Aube


Aube is a French department in the Grand Est region of northeastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants, Aube is the 74th department in terms of population. The inhabitants of the department are known as Aubois or Auboises.
The department was constituted by a decree of the National Assembly of 15 January 1790.
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Geography

Location

The Aube department is located in the southwest side of the Grand Est region. It borders the departments of Marne in the north, Haute-Marne to the east, Côte-d'Or in the southeast, Yonne in the southwest, and Seine-et-Marne in the west.

Subregions of Aube

Within the department regions of natural or traditional countryside can be identified as follows:
  • northwest quarter: Champagne crayeuse
  • northwestern tip: the Nogentais
  • southwest of Troyes: the Othe region
  • to the south: le Chaourçois
  • to the northeast: the Briennois
  • to the east: the Barrois
  • between Troyes and Barrois: Champagne wetlands

Communes of Aube

Aube is divided into 431 communes totalling 310,242 inhabitants. The most populous commune is the prefecture Troyes. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:
CommunePopulation
Troyes61,957
Romilly-sur-Seine14,480
Saint-André-les-Vergers12,784
La Chapelle-Saint-Luc11,741
Sainte-Savine10,508

All of those communes, except Romilly-sur-Seine, are part of the agglomeration of Troyes.

Hydrography

There are 23 rivers throughout the department, the four main rivers being the Seine, the Aube, the Armance, and the Vanne.

Forests and lakes

The department has 140,000 hectares of forests.
Located in the Community of communes of Forests, lakes, and lands in Champagne, the Orient Forest Regional Natural Park was one of the first natural parks created in France.
In the same place, there is the Orient Lake and the Amance and Temple lakes where fishing, recreational water sports, and bathing are available. Each lake specialises in one or more of these activities.

Climate

The climate is moderate without intense cold or excessive heat which represents a climate similar to continental and oceanic.
Between 1950 and 1985 the average annual temperature recorded in the department was 10.1 °C which is equivalent to the Paris basin and the cities of north-eastern France. The average sunshine hours per year is 1771.
Average annual rainfall is quite high. In general there is more rain in autumn than in winter but rainfall is highest during spring. In contrast summer is the season when rainfall is lowest. There is, however, more rain in the south-east than the north-west.
Snow is relatively infrequent. Prevailing wind is from the west.

Channels of communication and transport

Road network

The department has 150 km of autoroutes, 33 km of national roads, 4,517 km of departmental roads and 2,116 km of local roads.

Communal transport

In the Agglomeration of Troyes TCAT provides a transport network between communes. Unlike many networks that are provided by other operators, the agglomeration community of the city is the owner of the company. The network currently serves eleven communes including two outside the Troyes agglomeration. Other cities, including Romilly-sur-Seine, have no transport network.
Aube also has intercity transport networks. 21 regular bus routes are operated between the major cities of the department. The use of these lines is entrusted to private coaches: Transdev – The Carriers of Aube has 15 routes, Keolis Sud Lorraine has 4 routes, Procars Champagne has 2 routes, Autocars Bardy has one route.

Rail network

Five railway stations are currently in operation. These are: Nogent-sur-Seine, Romilly-sur-Seine, Troyes, Vendeuvre-sur-Barse, Bar-sur-Aube.
Aube does not have a strong rail coverage. Only one main non-electrified line passes through Aube – the line that connects Paris-Est to Mulhouse.

Navigable waterways

The department has 34.8 km of navigable waterways. The city of Nogent-sur-Seine has two river ports for grain.

History

Early history

The first inhabitants of Aube were the Tricasses and Lingones with a substantial human settlement around the year 400 BC.
Saints Potentian and Savinian, Greek priests from Samos, came to preach the gospel from the middle of the 3rd century. Saint Patroclus was one of the first martyrs of the new faith in the year 259. Shortly after Saint Jule and some notables of the city of Tricasses also suffered martyrdom. Nevertheless, as elsewhere, the Christian community became large enough to accommodate a bishop. Saint Amateur was the first in 340. In the year 286 the Bagaudae ravaged the land which forms Aube. Emperor Julian came to Troyes with his army and rescued it.
The territory making up Aube was first attached to France in 843, following the Treaty of Verdun.

The 12th century and the monasteries

Two important monasteries were founded in the department: one at Clairvaux in 1114, created by Bernard of Clairvaux, the other was the Abbey of the Paraclete near Nogent-sur-Seine, by his illustrious rival, Pierre Abélard and of which Héloïse d'Argenteuil was the first abbess. Bernard of Clairvaux was noted for his eloquence at the Council of Troyes and his preaching of the Second Crusade which had no result and whose outcome was disastrous.
The reunion of Champagne with the kingdom of France was finalised in 1361. Yet people wanted absolutely the incorporation of Champagne but in 1328 King Philip VI gave the city of Bar-sur-Seine to Philippe de Croy. The inhabitants, however, ransomed him to return it to the king on the condition that it become inalienable.

Definitive reunion with Kingdom of France

The decree of the National Assembly of 15 January 1790 formally established the department of Aube. Its first president was Augustin-Henri-Marie Picot and his first deputy was Louis Antoine Joseph Robin. Jacques Claude Beugnot was elected attorney-general and also MP.
After the victory of the allies in the battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, the department was occupied by Russian troops from June 1815 to November 1818.
In 1911, following the revolt of the vineyards of Champagne, large riots broke out in the department.
In 1919, a decree allowed Aube department to produce champagne for the first time.
In 1932, Turkish president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited Aube and signed a friendship treaty with France there on 4 July 1938.

