Romans-sur-Isère

Romans-sur-Isère (Rumans d'Isèra; Old Occitan: Romans) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.

Geography
Romans-sur-Isère is located on the Isère, 20 km northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 inhabitants in the urban area (if the neighboring town of Bourg-de-Péage is included). Romans is close to the Vercors.

Economy

 * Nuclear fuel manufacture (FBFC, Franco-Belge de Fabrication du Combustible), Framatome subsidiary.
 * Shoe manufacture (including Robert Clergerie)

History

 * Historian Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie wrote Carnaval de Romans (1980) a microhistorical study, based on the only two surviving eyewitness accounts, of the 1580 massacre of about twenty artisans at the annual carnival in the town. He treats the massacre as a microcosm of the political, social and religious conflicts of rural society in the latter half of the 16th century in France.
 * On 18 July 2017, the town was the end point for Stage Sixteen of the Tour De France.
 * On 4 April 2020, two people were killed and five wounded in a knife attack, in what the interior minister called a terrorist incident. Prosecutors said the suspect was a Sudanese refugee in his 30s who lived in the town.

Sights

 * Collegiate Church of Saint-Barnard
 * International Museum of Footwear
 * Tower of Jacquemart clock

Twin towns - sister cities
Romans-sur-Isère is twinned with:


 * 🇬🇧 Coalville, England, United Kingdom
 * 🇮🇹 Corsano, Italy
 * 🇩🇪 Straubing, Germany
 * 🇮🇹 Varese, Italy
 * Zadar, Croatia
 * 🇨🇿 Zlín, Czech Republic

Notable people

 * Hippolyte Charles (1773-1837), lover of Joséphine Bonaparte
 * Robert Clergerie, shoe designer
 * Érik Comas (1963-), former Formula One driver
 * Pierre Latour (1993-), cyclist
 * Jules Nadi (1872-1928), former mayor and councilor who did much to develop the city
 * Baptiste Reynet, professional footballer
 * Philippe Saint-André, rugby player and national team coach
 * Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally, general of Irish Jacobite ancestry