Roanne

Roanne, a quarter of an hour from Lyons by the N7, is one of the most well known French centres for the making and weaving of towel material. At its origins the town was a little Roman settlement, Rodumna, whose foundations go back to the century before Jesus Christ. But its is thanks to the river that runs through it, the Loire, that it has been able to develop and gain notable importance in the whole Forez region. Up to the C.17th , navigation was only possible downstream from the town thanks to boats made of oak called “cabanes”. These boats carried travellers and merchandise from the town to Paris.
In the C.18th considerable work on the river allowed ships to go upstream from Roanne and thus enabled the transport of coal and wine coming from Saint-Etienne. This trade provided the town’s wealth for more than a century. But between 1960 and 1970 everything went wrong. The decline in the mining industry gained momentum and, despite picking up again between 1976 and 1982, commercial navigation stopped in 1992.
The port of Roanne was transformed into a pleasure-boat harbour, which confirms the new tourist oriented attitude adopted by the town. This is lucky for those visitors who can make the most of trips on barges, canoe and rowing competitions and walks along the canal banks.
If the town has turned to the tourist trade it has also developed its cultural policy. The ecomuseum of Roanne is the perfect illustration of this. Set up in an old factory, it retraces the history of the textile activity in the region for a century. A self-guided visit enables you to discover the different stages in the making of materials and to arrange your visit as you like.
The historic centre of the town also offers numerous curiosities: the Place de Lattre de Tassigny where a part of the old castle keep is still standing, the public gardens of Populle, in homage to a former mayor of the town who, in 1814 organised the resistance against the Austrians with only two canon. And finally, the chapel of Saint Nicolas du Port, whose fragile silhouette stands near the quayside on the harbour.
Roanne is also well known for its gastronomy with its restaurant “Les Frères Trois Gros” a must. You will be delighted by their salmon with sorrel and beef with marrow.

Information
Tourist Office of the Roanne region: Tel: 04 77 71 51 77
www.accueil.com/leroannais