Politics and administration

Departmental council

The departmental council of Aube is located in Troyes. Its president is Philippe Pichery. It includes the 34 councillors of the 17 cantons of Aube. Of these, 32 are from the Right, the others are from the Miscellaneous left.
Aube returns three Deputies to the National Assembly, two of whom are from The Republicans, and two Senators: one UMP and one right-wing independent.

Demography

Aube is inhabited by 310,242 people with more than a third living in the Troyes agglomeration.

Demographic change

In 2017, the department had 310,020 inhabitants.

Distribution of age groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Aube Department in 2017
Source: INSEE

Economy

General

The economy of Aube has focused on the textile industry since the 19th century. This sector is now in crisis due to the department being in an area of real economic change.
In 2017, the departmental workforce totalled 137,774 with 114,530 persons in employment and 23,244 people unemployed. Men accounted for 51.4% of the active population and women 48.6%.
The Aube department has a high rate of feminization in employment. Nearly half of people with active jobs are women. The main areas affected by the feminization are trade, transport, textiles, utilities, education, and health. Women are slightly more affected than men by unemployment. This is mainly due to layoffs in the textile sector.

Employment by sector


Distribution of Employment by Industry sector

Main economic sectors

Agriculture

The utilized agricultural area is 379,720 hectares. Aube is the largest producer of hemp; the 2nd largest producer of champagne, cabbage for sauerkraut, medicinal poppies, and alfalfa; the 6th largest producer of potatoes; the 8th largest producer of cereals; and the 9th largest producer of beet in France.

Population and society

Education

Primary and secondary

In 2010 elementary and secondary education consisted of:
  • 11,568 students in kindergarten across 136 schools ;
  • 18,465 students in primary school across 255 schools ;
  • 12,311 students in college across 34 institutions ;
  • 5,199 students in schools of general education across 10 institutions ;
  • 2,666 students in vocational high school across 10 institutions.

Higher education

According to the latest census of the academic inspectorate of Aube in 2009 the department has 8,794 students in higher education.
;List of Universities and Higher Educational Schools
Public Schools
Private Schools
  • Graduate School of Commerce in Troyes
  • Supinfo

Health

Type of InstitutionNo. of Institutions
Hospital4
Clinic7

Type of InstitutionNo. of Institutions
Child Protection12
Handicapped Children's Centre18

Type of InstitutionNo. of Institutions
Institution to help for work8
Businesses adapted for handicapped people2
Professional rehabilitation Centres1
Specialised Foster Homes2
Accommodation Facilities20
Residential Home Care for the autistic2
Home Care2

Type of InstitutionNo. of Institutions
Nursing Homes for the Elderly 38
Home Housing10
Long Term Care Units 5
Group Homes1
Home Care7
Rural Homes for the Elderly1

Sports

There are 580 clubs and sports associations in the Aube department. The main ones are:ES Troyes AC: soccer club in the French Ligue 1;ETAC Handball: Handball Club at National Level 3;Union Sportive de Sainte Maure Troyes Handball: Women's handball club at National Level 1;Pygargues of Troyes: american football club in Division 2;PLAVB : volleyball club at Regional one;SUMA : Motoball club of France moved to elite since the 1930s;Troyes roller hockey: roller hockey club playing at National Level 2;Espadons : baseball club playing at Regional Level 1;Romilly Association for Sports 10: which includes multiple sections.

Media

Radio

At Troyes there are three independent local radio stations:Radio Latitude: that broadcasts programming focused on the dance floor. This was the first local radio station in the department. It broadcasts from Troyes, Romilly-sur-Seine, and Vendeuvre-sur-Barse
  • Theme Radio: community radio broadcasting music and information flashes
  • Troyes Campus radio: rock music oriented radio and sometimes rap
At Romilly-sur-Seine, in addition to Latitude Radio, there is a local independent radio broadcaster: Radio Aube et Seine.
French Christian Radio Aube is located in the department.

Television

Canal 32: television network with a local Troyes and department stationFrance 3 Aube

Justice

All Aube jurisdictions are located in Troyes. The city has a Tribunal d'instance and a High Court, a commercial court and an Employment Tribunal for civil and criminal jurisdictions. There is also a Correctional court and a Juvenile court.
Appeals, however, are passed to the Court of Appeal in Reims.

Waste management

Aube currently has two storage facilities for radioactive waste:
  • Storage Centre for Very Low Activity Waste
  • Storage Centre for Low and Medium Activity Waste

Culture and heritage

Cultural venues

Theatres and concerts

  • The Cube – in the Parc des Expositions in Troyes
  • Champagne Theatre
  • Théâtre of la Madeleine
  • Argence space

Cinemas

The four main theatres are:

Cultural festivities

  • Festival in Othe
  • Aube Templiers 2012 event

Gastronomy

Monuments and tourist sites

The Aube has 365 historical monuments of which 144 are classified, and 221 are enrolled.

Castles

Museums

  • Napoleon Museum
  • Museum Hugues de Payens
  • Resistance Museum
  • Cider Museum
  • Museum of the old Champagne malt house
  • Cheese Museum
  • Museum of crystals – Centre Mazzolay
  • Eco-Museum of the Orient Forest
  • House of Tools and Work Reflections
  • Museum of Vauluisant
  • Museum of peasant history
  • Museum of peasant memory
  • Living Museum of Romilly hosiery
  • The Folk Art Museum
  • Renoir Workshop
  • Museum of Modern Art
  • Loukine Museum
  • Paul Dubois-Alfred Boucher Museum
  • Saint-Loup Museum
  • Apothecary of the Hotel-Dieu-le-Comte
  • Michel Marcu Museum of automata
  • Di Marco Museum
  • Museum of dolls of yesteryear and cooperage
  • Museum of the Simple Past
  • Aube Educational History Museum
  • Museum of news design in the press

Other historic sites

Tourist places

Notable people linked to the department