Last modified: 2025-04-12 by olivier touzeau
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![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-26-va.gif)
Flag of Valence - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 24 January 2025
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Valence (64,288 inhabitants in 2022; 3,669 ha) is a commune the prefecture of the Drôme department. Valence is located in the "Middle Rhone Valley" on a major north-south traffic axis. Its position at the crossroads (Lyonnais, Provence, Vivarais, Vercors) has marked its shape and history.
The city developed on the left bank of the river by gaining on the upper alluvial terraces. It is abundantly watered by the Rhone and has a network of canals fed by natural resurgences of the Vercors. The first terrace houses the old town, connected to the lower town on the banks of the Rhone by picturesque staircases called côtes. The Roman city was established on the first terrace, adopting the geometric checkerboard land register. The cardo (N/S) and the decumanus (E/W) are still visible in the current road network. Today, there are no visible remains of the ancient monuments whose wealth made Valence "the equal of Vienna and Arles". The Gallo-Roman theater, located near the Place Saint-Jean and the presence of an odeon located to the south of the cathedral suggest a dense population during Antiquity.
From the end of Antiquity, the city was enclosed by a rampart. The lower town hosted an active port, then several religious orders outside the walls, including the Abbey of Saint-Ruf and later an arsenal. From the 9th to the 14th century, the Rhône was a political border between the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of France. While being integrated into Dauphiné and therefore into the Holy Empire, Valence remained under the authority of the bishop and counts of Valentinois, and was not attached to the Kingdom of France until 1446. Located at the junction between the langue d'oïl and langue d'oc, Valence is also located on a linguistic border. Finally, its location makes it a place of convergence of architectural styles. The Saint-Apollinaire cathedral testifies to the assimilation of various currents.
The Rhône is a raging river, with devastating floods. However, it is thanks to it that Valence developed from the Middle Ages, partly thanks to the salt trade. From the 11th century, a ferry provided the link from one bank to the other.The Dauphin Louis II, future King Louis XI, created the University of Valence in 1452. Famous teachers taught there from the 16th to the 18th century, including Philippe Décius, Jacques Cujas and Jean-Joseph Menuret, a contributor to the Encyclopédie. University activity attracted booksellers and printers to Valence, who were at the origin of the development of a new industry linked to cultural progress. However, the decline of the university began at the beginning of the 18th century. Closed in 1792, it was not until the 1970s that the new university was reborn, which today boasts several departments (literature, science, technology, etc.)
In the 16th century, Valence acquired a citadel, a veritable defensive bastion built as a result of the religious conflicts of the 1560s. Housing became denser and the city saw the birth of rich residences (Maison des Têtes, Maison Dupré la Tour) on vast urban plots. Despite a clear demographic decline, the 17th century saw the flourishing of a multitude of religious orders linked to the Counter-Reformation in Valence (Capuchins, Recollects, Visitandines, Benedictines, etc.). These orders settled mainly in the lower town, absorbing sites deserted by economic activities. A few urban and architectural projects were launched during this period, but the city still retained its medieval appearance, enclosed within its ramparts.
In the second half of the 18th century, efforts were made to improve the appearance of the city. The destruction of the outer line of ramparts allowed the creation of the public promenade known as the Cagnard (now Boulevard Bancel). This ended to the west with another urban development: the esplanade of the Champ de Mars. At the same time, urban activity within the walls developed and private mansions in keeping with the spirit of the times blended into the old urban fabric. The Fère Artillery regiment settled in Valence in 1783, when an artillery range was built. Bonaparte was among the young and brilliant students of the Valence military school.The 19th century radically changed urban planning. From 7,500 inhabitants in 1800, the city passed the 20,000 mark in 1886. Its status as departmental capital, acquired in 1790, also favored its development at the regional level.
In 1830 only a real "wire" bridge, designed by Marc Seguin, connected
the two banks.
From 1860, the city opened up thanks to the dismantling of the
ramparts replaced by the boulevards. The development of these was
contemporary with the major Haussmann-type works and was the subject
of a beautification commission. Valence then developed in a fan shape
around its old center, along pre-existing axes. The Polygone district
was born in the 1950s from the redevelopment of former military land.
Ten years later, a ZUP (priority urbanization zone) was created in
Valence-le-Haut, on the third terrace. New districts were organized
around the Jean Perdrix park and the water tower 30, designed between
1968 and 1971 by the sculptor Philolaos.
The Frédéric Mistral bridge was built in 1967. It was doubled by a
second structure to the south, the Pont des Lônes, inaugurated in
December 2004.
Industrial zones were established to the east and south, supplemented
by a technology park in the 1990s. A new urban project designed from
2009 onwards provides for several renovation projects in the city,
including the converted former military site of Latour-Maubourg.
Valence is home to many foreign communities, but the largest remains
the Armenian community, present in Valence since 1920. The creation in
2005 of the Armenian Heritage Center recalls this episode in the
history of Valence.
Olivier Touzeau, 24 January 2025
Former flag of Valence
![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-26-v1.gif)
Flag of Valence - Image by Pascal Vagnat, 22 February 2002
The flag of Valence is vertically divided white-red with the municipal coat of arms in the center.
Pascal Vagnat, 22 February 2002
The source of the flag reported in 2002 by Pascal Vagnat was an article by Enríquez, Ana Maria, "Valence", Curiosidades-Oddities-Curiosités, Gaceta de banderas, n°9, 1993, p.48
Olivier Touzeau, 24 January 2025
![[Burgee]](../images/f/fr-26~va.gif)
Burgee of CVV - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 July 2002
The burgee of the CVV (website) is horizontally divided red-white-red-white-red-white-red.
Ivan Sache, 15 July 2002
![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-26-vr.gif)
Former flag of Valence Romans Tourisme - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2020
The flag of Valence Romans Tourisme (photo, photo), the regional intermunicipal tourism authority, was white with the authority's logo, which was changed in 2019.
Olivier Touzeau, 18 December 2020