Digne-les-Bains


Digne-les-Bains, or simply and historically Digne, is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southern France. Its inhabitants are called Dignois and Dignoises.

Geography

Site and location

Located on the edge of the Digne Prealps and on both sides of the river Bléone, which flows southwest through the middle of the commune and crosses the town; it forms part of the commune's northeastern and southwestern borders.
Digne-les-Bains is the capital of the Department of Alpes de Haute-Provence. Placed in the geographical centre of the Department, the commune is home to 17,400 inhabitants, making it one of the smaller prefectures of France by its population. The town centre is at altitude.
Digne is a sprawling commune in the plain formed around the Bléone Valley, given that the terrain that surrounds it is very rugged. The old town is built on a hill between the Bléone and the torrent of the hot springs, but the town has gradually extended in the three directions of the valleys, especially downstream. Its geographical location is quite remarkable, given that it lies at the edge of the Prealps, on a thrust fault that bears its name. A part of the town is completely enclosed in the Bléone Valley, while the town extends widely, on a gentler relief, downstream. With the annexation of neighbouring towns, especially downstream, the town extends over in length.

Neighbouring communes

The communes surrounding Digne-les-Bains are La Robine-sur-Galabre, Le Brusquet, Marcoux, Archail, Tartonne, Clumanc, Chaudon-Norante, Châteauredon, Le Chaffaut-Saint-Jurson, Aiglun, Champtercier and Thoard.

Climate

Digne-les-Bains features a mid-latitude humid subtropical climate, with mediterranean and oceanic influences. Summers are hot and relatively dry, and winters are mildly cold and relatively wet, with air frosts being regular in the winter months.

Geology and terrain

The commune, which is at the heart of the geology, has its specificities related to the ancient town built upstream of the cluse which the Bléone has worn into the Nappe de Digne to emerge into the tertiary basin of Valensole.
The districts of the town cover the alluvium of the streams which converge upstream of the Cluse. The most eastern suburbs joined a line of limestone hills with flint of the Carixian age, forming russet cliffs oriented to the south-west. The hot springs were captured, since ancient times, to the point where these carixian limestones are cut by the hack of the southernmost valley, descending from Entrages. Their healing powers are linked to their ascent along the gypsiferous Triassic levels of the sole thrust of the Nappe de Digne.
The most visible mountain of the commune is Le Cousson at ; the Bigué rises to.
Many reliefs lie around Digne and are objectives for hikers.
  • The Rocher de Neuf Heures
  • Three chapels
  • The right bank of the Bléone and the crest of Andran - Martignon - La Bigue.
  • Trails to access the Basses Bâties de Cousson, and then Le Cousson
  • The Chapel of Saint Pancrace
  • Barre des Dourbes

    IUGS geological heritage site

In respect of its 'world famous and outstanding accumulation of fossils from a lower Jurassic marine environment', the International Union of Geological Sciences included the 'Ammonite Slab of Digne-les-Bains' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as 'a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.'

Hydrography

In the Eaux-Chaudes Valley, there is one cold and eight hot springs used for hydrotherapy. Some are radioactive, and contain sulfides, chlorobromides, and arsenic.
The town is also crossed by the Bléone and the Mardaric rivers.

Channels of communication and transport

Road network

Railway network

The town is served by Chemins de fer de Provence via the Nice–Digne line, a narrow gauge line which operates daily. It is the Train des Pignes, which allows the railway to serve little inhabited places with many stations.

Public transport

Bus - Since 1992, Digne has the TUD, which manages the public transport. Initially with six buses, this service increased its vehicle fleet in 1998 with the acquisition of two buses powered by natural gas.
Currently, six bus routes are available to the people of Digne.

