Firminy

Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Coat of arms

Location of Firminy

(2020–2026) Julien Luya^[1]Area

10.45 km² (4.03 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

17,137 • Density1,600/km² (4,200/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

42095 /42700

Elevation446–800 m (1,463–2,625 ft)
(avg. 468 m or 1,535 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Firminy (French pronunciation: [fiʁmini]; Occitan: Frominiu) is a commune in the Loire department in central France.

It lies on the river Ondaine, 13 km southwest of Saint-Étienne by rail.

History

The ancient name of the town was Firminiaco or Firminiacus (lit. "place of Firmin"). The name was first recorded in a 971 charter by the King of Burgundy.

Firminy had historically important coalmines known since the 14th century and extensive manufactures of iron, steel, and aluminum goods, including railway material, machinery and cannon. Fancy woolen hosiery was also manufactured.^[3]

Population

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Source: EHESS^[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)^[5]

Sights

Two historic churches from the 12th and 16th centuries are located here. The architect Le Corbusier designed a group of modern buildings, called "Firminy Vert", which includes the Saint-Pierre Church, a stadium, a cultural center, and an Unité d'Habitation.

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Firminy". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 424.
^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Firminy, EHESS (in French).
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE