| Aube | |
| Native Name Lang: | fr |
| Type: | Department of France |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | France |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Grand Est |
| Seat Type: | Prefecture |
| Seat: | Troyes |
| Parts Type: | Subprefectures |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | Bar-sur-Aube Nogent-sur-Seine |
| Leader Party: | DVD |
| Leader Title: | President of the Departmental Council |
| Leader Name: | Philippe Pichery[1] |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 6004 |
| Population Rank: | 74th |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Department number |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 10 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Arrondissements |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 3 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Cantons |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 17 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Communes |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | 431 |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Iso Code: | FR-10 |
| Footnotes: | French Land Register data, which excludes estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 |
Aube (in French pronounced as /ob/) is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),[2] Aube is the 74th department in terms of population. The inhabitants of the department are known as Aubois or Auboises.[3]
The department was constituted as it is today by a decree of the National Assembly of 15 January 1790.
The Aube department is located in the south-west side of the Grand Est region. It borders the departments of Marne in the north (about 130 km long), Haute-Marne to the east (about 100 km long), Côte-d'Or in the south-east (about 45 km long), Yonne in the south-west (about 175 km long), and Seine-et-Marne in the west (about 45 km long).[4]
Within the department regions of natural or traditional countryside can be identified as follows:
See main article: Communes of the Aube department.
Aube is divided into 431 communes totalling 310,242 inhabitants (2019). The most populous commune is the prefecture Troyes. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[2]
| Commune | Population (2019) | |
|---|---|---|
| Troyes | 61,957 | |
| Romilly-sur-Seine | 14,480 | |
| Saint-André-les-Vergers | 12,784 | |
| La Chapelle-Saint-Luc | 11,741 | |
| Sainte-Savine | 10,508 |
All of those communes, except Romilly-sur-Seine, are part of the agglomeration of Troyes.
| Nogent-sur-Seine | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest Altitude | 100 metres | 67 metres | 156 metres | 60 metres | |
| Highest Altitude | 126 metres | 112 metres | 348 metres | 113 metres | |
| Average Altitude | 113 metres | 90 metres | 252 metres | 87 metres | |
| Town Hall Altitude | 107 metres | 77 metres | 165 metres | 71 metres |
There are 23 rivers throughout the department, the four main rivers being the Seine, the Aube (tributary of the Seine), the Armance (tributary of the Armançon), and the Vanne (a tributary of the Yonne).
The department has 140,000 hectares of forests.[5]
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.
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[6] 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 (653.4 mm over 115 days of rain). 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.
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.
In the Agglomeration of Troyes TCAT (Transport for the Communes of Troyes) 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.[7] The network currently serves eleven communes including two outside the Troyes agglomeration. Other cities, including Romilly-sur-Seine, have no transport network.[8]
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,[9] Keolis Sud Lorraine has 4 routes,[10] Procars Champagne has 2 routes,[11] Autocars Bardy has one route.[12]
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.
The department has 34.8 km of navigable waterways.[13] The city of Nogent-sur-Seine has two river ports for grain.[14]
The first inhabitants of Aube were the Tricasses and Lingones with a substantial human settlement around the year 400 BC.
Saints Potentian and Savinian,[15] 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.
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.
The decree of the National Assembly of 15 January 1790 formally established the department of Aube. Its first president was Augustin-Henri-Marie Picot[16] 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.[17]
In 1932, Turkish president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited Aube and signed a friendship treaty with France there on 4 July 1938.[18]
The departmental council of Aube is located in Troyes. Its president is Philippe Pichery (Miscellaneous right). It includes the 34 councillors of the 17 cantons of Aube. Of these, 32 are from the Right (mainly the UMP), the others are from the Miscellaneous left.
Aube returns three Deputies to the National Assembly, two of whom are from The Republicans (LR), and two Senators: one UMP and one right-wing independent.
| Election | Winning Candidate | Party | % | 2nd Place Candidate | Party | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 48.32 | Marine Le Pen | RN | 51.68 | ||
| 2017[19] | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 54.15 | Marine Le Pen | FN | 45.85 | ||
| 2012 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 57.37 | François Hollande | PS | 42.63 | ||
| 2007 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 61.70 | Ségolène Royal | PS | 38.30 | ||
| 2002 | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 76.87 | Jean-Marie Le Pen | FN | 23.13 | ||
| 1995[20] | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 55.30 | Lionel Jospin | PS | 44.70 | ||
| Party | Abbrev. | No. Members | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left Wing | ||||
| align=center | PS | align=center | 2 | |
| align=center | PCF | align=center | 2 | |
| align=center | DVG | align=center | 1 | |
| align=center | EELV | align=center | 1 | |
| Right Wing | ||||
| align=center | MoDem | align=center | 1 | |
| align=center | NC | align=center | 2 | |
| align=center | DVD | align=center | 10 | |
| align=center | UMP | align=center | 13 | |
| Independent | ||||
| align=center | SE | align=center | 1 | |
| President of the General Council | ||||
Aube is inhabited by 310,242 people with more than a third (137,500 inhabitants) living in the Troyes agglomeration (2019).[22]
In 2017, the department had 310,020 inhabitants.
Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Aube Department in 2017
| Aube | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Range | Men | Women | |
| 0 to 14 Years | 19.4 | 17.3 | |
| 15 to 29 Years | 17.9 | 16.2 | |
| 30 to 44 Years | 18.2 | 17.4 | |
| 45 to 59 Years | 19.9 | 19.2 | |
| 60 to 74 Years | 17.0 | 17.7 | |
| 75 to 89 Years | 7.0 | 10.3 | |
| 90 Years+ | 0.7 | 1.9 | |
| 2017 | 2007 | 1999 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nb | % | Nb | % | Nb | % | |||||
| Total | ||||||||||
| Farmers and Farm workers | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.3 | |||||||
| Artisans, shopkeepers, business managers | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 | |||||||
| Executives and Intellectuals | 5.5 | 5.1 | 4.0 | |||||||
| Intermediate Professions | 12.0 | 11.7 | 10.6 | |||||||
| Employees | 16.2 | 16.3 | 14.9 | |||||||
| Workers | 15.3 | 17.8 | 20.2 | |||||||
| Retirees | 29.9 | 27.7 | 24.8 | |||||||
| Others without occupation | 16.3 | 16.3 | 20.0 | |||||||
| Source : INSEE Census 2017 | ||||||||||
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 (48.1% in 2017) 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 (51.3% of the unemployed in 2017). This is mainly due to layoffs in the textile sector.
Distribution of Employment by Industry sector (2015)
| Agriculture | Industry | Construction | Commerce[24] | Public Administration[25] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aube | 3.4% | 17.9% | 6.7% | 39.6% | 32.4% | ||
| Source: INSEE[26] | |||||||
| No. of Employees | |||
| scope=row | Petit Bateau (Textiles) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | Devanlay (Textiles) | ||
| scope=row | Soufflet (Cereals) | 874 | |
| scope=row | Kléber (Pneumatics) | 790 | |
| scope=row | Vachette (Locks) | 600 | |
| scope=row | Mefro Roues (Wheel rims) | 584 | |
| scope=row | Valco (Furniture) | 575 | |
| scope=row | Petitjean (Public lighting) | 567 | |
| scope=row | Jacquot (Chocolate) | 550 |
| No. Establishments | ||||
| scope=row | Hotels | 66 | rooms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | Camping | 23 | places | |
| scope=row | Holiday Cottages | 310 | places |
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.
In 2010 elementary and secondary education consisted of:
According to the latest census of the academic inspectorate of Aube in 2009 the department has 8,794 students in higher education.[29]
Public Schools
Private Schools
| Type of Institution | No. of Institutions | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | ||
| 7 |
| Type of Institution | No. of Institutions | |
|---|---|---|
| Child Protection | 12 | |
| Handicapped Children's Centre | 18 |
| Type of Institution | No. of Institutions | |
|---|---|---|
| Institution to help for work | 8 | |
| Businesses adapted for handicapped people | 2 | |
| Professional rehabilitation Centres | 1 | |
| Specialised Foster Homes | 2 | |
| Accommodation Facilities | 20 | |
| Residential Home Care for the autistic | 2 | |
| Home Care | 2 |
| Type of Institution | No. of Institutions | |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing Homes for the Elderly (EHPAD) | 38 | |
| Home Housing | 10 | |
| Long Term Care Units (USLD) | 5 | |
| Group Homes | 1 | |
| Home Care | 7 | |
| Rural Homes for the Elderly | 1 |
There are 580 clubs and sports associations in the Aube department.[30] The main ones are:
At Troyes there are three independent local radio stations:
At Romilly-sur-Seine, in addition to Latitude Radio, there is a local independent radio broadcaster: Radio Aube et Seine.
French Christian Radio (RCF) Aube is located in the department.
| Place | Distribution Area | Press Group | Circulation[31] | |
| L'Est-Éclair | Saint-André-les-Vergers (agglomération de Troyes) | Aube | Groupe Hersant Média | |
| Libération Champagne | Troyes | Aube | Groupe Hersant Média | |
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.[32]
Aube currently has two storage facilities for radioactive waste:
The four main theatres are:
The Aube has 365 historical monuments of which 144 are classified, and 221 are enrolled.[33]