Website of Épinal

Region: Lorraine                                                                                                
Department: Vosges
Population: 33,000
Mayor: Benoît Jourdain
Distance from Nový Jičín: 1,136 km
Partnership: since 2000; partnership agreement signed on September 14, 2007
Industry: wood processing, food processing
Agriculture: winemaking, forestry
Partner cities: Nový Jičín (Czech Republic), Bitola (Macedonia), Gembloux (Belgium), Chieri (Italy), La Crosse (USA), Loughborough (Great Britain), Schwäbisch Hall (Germany)

Épinal lies on the River Moselle in eastern France, 60 kilometres from Nancy. The town is dominated by a hill featuring the extensive ruins of a castle, around which lies a landscaped nature park with a 26-hectare vineyard dating back more than two hundred years. Épinal is an important town in northern Lorraine, surrounded by spa towns and the Vosges mountains. It is renowned for its forests and gardens, as evidenced by its winning the French national award for urban greenery, the ‘Grand Prix National du Fleurissement’.

The oldest monument is the Basilica of Saint Mauritius, dating from the 11th century. During the Second World War, Épinal was heavily bombed and many historic buildings were destroyed. Fortunately, the historic quarter in the centre has been preserved, with the central Place des Vosges, whose houses are adorned with varied façades dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries.

A major tourist attraction is the museum of ancient and contemporary art, known as the ‘Roman House’, which is a late 19th-century imitation of the Hellenistic style. It houses a library with 160,000 volumes and a planetarium. The most striking monument – and one that is unique in France – is the so-called ‘Imagerie’, housed in a new building. It is a museum of prints, containing over 100,000 lithographs and woodcuts, including wooden models.

The River Moselle makes the town of Épinal exceptionally attractive, not only thanks to its embankments, which alternate between built-up areas and parks, but also because of an artificial canal suitable for training and competitions in white-water slalom. The Vosges forests are an ideal place for hiking, cycling, downhill skiing and cross-country skiing.

Key events:

Imaginales – international fantasy literature festival (May)
Fête des Images – video projections on the buildings in the town square (June)
St. Nicholas – St. Nicholas Day celebration (December)
Points of interest:

There are three beehives in the town center, producing up to 100 kilograms of honey annually.
TGV trains connect Paris and Épinal in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Basic phrases:

Hello/Goodbye – Bonjour/au revoir
Where is the hotel/restaurant/train station, please? – Où se trouve l´hôtel/ le restaurant/ la gare, s´il-vous-plaît?
I would like to order… – Je souhaiterais commander …
Thank you/You're welcome – Merci/Il n´y a pas de quoi
Do you speak English/German/French? – Parlez-vous anglais/allemand/français?
I am from the Czech Republic/Nový Jičín – Je viens de République Tchèque/ de Novy Jičín