Digne-les-Bains
Encyclopedia
Digne-les-Bains or simply and historically Digne (Occitan: Dinha (dei Banhs) in classical norm or Digno in Mistralian norm) is a commune
of France
, capital of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
department.
era and became a frequent commercial stop during the Roman era. Since then, the commune has been noted for being a primary center of the lavender
trade.
flows southwestward through the middle of the commune and crosses the town; it forms part of the commune's north-eastern and south-western borders.
's novel Les Misérables
begins in Digne. The asteroid 10088 Digne
was named after the town by its discoverer, Belgian astronomer Eric Walter Elst
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, capital of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a French department in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence.- History :Nord-de-Provence was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department.
History
Dignes les Bains dates back to the NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
era and became a frequent commercial stop during the Roman era. Since then, the commune has been noted for being a primary center of the lavender
Lavender
The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
trade.
Geography
The BléoneBléone
The Bléone is a long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département, southeastern France. Its source is several small streams converging near the refuge de l'Estrop, a mountain shelter in Prads-Haute-Bléone. It flows generally southwest...
flows southwestward through the middle of the commune and crosses the town; it forms part of the commune's north-eastern and south-western borders.
Population
Cultural references
Victor HugoVictor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's novel Les Misérables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
begins in Digne. The asteroid 10088 Digne
10088 Digne
10088 Digne is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 22, 1990 by Eric Walter Elst at the European Southern Observatory. It is named after the southern French town of Digne-les-Bains.- External links :*...
was named after the town by its discoverer, Belgian astronomer Eric Walter Elst
Eric Walter Elst
Eric Walter Elst is a Belgian astronomer and a prolific discoverer of asteroids, with over 3,000 discovered so far ....
.
Notable people
- Alain BoghossianAlain BoghossianAlain Boghossian is a retired French-Armenian football player and now assistant coach for the French national team.-Club career:...
, French Footballer, part of the French National side that won the FIFA World Cup 1998 - Pierre GassendiPierre GassendiPierre Gassendi was a French philosopher, priest, scientist, astronomer, and mathematician. With a church position in south-east France, he also spent much time in Paris, where he was a leader of a group of free-thinking intellectuals. He was also an active observational scientist, publishing the...
, French philosopher, scientist, astronomer/astrologer - Alexandra David-NéelAlexandra David-NéelAlexandra David-Néel born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David was a Belgian-French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was forbidden to foreigners...
, French explorer, spiritualist, writer - Alphonse Beau de Rochas, French engineer
- Tristan LouisTristan LouisTristan Louis is a French-born American author, entrepreneur and blogger.-Early work:...
, French writer and entrepreneur
See also
- Chemins de Fer de Provence
- Route NapoléonRoute NapoléonRoute Napoléon is the route taken by Napoléon in 1815 on his return from Elba. It is now a 325-kilometre section of the Route nationale 85.The route begins at Golfe-Juan, where Napoleon disembarked 1 March 1815, beginning the Hundred Days that ended at Waterloo. The road was inaugurated in 1932; it...
- Diocese of Digne
- Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department