Cognac

Cognac
For the people in northeast India, see Konyak.

Cognac

CognacMairie1.JPG
Town hall
Coat of arms of Cognac
Cognac is located in France
{{{alt}}}
Cognac
Administration
Country France
Region Poitou-Charentes
Department Charente
Arrondissement Cognac
Mayor Michel Gourinchas
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 5–53 m (16–174 ft)
(avg. 27 m/89 ft)
Land area1 15.5 km2 (6.0 sq mi)
Population2 19,066  (2008)
 - Density 1,230 /km2 (3,200 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 16102/ 16100
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 45°41′45″N 0°19′45″W / 45.69583333334°N 0.3291666667°W / 45.69583333334; -0.3291666667

Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.

Contents

Geography

Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right bank area known as the Saint Jacques district. The town is situated on one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostella. The town is also home to the French Air Force training base 709. Cognac is 400 kilometres (250 mi) southwest of Paris.

History

Unknown prior to the 9th century, the town was subsequently fortified. During the Hundred Years' War, the town changed sides on several occasions as the result of fighting and treaties in the region.

Francis I granted the town the right to trade salt along the river, guaranteeing strong commercial success, which in turn led to the town's development as a centre of wine and later brandy.

Population

Historical population of Cognac
1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1841 1846 1851 1856 1861
2846 2827 3134 2947 3409 4118 4947 5835 7085 8167
1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896 1901
9412 13,677 14,900 14,087 15,200 17,392 20,228 19,483
1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
19,469 19,188 18,876 17,452 17,404 16,305 17,479 19,026
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2008
20,798 22,062 22,237 20,660 19,528 19,525 19,066

The inhabitants of the town are known as Cognaçais.

Sights

  • The Old Town. The town's medieval quarter "Vieux Cognac" runs from the Tours Saint-Jacques, alongside the river, up to the Saint-Léger church. The area contains many unusual buildings, built between the 15th and 18th centuries, situated on narrow cobbled streets. Many contain sculptures of the salamander, the symbol of King François I, as well as gargoyles and richly decorated façades.
  • The Château des Valois, an important medieval trading post.
  • The Saint-Léger church. [Church Exterior:,[1][2]
  • The musée d'Art et d'Histoire (art and history museum)
  • The musée des arts du Cognac (art museum)
  • The Saint-Gobain glassworks and barrelworks
  • Cognac Public Garden

The area also contains many Romanesque churches as well as several châteaux.

Cognac

The town gives its name to one of the world's best-known types of brandy or eau de vie. Drinks must be made in certain areas around the town of Cognac and must be made according to strictly-defined regulations to be granted the name Cognac.

Cognac is a unique spirit in that it is double-distilled. This process can be viewed in one of the many "Grande Marque" Cognac houses which all have visitor centres. Most central in the town are Hennessey, Martell, Otard, Camus and Remy Martin. About 15 km (9.32 mi) East of Cognac is Jarnac, home to Courvoisier.

There are six vineyard areas around the Cognac area, all of which are within the Appellation Controlee for Cognac, but which are considered to vary in quality from the best growth area of "Grande Champagne" (nothing to do with the Champagne wine region in NE France), through "Petite Champagne" then "Borderies", "Fine Bois", "Bon Bois" and finally "Bois Ordinaire". The best Cognacs are generally only made using Grande and Petite Champagne grapes, but all Cognac is produced by blending a variety of "Eau de Vie" which can be made from grapes from different locations, and from different vintages. It is the Cellar master's skill that ensures that a brand's Cognac is recognisable regardless of when it is produced since he can blend multiple eaux de vie to achieve the right taste for his house.

Different qualities of Cognac are produced by all brands, and include VS ("Very Special"); VSOP ("Very Superior [or, more commonly, "Special", though the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac specifies "Superior"] Old Pale") and XO ("eXtra Old"). (English terms are still used, since in the early days of Cognac production it was the British and Irish who were the main consumers and also became some of the main producers of Cognac, using techniques acquired from the distillation of whisky, etc.) These are controlled by the length of time the Cognac is allowed to mature in oak barrels, a minimum time being required at each grade level. The longer the Cognac matures in the barrel the smoother it will generally become. Once it is bottled no further development takes place. Most houses still have barrels of Cognac dating back to the 19th century sitting in their cellars waiting for fine blending by the Cellar Master.

Personalities

  • Francis I (king of France between 1515 and 1547) was born in the town's castle in 1494. The town's main square is named after him and a statue of the king on horseback towering over his enemies stands at the centre.
  • The French poet Octavien de Saint-Gelais was born in Cognac in 1468.
  • Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, born in Cognac in 1838 discovered the elements Gallium in 1875 and Samarium in 1878.
  • Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European Union was born in Cognac in 1888.
  • The car manufacturer Louis Delâge was born in Cognac in 1874.
  • The glassmaker Claude Boucher, inventor of the glass-blowing machine in around 1880, lived and worked in Cognac.
  • The French adult film star and model François Sagat was born in Cognac.

Sport

Twin towns—sister cities

Cognac is twinned with:

Gallery

The musée des arts du Cognac  
The Château des Valois  
The Château des Valois  

See also

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cognac — Cognac …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • cognac — [ kɔɲak ] n. m. • 1806; coignac 1754; eau de vie de Coignac 1719; de Cognac, ville de Charente 1 ♦ Eau de vie de vin réputée de la région de Cognac. Qualités des cognacs suivant la nature du sol qui a produit les raisins (fine champagne, petite… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • cognac — 1590s, Coniacke, wine produced in Cognac, the region in western France. The sense of brandy is 1755, shortened from 17c. cognac brandy, which was distilled from cognac wine. The place name is from M.L. Comniacum, from the personal name Cominius… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Cognac [1] — Cognac (spr. Conjack), 1) Arrondissement im französischen Departement Charente; 163/4 QM.; 54,000 Ew. in 4 Cantonen. Das ganze Arrondissement brennt Franzbranntwein (s. Cognac), es gibt in ihm 1500 Brennereien; 2) Hauptstadt darin, an der… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Cognac — Co gnac , n. [F.] A kind of French brandy, so called from the town of Cognac. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cognac [2] — Cognac (Franzbranntwein), ursprünglich bes. in Cognac fabricirtes Destillat aus Weintrauben,[244] eine der feinsten Branntweinsorten, deren aromatischer Geschmack von dem ätherischen Weinöl herrührt, welches an Essigäther gebunden in dem… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • cognac — COGNAC: Très funeste. Excellent dans plusieurs maladies. Un bon verre de cognac ne fait jamais de mal. Pris à jeun tue le ver de l estomac …   Dictionnaire des idées reçues

  • cognac — /ko ɲak/ o / kɔɲak/ s.m. [dal nome della cittadina di Cognac, nel dipartimento della Charente]. (enol.) [bevanda alcolica prodotta distillando vini bianchi della regione della Charente] ▶◀ (pop.) brandy. ‖ armagnac. ⇑ acquavite …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • cognac — |conháque| s. m. Ver conhaque. • Plural: cognac.   ‣ Etimologia: palavra francesa …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • cognac — /fr. kɔˈɲak/ o (evit.) co/gnac [dalla città francese di Cognac, dove lo si produce] s. m. inv. acquavite, brandy (ingl.), arzente (lett.) …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • cognac — ► NOUN ▪ a high quality brandy distilled in Cognac in western France …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”