Cognac: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
EUR 45 - 62 L´Oliveraie
 L´Oliveraie is located in Cognac, on the banks of the Charente River. It offers free private parking, free Wi-Fi access and an outdoor swimming … MoreEUR 63 - 83 Roulotte Des Quais
 Located in the heart of Cognac, the Roulotte Des Quais is on the borders of the Carente River and the Saint-Simon Canal. It offers air-conditioned acc… MoreEUR 70 - 86 Inter-Hotel Le Valois
 Conveniently located in the centre of Cognac, the Inter-Hotel Le Valois offers modern and comfortable rooms with free Wi-Fi internet access and provid… MoreEUR 65 - 77 Hotel Heritage
 Hotel Heritage is located in the centre of Cognac and welcomes you in a 17th-century inn renovated in a modern style.
Hotel Heritage features comfort… MoreEUR 60 - 125 Domaine du Breuil
 Set in a beautiful 7-hectare park, this former 19th century castle is now a characterful hotel boasting modern facilities, a maison d´hôtes atm… MoreEUR 50 - 83 Hôtel La Résidence
 La Résidence is a 2-star hotel located near the historical centre of Cognac and its well-known production houses. Tours and tastings are available fr… MoreEUR 52 - 88 Citotel Hotel Cheval Blanc
 Fully air conditioned, our hotel is ideally situated in the centre of Cognac, 2 steps away from the station and the restaurants.
We are also situated… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cognac: Guide
This article is about the city in France. For the drink, see Cognac (drink).
Cognac is a French département in France|département of Charente, of which it is a sous-préfecture. The inhabitants of the town are known as Cognaçais.
Geography
Cognac is situated on the river Charente 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.
History
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 of France|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.
Tourist sites
The Old Town
The Château des Valois, an important medieval trading post.
The area also contains many Romanesque churches as well as several châteaux.
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.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Cognac". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
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, Francis I's symbol, as well as gargoyles and richly decorated facades.
The Saint-Léger church.
The musée d'Art et d'Histoire (art and history museum)
The musée des arts du Cognac (art museum)
The Saint-Gobain glassworks and barrelworks
The musée des arts du Cognac
Cognac
Main article: Cognac (drink)Economy
Manufacture of agricultural machinery
Bottling, storage and labelling
Agricultural industries such as fertilizer production
Distillation products such as stills and tanks
Barrel making
Glassmaking: the bottle factory of the large Saint-Gobain group is situated in Cognac
Cork manufacture
Printing works for labels and advertising
Packaging
TransportPopulation
}Miscellaneous
Famous residents
Francis I was born in the town's castle in 1494. He was king of France between 1515 and 1547. The town's main square is named after him and a statue of the king on horseback towering over his enemies stands at the centre.
The French poet Octavien de Saint-Gelais was born in Cognac in 1468.
Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, born in Cognac in 1838 discovered the elements Gallium in 1875 and Samarium in 1878.
Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European Union was born in Cognac in 1888.
The car manufacturer Louis Delâge was born in Cognac in 1874.
The glas|glassmaker Claude Boucher, inventor of the glass-blowing machine in around 1880, lived and worked in Cognac. His invention paved the way for the industrial manufacture of glass bottles by removing the need for glasses to be blown by mouth. One of the original machines can still be seen in the town's museum.Sport
US Cognac - The city's rugby union| union team.Twin towns
Cognac is twinned with:
Denison, Texas,
Königswinter, Germany
Perth, Scotland|Perth, Scotland
Valdepeñas,External links