Natural and technological risks

None of the 200 communes of the Department is in the zero seismic risk zone. Digne townships are located in zone 1b of the 1991 deterministic classification, based on the historic earthquakes, and in zone 4 according to the EC8 probabilistic classification 2011. The town of Digne is also exposed to three other natural risks:
  • Forest fire
  • Flooding and in those of its tributaries;
  • Land movement: all the western part of the municipality is covered by a medium to strong hazard.
The town of Digne is also exposed to a risk of technological origin, that of transport of dangerous goods, by rail, road and pipeline. With regard to the railway, the is disused and has no traffic; the line from is used by passenger transport. and the RD 900 can be used for the road transport of dangerous goods. Finally, the pipeline to supply natural gas is an additional risk factor to Digne.
The foreseeable natural of the town was approved in 2008 for the risks of flooding, movement of land and earthquakes and the has existed since 2009.
The commune has been the subject of several orders of natural disaster: in 1984 for an earthquake, and many times for floods, landslides and mudslides, and landslides due to drought. Also included is a flood disaster prior to the orders: The waters of the Mardaric and Eaux-Chaudes which flooded the town in 1928, and the Bléone in 1973 which partially destroyed the bridge. This destruction was caused by the breakdown of a jam created in the bed of the, causing a wave of flooding. Similarly, several massive landslides have happened in the history of the commune, for example on 24 December 1916, which caused the collapse of part of Courbons, and 2002–2003 at Villard-des-Dourbes. Earthquakes have a long history in Digne. Retaining those macro-seismic events felt higher than level V on the MSK scale, we obtain the following list :
  • The earthquake of 31 August 1684, an intensity felt Digne of V.5 and whose epicentre was located at Digne
  • The earthquake of 2 December 1872, an intensity felt V and whose epicentre was located at Digne
  • The earthquake of 20 September 1876, an intensity felt V.5 and whose epicentre was located at Digne
  • The earthquake of 23 February 1887, an intensity felt VII and whose epicentre was located in Bussana Vecchia
  • The earthquake of 27 September 1911, an intensity felt V and whose epicentre was located at Barrême
  • The earthquake of 16 February 1915, an intensity felt V and a half and whose epicentre was located at Digne
  • The earthquake of 19 June 1984, of an intensity felt V and whose epicentre was located in Aiglum

    Attached communes

Courbons was attached to Digne in 1862. The Priory of Sainte-Eugénie, ancestor of the parish church, was part of the chapter of Digne. Jews installed here were massacred in 1335. Its fortifications were destroyed by Lesdiguières during the Wars of Religion. It had 80 feus in 1315, 90 in 1471 and 507 inhabitants in 1765.
was attached to Digne in 1974, as an associated commune. The village is located on a barrier and a Motte-and-bailey castle was built in the 11th century. It had 48 feus in 1315, 12 in 1471 and 249 inhabitants in 1765, 296 inhabitants in 1851, 62 in 1982.
Gaubert was attached to Digne in 1862. The parish church was part of the chapter of Digne, who collected the tithe. The square, defended by the Catholic League and Sautaire, was taken by Lavalette in 1591. It had 63 feus in 1315, 41 in 1471 and 456 inhabitants in 1765.
Les Sieyes, or just Sieyes, for short was attached to Digne in 1862. There were 10 feus in 1315, 13 in 1471 and 307 inhabitants in 1765. The two priories, Sainte-Madeleine and Saint-Véran, were part of the chapter of Digne which received the tithes.
During the Revolution, these four municipalities each had a, all created after the end of 1792.

Toponymy

The toponym Dinia is known from the 1st century AD. Various hypotheses have been advanced. According to Papon, the name is formed by the hydronym Din, with the suffix -ia. According to other scholars, the name is derived from a Roman proper noun, Dinius.
The current name of Digne-les-Bains was formalised on 25 June 1988, following the decree of 21 June 1988 published on 24 June of the same year in the Official Journal. Previously, the commune was simply called Digne, still a frequent appellation in the current language.
The Vivaro-Alpine Occitan, is written as Dinha in the. The Provençal, is written as Digno in the Mistralian norm.

History

Prehistory and antiquity

Digne-les-Bains dates back to the Neolithic era. The presence of three rivers, the Bléone, the Mardaric, and the Eaux-Chaudes, made the place ideal for human settlement. Before the Roman conquest, it was the capital of the Bodiontici, whose name is found on the Tropaeum Alpium at La Turbie. The town then became a Roman town named Dinia in the 1st century, and became a frequent commercial stop during the Roman era. Following the Romans, it was known as Digna by 780, and was appreciated for its thermal waters.
There are a few rural settlements near to the town, such as the Hôtelleries de Gaubert, southeast of the town, where the excavated building was occupied from the beginning of the 1st century to the end of the 4th century. In this area, at the foot of Le Cousson, the soil has been cultivated continuously, from antiquity right up to the recent reforestation.