement of time).
Tourist attractions include the countryside, rock climbing, the lido and the airfields atVaumeilh,La Motte-du-Caire andChâteau-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, which are dedicated to the sport ofgliding. There is an annual festival with many events throughout the summer months. There is a market every Wednesday and Saturday. A long-distance walk, theGR 6 (Grande Randonnée) passes east–west through Sisteron.
Sisteron is served by theA51 autoroute, which now by-passes the town, eliminating it as a notorious 'bottle-neck' for traffic. There is also a railway station on the line fromMarseille toBriançon andGrenoble.
Sisteron is twinned with:
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| Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE (1968-2017)[8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The town was featured in the 2014 racing gameForza Horizon 2 and the 2022 seriesThe 7 Lives of Lea.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Digne".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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