La Roche-sur-Yon () is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It is the capital of the department. The demonym for its inhabitants is Yonnais.
Known for its historical significance and cultural heritage, La Roche-sur-Yon also houses a wide range of educational institutions, from primary schools to higher education establishments.
History
thumb|left|The [[Hôtel de Ville, La Roche-sur-Yon|Hôtel de Ville (town hall) of 1814]]
The town expanded significantly after Napoleon I had chosen the site as the new préfecture of the Vendée on 25 May 1804 to replace Fontenay-le-Comte (then under its revolutionary name of Fontenay-le-Peuple). At the time, most of La Roche had been eradicated in the War in the Vendée (1793–96); the renamed Napoléonville was laid out and a fresh population of soldiers and civil servants was brought in. Napoléonville was designed to accommodate 15,000 people. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) was established on the southwestern side of Place Napoléon in 1814.
The town was called successively:
- La Roche-sur-Yon (during the Ancien Régime and the French First Republic)
- Napoléon-sur-Yon (during the First French Empire)
- Bourbon-Vendée (during the French Restoration)
- Napoléon-Vendée (during the French Second Empire)
Geography
The river Yon flows southward through the commune and crosses the town.
Climate
La Roche-sur-Yon has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in La Roche-sur-Yon is . The average annual rainfall is with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in La Roche-sur-Yon was on 18 July 2022; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 10 February 1986.
Population
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of La Roche-sur-Yon proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of La Roche-sur-Yon absorbed the former communes of Le Bourg-sous-la-Roche-sur-Yon and Saint-André-d'Ornay in 1964. and INSEE (1968-2023)
| graph-pos = bottom
|1800 |1015
|1806 |857
|1821 |2792
|1831 |3904
|1836 |5257
|1841 |5164
|1846 |6909
|1851 |7498
|1856 |8178
|1861 |8298
|1866 |8710
|1872 |8841
|1876 |9755
|1881 |10634
|1886 |11773
|1891 |12215
|1896 |12710
|1901 |13629
|1906 |13685
|1911 |14885
|1921 |13629
|1926 |14538
|1931 |15247
|1936 |16073
|1946 |18107
|1954 |19576
|1962 |24019
|1968 |36067
|1975 |44713
|1982 |45098
|1990 |45219
|1999 |49262
|2007 |51124
|2012 |52808
|2017 |54372
|2023 |54849
Administration
La Roche-sur-Yon is the seat and main city of the intercommunality La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération, which contains 13 communes. It is the seat (prefecture) of the Arrondissement of La Roche-sur-Yon, which covers 78 communes, and has a population of 308,745 (2023). It is also the seat of two cantons, Canton of La Roche-sur-Yon-1 and Canton of La Roche-sur-Yon-2.
Main sights
<gallery>
File:Statue de Napoléon.JPG|Napoléon's statue (1854)
File:Kiosque Place Napoléon.JPG|Kiosk on Napoléon square
File:Animaux mécaniques Place Napoléon LRSY.JPG|Napoléon square /
File:Église Saint-Louis (façade droite) - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Saint-Louis church
File:Église Saint-Louis (nef) - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Saint-Louis church
File:Église Saint-Louis (orgues 1) - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Saint-Louis church organ
File:Eglise Saint-Louis de La Roche-sur-Yon depuis la tribune haute.JPG|Saint Louis Church of La Roche-sur-Yon
File:Théâtre (façade) de La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Theatre
File:Ancien Hôpital (façade centrale) - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Old Hospital
File:Musée.jpg|Museum
File:La Roche-sur-Yon - Hôtel des Postes.jpg|Post office
File:Hôtel de préfecture de la Vendée - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Prefecture building
File:Sacrécoeurlry.JPG|Sacré-cœur church
File:Pavillon Renaissance (façade principale) - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Renaissance house (1566)
File:Ancien Palais de Justice - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Old Palais de Justice
File:La médiathèque B. Rabier.JPG|Benjamin Rabier media library
File:Gare de La Roche sur Yon.JPG|Train station
File:Abbaye des Fontenelles (vue d'ensemble) - La Roche-sur-Yon.jpg|Fontenelles Abbey
</gallery>
Transport
The Gare de La Roche-sur-Yon railway station offers connections to Nantes, Paris, Les Sables-d'Olonne, Bordeaux and several regional destinations. The A87 motorway connects La Roche-sur-Yon with Les Sables-d'Olonne and Angers, the A83 with Nantes and Niort.
The airport, situated north of the city, on the East of the Lake "Moulin Papon", is host to a private jet business (SD Aviation), linking the city with Europe and North Africa. The airport is frequently used by general aviation, business jets and charter flights. There is no regular flight though.
Education
Primary and secondary education
The commune has designated attendance zones for its primary schools.
Schools include:
- 2 public preschools (écoles maternelles)
- 2 public elementary schools
- Private junior high schools: Collège mixte du Sacré-Coeur, Collège mixte Richelieu, Collège mixte Saint-Louis
- Private senior high schools: Lycée Saint-François d'Assise, Lycée d'enseignement général et technologique Notre-Dame-du-Roc, Lycée les Etablières
- IUT La Roche-sur-Yon: A part of the University Institute of Technology, it provides vocational-technical education, granting two-year diplomas in fields like Mechanical Engineering, Business and Administration Management, and Multimedia and Internet Technologies.
- ICES (Institut Catholique d'Études Supérieures): A private institution known for programs in humanities, social sciences, law, and business.
Specialized institutions
La Roche-sur-Yon also hosts several specialized educational institutions:
- École Supérieure de Design de La Roche-sur-Yon: A design school offering programs in graphic design, product design, and interaction design.
- Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental de La Roche-sur-Yon: A music, dance, and drama school providing a wide range of courses for all ages.
Sports
In 2014, La Roche-sur-yon hosted the 2014 French championship of table tennis.
La Roche-sur-Yon's Vendéspace hosted one of the first round ties of the 2014 Davis Cup tennis tournament over the weekend of 31 January – 2 February 2014. France hosted Australia as both teams competed for a place in the World Group quarterfinals.
In 2015, La Roche-sur-Yon will host the 2015 FIRS Men's Roller Hockey World Cup, the first time that a World Cup of roller hockey is held in France.
In June 2015, La Roche-sur-Yon's Vendéspace will host the qualification tournament for the World Championships in Savate Combat.
Twin towns – sister cities
La Roche-sur-Yon is twinned with:
- Gummersbach, Germany
- Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
- Drummondville, Canada
- Cáceres, Spain, since 1982
- Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, since 1989
- Burg bei Magdeburg, Germany, since 2005
- Broomhedge, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, since 2021
Notable people
- Joséphine Colomb (1833–1892), children's writer, lyricist, translator
- Ciryl Gane (born 1990), mixed martial artist, former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion
- Adlène Guedioura (born 1985), Algerian former professional footballer
- Thomas Laurent (born 1998), racing driver
- Nicolas Marroc (born 1986), racing driver
- MHD (born 1994), rapper
See also
- Communes of the Vendée department
- Education in France
- List of schools in France
- University of Nantes
References
External links
- Official website