Valréas
| Valréas | |
|---|---|
| Commune | |
Location of Valréas
| |
| Coat of arms | |
| Location of Valréas | |
| Valréas Location within France Valréas Location within Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
| Coordinates: 44°23′06″N 4°59′28″E / 44.385°N 4.9911°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Vaucluse |
| Arrondissement | Carpentras |
| Canton | Valréas |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Patrick Adrien[1] |
| Area 1 |
57.97 km2 (22.38 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] |
9,224 |
| • Density | 159.1/km2 (412.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 84138 /84600 |
| Elevation | 158–530 m (518–1,739 ft) (avg. 276 m or 906 ft) |
| Website | www.valreas.net |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Valréas (French pronunciation: [valʁeas]; Occitan: Vauriàs) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
History
The area around the town of Valréas is known as L'Enclave des Papes. It is an enclave of Vaucluse, surrounded by the department of the Drôme. The foundation of the Enclave began in 1317 when Pope John XXII bought Valreas for the papacy of Avignon. The story goes that following a visit to Valreas, feeling unwell he was offered some wine from the area. Liking it he decided to purchase the town to ensure his wine supply. Over the next 150 years or so his successors added to the Enclave by the addition of the small towns of Visan, Richerenches and Grillon. The boundaries were defined by tall stone markers carrying the coat of arms of the popes. The present-day boundaries are still delimited by some of these stones, one of which is outside the entrance to the Valreas Tourist office. When the departments of France were created after the Revolution the people of the Enclave requested to remain as part of the department of Vaucluse (see Comtat Venaissin). Hence the "Enclave des Papes".
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 7,886 | — |
| 1975 | 8,458 | +1.01% |
| 1982 | 8,721 | +0.44% |
| 1990 | 9,069 | +0.49% |
| 1999 | 9,425 | +0.43% |
| 2007 | 9,771 | +0.45% |
| 2012 | 9,545 | −0.47% |
| 2017 | 9,422 | −0.26% |
| 2023 | 9,224 | −0.35% |
| Source: INSEE[3] | ||
Twin towns
Valréas is twinned with:
See also
- Communes of the Vaucluse department
- List of works by Louis Botinelly
References
- Back to citation "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- Back to citation "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
- Back to citation Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE