Draguignan (French: [dʁaɡiɲɑ̃]; Occitan: Draguinhan) is a commune in the Var department in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (formerly Provence), southeastern France.

Draguignan
Draguinhan (Occitan)
Clock tower of Draguignan.
Clock tower of Draguignan.
Coat of arms of Draguignan
Location of Draguignan
Map
Draguignan is located in France
Draguignan
Draguignan
Draguignan is located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Draguignan
Draguignan
Coordinates: 43°32′25″N 6°28′00″E / 43.5403°N 6.4667°E / 43.5403; 6.4667
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
DepartmentVar
ArrondissementDraguignan
CantonDraguignan
IntercommunalityCA Dracénie Provence Verdon
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Richard Strambio[1]
Area
1
53.7 km2 (20.7 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
39,745
 • Density740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
DemonymDracénois
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
83050 /83300
Elevation153–603 m (502–1,978 ft)
(avg. 181 m or 594 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is a sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of Artillery" and "Porte du Verdon".

The city is 42 km (26 mi) from Saint-Tropez, and 80 km (50 mi) from Nice.

Name and motto

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Saint-Georges killing dragon, 15th century miniature

According to legend, the name of the city is derived from the Latin name "Draco/Draconem" (dragon): a bishop, called Saint Hermentaire, killed a dragon and saved people.

The Latin motto of Draguignan is Alios nutrio, meos devoro (I nourish others, I devour my own).

Geography

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The elevation is 200 m. The highest hill near Draguignan is Malmont (551 m). The main river near Draguignan is the Nartuby.

The city is set in a valley NW-SE, about 2 km (1 mi) wide.

Climate

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Draguignan's climate is the same as the normal conditions of the Mediterranean climate. The nights of frost are rare and the negative temperatures occur only a few days a year. Thus the winters are mild and wet, and the summers warm and dry, the town is protected from the winds by the Malmont and the western massif of the Selves. During the summer the precipitation is extremely low whereas autumn is subjected to frequent rains.

Town Sunshine
 
(hours/yr)
Rain
 
(mm/yr)
Snow
 
(days/yr)
Storm
 
(days/yr)
Fog
 
(days/yr)
National average 1,973 770 14 22 40
Draguignan[4] 2,714 734 1 29 1
Paris 1,661 637 12 18 10
Nice 2,724 767 1 29 1
Strasbourg 1,693 665 29 29 56
Brest 1,605 1,211 7 12 75
Climate data for Draguignan (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1996−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.7
(72.9)
25.2
(77.4)
27.1
(80.8)
29.5
(85.1)
35.0
(95.0)
40.8
(105.4)
40.0
(104.0)
40.0
(104.0)
34.9
(94.8)
30.8
(87.4)
25.1
(77.2)
22.6
(72.7)
40.8
(105.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 12.6
(54.7)
14.0
(57.2)
17.2
(63.0)
20.0
(68.0)
24.2
(75.6)
28.9
(84.0)
31.8
(89.2)
31.8
(89.2)
27.1
(80.8)
21.9
(71.4)
16.2
(61.2)
12.9
(55.2)
21.6
(70.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 7.3
(45.1)
8.1
(46.6)
11.0
(51.8)
13.8
(56.8)
17.8
(64.0)
22.1
(71.8)
24.7
(76.5)
24.6
(76.3)
20.5
(68.9)
16.3
(61.3)
11.1
(52.0)
7.9
(46.2)
15.4
(59.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6)
2.2
(36.0)
4.8
(40.6)
7.6
(45.7)
11.4
(52.5)
15.2
(59.4)
17.5
(63.5)
17.4
(63.3)
13.9
(57.0)
10.6
(51.1)
6.0
(42.8)
2.8
(37.0)
9.3
(48.7)
Record low °C (°F) −7.8
(18.0)
−8.0
(17.6)
−6.8
(19.8)
−1.1
(30.0)
4.2
(39.6)
5.8
(42.4)
10.1
(50.2)
10.1
(50.2)
4.1
(39.4)
−3.1
(26.4)
−6.2
(20.8)
−8.8
(16.2)
−8.8
(16.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 69.1
(2.72)
52.1
(2.05)
55.4
(2.18)
78.4
(3.09)
65.9
(2.59)
61.3
(2.41)
19.8
(0.78)
35.0
(1.38)
69.5
(2.74)
111.3
(4.38)
157.2
(6.19)
90.0
(3.54)
865.0
(34.06)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.8 5.3 5.7 7.1 6.4 4.1 2.2 3.2 4.6 6.7 8.4 6.6 66.1
Source: Météo-France[5]

Geology

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The hills downstream of Draguignan date from the Middle Triassic, while those that rise upstream belong to the Upper Triassic.

Up North, we can see a long bar of stony plateau, with summits made of Jurassic limestones, sometimes intersected by deep canyons. This northern region of the "baous" or also called massive mountainous barriers, deeply wrinkled and fractured, reveals successive basins in the east–west direction.

Draguignan is in a zone of moderate risk of seismicity.[6]

Communication routes

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Roads

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There is no highway going through the city of Draguignan but the town is directly connected by the D 1555 to a major highway, the A8.

A bypass route makes it possible to avoid the city center from the south when arriving from Trans-en-Provence and to get to the hospital in the north of the city more quickly.

The city is located 869 km away from Paris, 141 km from Marseille, 89 km from Nice, 86 km from Toulon, 30 km from Fréjus, 105 km from Digne-les-Bains and about 35 km from the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.

Rail transport

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Since 1981, the closest railway station is Les Arcs–Draguignan, which is served by the TGV and is located twelve kilometers from the city center. Bus shuttles have been set by the agglomeration community of Draguignan from the former railway station of Draguignan, which was converted into a bus station. Draguignan train station features two turnstiles: one for SNCF and another for the transport of the agglomeration.

 
Les Arcs-Draguignan Station

Public transport services

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Urban transports are managed by the TED community, which offers three urban lines as well as lines to other municipalities such as Les Arcs-Draguignan, Ampus, Flayosc, Le Muy and Lorgues. The buses of the General Council of the Var serve from Draguignan the cities of Toulon, Brignoles, Aups, Fayence, Fréjus and Le Luc.

A project by BHNS is being studied, to connect Draguignan city center to Les Arcs-Draguignan station in 17 minutes instead of 25 minutes currently.

History

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The name of Draguignan ("Draconianum") appeared for the first time in 909. During the Middle-Ages, Draguignan was a small village whose people lived from olive and grape cultivation. Draguignan became the "prefecture" of the Var in 1790, at the beginning of the French Revolution. This was despite the town by far not being the biggest city in the department. It remained the seat of the prefecture until 1974. In the 19th century and during a large part of the 20th century, the people of Draguignan (in French: "Dracénois", in English: "Draceners") voted for liberal parties (Radical-Socialist Party, Socialist Party).

The town was occupied by the Wehrmacht in 1942-44 and freed in August 1944, after Operation Dragoon. The city welcomed the "Ecole nationale d'artillerie" (Artillery School) in 1976, then the "Ecole nationale d'infanterie" (Infantry School) in 2010. The arrival of the military involved the development of the city : the small town became a city in the second part of the 20th century : 13,400 citizens in 1954, 33,000 in 2000, 38,000 in 2010. On June 15, 2010, the city was flooded. Torrential rain caused the deaths of 12 people in the town and 25 in the neighborhoods.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 6,113—    
1800 6,561+1.02%
1806 8,010+3.38%
1821 8,616+0.49%
1831 9,804+1.30%
1836 9,794−0.02%
1841 8,588−2.59%
1846 9,876+2.83%
1851 8,972−1.90%
1856 11,052+4.26%
1861 10,082−1.82%
1866 9,819−0.53%
1872 9,446−0.64%
1876 9,223−0.60%
1881 9,133−0.20%
1886 9,753+1.32%
1891 9,816+0.13%
1896 9,963+0.30%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 9,671−0.59%
1906 9,770+0.20%
1911 9,974+0.41%
1921 9,199−0.81%
1926 9,441+0.52%
1931 11,418+3.88%
1936 12,130+1.22%
1946 11,801−0.27%
1954 13,402+1.60%
1962 14,522+1.01%
1968 18,376+4.00%
1975 21,448+2.23%
1982 26,667+3.16%
1990 30,183+1.56%
1999 32,829+0.94%
2007 37,117+1.55%
2012 37,476+0.19%
2017 39,340+0.98%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE (1968-2017)[8]

Major attractions

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The Dolmen in Draguignan

Personalities connected to Draguignan

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Twin towns

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Pictures

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Paris, Nice, Strasbourg, Brest
  4. ^ Météo France
  5. ^ "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Didacticiel de la règlementation parasismique, www.planseisme.fr, Le site internet de la prévention du risque sismique Archived 2021-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Draguignan, EHESS (in French).
  8. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
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