Jonzac is a common French, located in the department of the Charente-Maritime and the area Poitou-Charentes. Its inhabitants is called the Jonzacais and the Jonzacaises .

Geography

Jonzac is located in the extreme-south of the Charente-Maritime, in High-Saintonge. The city is built on two hills on the edges of the Seugne, flowing of the Charente. The commune is rather far away from the prefecture La Rochelle which is distant of 97 km in the North-West whereas Bordeaux, in the Gironde is only to 70 km in south-west. It is this distance of the Préfecture which made it possible this city of less than 4000 inhabitants to become Sous-préfecture for a greater proximity of the administration in south-saintonge.

Access

By the road, Jonzac is in the vicinity immediate of the highway has 10 and is to 1 hour 30 of La Rochelle, 1 hour of Bordeaux, 45 Minutes of Royan and 30 Minutes of Saintes and Cognac.

The station the SNCF of Jonzac is located on the line Bordeaux - Nantes. Bus regular also make it possible to join Angouleme for the correspondence TGV towards Paris.

Jonzac also has a aerodrome.

Localities

In Merchant, Pouyade.

Communes bordering

Name of the commune (distance from center in center, as the crow flies)

Saint-Martial-with-Vitaterne (1,9 km) , Saint-Germain-with-Lusignan (2,6 km) , Champagnac (5,4 km) , Saint-Simon-of-Border (5,7 km) and Ozillac (6,1 km) .

Geology

The basin of Jonzac is mainly consisted formations of the Crétacé superior.

Geothermics

A geothermic drilling carried out with Jonzac in 1979 confirmed the existence of geothermic water with 65°C (± 5°C) in the sandstones and limestone of Sorted between 1.671 and 1.871 meters of depth. The second drilling was also carried out in 1993.

Hydrography

The meanders of the Seugne cross the commune of south-east towards the North-West.

Climate

The climate is of type oceanic: the Pluviométrie is high in autumn and in winter and the winters are soft. The summer remains moderate thanks to the breaks marine. The Ensoleillement of the Charente-Maritime is best Atlantic littoral.

General data

History

Origins

One found on the commune of many prehistoric vestiges. The recent discovery of a site of the Moustérien to the place called At Pinaud proves that the first men sheltered not far from the meanders of the Seugne. Excavations of a great width are currently in hand.

The construction of the new watery complex of leisures also updated a Gallo-Roman villa.

The site always seems to have been occupied since one also found sarcophagi mérovingiens at the 19th century.

First mention of the Castle of Jonzac dâte of 1059. The inscription 1449 on the castle attests its rebuilding at the 15th century following the destruction generated by the Guerre one hundred year old.

In the years 1570, Jonzac became a place huguenote, and knew an important economic advancement (fair, market with the pigs, market with the grains…). The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 has constrained the many ones jonzacais to flee towards Bordeaux and with the the Antilles. Jonzac became chief town of district in 1800 and the prosperity of the city starts to be done thanks to the trade of the Cognac.

The railroad arrives at Jonzac in 1870 since Saintes.

The end of the 19th century will see Jonzac undergoing an economic crisis following the devastations of the Phylloxera on the vineyard of the cognac.

July 23rd 1999, the 18th stage of the Tour de France cyclist springs of Jonzac to rejoin the Futuroscope with Lance Armstrong in yellow.

Heraldic

Administration

Municipality

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Intercommunality

Jonzac is the seat of the vastest community of communes of France, the Communauté of communes of High-Saintonge the, with 122 other communes of the south of the Charente-Maritime representing 54.900 inhabitants and nearly 24% of the surface of the department.

Budget and taxation

The Taxe of dwelling taken by the commune was in 2006 of 9,40%, the Real estate tax on the built properties was of 20,27% and the Professional tax of 10,01%.

Demography

Demographic trends

Population pyramid

Economy

• Antenna of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Rochefort and Saintonge.

Tourism and leisures

Thermal spa

One realized that the water of the first geothermic drilling of 1979 was equipped with medicinal properties (rhumatology, ORL and phlebology). It is a water hyperthermale, sulphated mixed chlorinated sodic trace element rich person. A thesis carried out in 1985 and bearing on a therapeutic test on 50 people reached of rheumatisms allows the recognition in 1985 by the academy of medicine of the effectiveness of the water of Jonzac in tratement of the rheumatic affections. The Minister for health entérime scales of the social security for this thermal spa in 1986.

This allows the opening of the thermal spa of Jonzac. This station accommodated 7280 curists in 2005. It has for characteristic to be built in a site troglodytic (old stone quarries).

Leisures

The proximity of the thermal baths allowed the development of tourism of top-of-the-range leisures.

• the Antilles de Jonzac. This watery center of leisure and back in shape of the Antilles opened its doors in 2002. The complex gathers a tropical lagoon (swimming pool with waves, toboggan of 60 m, cascades and geysers, beach interior and external with ground of beach volleyball, tropical garden, etc), a Space Forms of 700 m ², a restaurant, shops and a room of seminars. The geothermic drilling of 1993 makes it possible to provide energy necessary to the aqua-ludic complex to a total value of 85%.
• a hotel residence of 70 apartments " Maeva" ,
• a casino with 50 machines with under.

Agro-alimentary

Jonzac has a rather important agribusiness industry with a company of cod transformation which employs more than 200 paid.

The combined presence of the vines and the forests made it possible Jonzac to shelter a factory of the first world group of production of barrels intended for the wines of quality, cooperage which exports in the whole world (a hundred paid).

Culture and inheritance

Civil inheritance

Castle of Jonzac

The primitive castle dates from the 11th century but was destroyed at the time of the Guerre one hundred year old. It was rebuilt at the 15th century.

In 1505, Jean of Holy-Moor, lord of Jonzac, founds the monastery of the Carmelite friars. The castle will remain in the same family until the 17th century Important characters côtoyé the castle: Henri IV passed there, as well as the young person Louis XIV, the Queen mother and Mazarin in 1659.

Today the northern wing of the castle shelters the buildings of the Town hall (restored at the 19th century), and the wing southern, those of the sub-prefecture. The Cloître was restored between 1976 and 1978, and shelters an arts center, with archaeological museum and showrooms.

District of the Carmelite friars

On left bank of the Seugne, these historical quarters shelter a picturesque medieval street: the street James Scalfert (in the past street carries city).

Mill from Bret

Water mill given in service by the municipality, shelters today the House of the Miller who recalls the history of the valley of the Seugne.

Mill of Cluzelet

Windmill currently producing flour, visits with demonstration.

the Gallo-Roman villa

The excavations which are continued confirm its exceptional character as well by its surface with the dwelling house and its therme S, the housing of the workmen and the buildings agricultural as by the variety of the instruments of the everyday life found.

Religious heritage

Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais church

Saint-Protais is the old term of the church, and lets think that it was founded during the 10th century. The church will evolve/move throughout the centuries and the most important modifications will be done during the 16th century, time to which the back and the side parts will be widened considerably.

The originality of the religious building comes from its frontage, with three levels of blind arcades, and, on the highest part, eight pinnacles sheltering each sculpture of human heads enigmatic.

Environmental inheritance

Edges of Seugne

Multitude of bridges and footbridges span the river in the middle of the historical city. The Seugne is protected zone Natura 2000, and one finds there the most important sites for the Vison of Europe of the area.

Equipment or services

Renewable energies

For more than 30 years the town of Jonzac has been pionnière in the field of the exploitation of the local and renewable energy sources. After the Oil crisis of 1979 was set up an heating network of a dozen kilometers intended to satisfy most of the thermal needs for the city (public services, private individuals, companies private). The presence of geothermal warm water indeed gave the idea to undertake a geothermic drilling to feed the network. The food was then made by a furnace multi-fuel to burn the household refuse. Lastly, starting from 2002, two boilers wood of 3 MW each one were set up. These installations make it possible the town of avoid the rejection of 9000 tons CO2 per annum. The experiment accumulated by the city in the fields of the Geothermics, the Cogénération and the biomass is presented by the House of the Energy of Jonzac to the general public and to the professionals.

Education

The commune has two nursery schools, an elementary school, a college, a college of mainstream education and a college of agricultural training and wine.

The CIPECMA (Interconsular Center of Improvement and Teaching of the Charente-Maritime) is managed by the Chamber of commerce and of industry of the La Rochelle. It integrates in particular a Training center of apprentices (CFA).

Sports

The base of leisures of Jonzac, near the watery center, offers the possibility, in addition to the bathe, to practice many sports: Water sport, Climbing, horsemanship, Trampoline, Shooting with the arc, Skate, VTT, Bowling pitch, and fishes in river or water level.

Health

Jonzac has an hospital.

Local life

Worships

Catholic, protesting.

Market

Tuesday, Fridays and Saturdays morning. Green market Sunday morning in front of the markets.

Personalities related to the commune

• Firmin Laferrière, born in Jonzac in 1798, French jurisconsult.
• Jean Hyppolite, French philosopher, was born in Jonzac in 1907.
• Pierre Ruibet (1925 - 1944), Companion of the Release, died in Jonzac while making jump the German deposit of ammunition of the careers of Heurtebise, its Gatineau accomplice was stopped then shot.
• Jacques Bossis is an old runner cyclist, born the December 22nd 1952 in Jonzac.
• David Marraud former professional football player of FC Nantes born in 1964 in Jonzac.

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