View source for Clermont-Ferrand

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name                   = Clermont-Ferrand
|native name            = {{native name|oc|Clarmont-Ferrand}}
|commune status         = [[Prefectures of France|Prefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image coat of arms     = Coat of Arms of Clermont-Ferrand.svg
|image flag             = File:Flag_of_Clermont-Ferrand.svg
|image                  = Ville de Clermont-Ferrand.jpg
|image size  =270
|caption                = '''Photomontage''': view of the historic center from Montjuzet Park (top)<br />Victoire Square and [[Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral|Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Cathedral]]; Statue of Vercingétorix; and Chaussetiers Street (middle)<br />[[Basilica of Notre-Dame du Port]] (bottom)
|arrondissement         = Clermont-Ferrand
|canton                 = [[Cantons of Clermont-Ferrand|6 cantons]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000028652558 |title=Decree 2014-210/''Décret 2014-210 du 21 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département du Puy-de-Dôme'' |website=Légifrance |date=21 February 2014 |language=fr}}</ref>
|INSEE                  = 63113
|postal code            = 63000-63100
|mayor                  = [[Olivier Bianchi]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires |url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503 |website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises |date=2 December 2020 |language=fr}}</ref>
|term  = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality       = [[Clermont Auvergne Métropole]]
|coordinates            = {{coord|45.7831|3.0824|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m            = 358
|elevation min m        = 321
|elevation max m        = 602
|area km2               = 42.67
|population             = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
|urban area km2         = 181
|urban area date        = 2018
|urban pop              = 272551
|urban pop date         = 2018<ref name=compar/>
|metro area km2         = 2845
|metro area date        = 2018
|metro area pop         = 504157
|metro area pop date    = 2018<ref name=compar/>
|website                = {{URL|https://clermont-ferrand.fr}}
}}

'''Clermont-Ferrand'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|k|l|ɛər|m|ɒ̃|_|f|ɛ|ˈ|r|ɒ̃}}, {{IPAc-en|US|-|m|oʊ|n|_|-}}, {{IPA|fr|klɛʁmɔ̃ fɛʁɑ̃|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Jules78120-Clermont-Ferrand.wav}}; {{langx|oc|label=[[Auvergnat (dialect)|Auvergnat]]|Clarmont-Ferrand}} or simply {{lang|oc|Clarmont}} {{IPA|oc|çɒʁˈmu||generic=yes}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Karl-Heinz Reichel |title=Grand dictionnaire général auvergnat-français |language=fr,oc |publisher=Nonette Créer editions |year=2005 |isbn=2848190213 |quote=Clharmou-Faran}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Pierre Bonnaud |title=Nouveau dictionnaire général français-auvergnat |language=fr,oc|publisher=Éditions Créer |year=1999 |isbn=2-909797-32-5| quote=Clharmou}}.</ref>}} is a city and [[Communes of France|commune]] of [[France]], in the [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] [[regions of France|region]],<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/63113-clermont-ferrand INSEE commune file]</ref> with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its [[metropolitan area]] ({{lang|fr|aire d'attraction}}) had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 census.<ref name=compar>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=AAV2020-022+UU2020-63701+COM-63113 Comparateur de territoire: Aire d'attraction des villes 2020 de Clermont-Ferrand (022), Unité urbaine 2020 de Clermont-Ferrand (63701), Commune de Clermont-Ferrand (63113)], INSEE</ref> It is the [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] (capital) of the [[Puy-de-Dôme]] [[departments of France|département]]. [[Olivier Bianchi]] is its current [[List of mayors of Clermont-Ferrand|mayor]].

Clermont-Ferrand sits on the plain of [[Limagne]] in the [[Massif Central]] and is surrounded by a major industrial area. The city is known for the chain of [[volcano]]es, the [[Chaîne des Puys]], which surround it. This includes the dormant volcano [[Puy de Dôme]], 10 kilometres (6 miles) away, one of the highest in the surrounding area, which is topped by communications towers and visible from the city. Clermont-Ferrand has been listed as a "tectonic hotspot" since July 2018 on the [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage List]].

One of the oldest French cities, it was known by [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] as the capital of the [[Arverni]]e tribe before developing in the [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman]] era under the name of Augustonemetum in the 1st century BC. The forum of the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] city was located on the top of the Clermont mound, on the site of the present [[Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral|cathedral]]. During the [[Fall of the Western Roman Empire|decline of the Western Roman Empire]] it was subjected to repeated looting by the peoples who invaded [[Gaul]], including [[Vandals]], [[Alans]], [[Visigoths]] and [[Franks]]. It was later raided by [[Vikings]] in the ninth and tenth century AD as the [[Carolingian Empire]] weakened in the [[early Middle Ages]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hidden Clermont-Ferrand: Vikings in the City |url=https://visitauvergne.org/hidden-clermont-ferrand-vikings-in-the-city/ |website=Visit Auvergne |date=6 June 2025 |access-date=7 June 2025}}</ref> Growing in importance under the [[Capetian dynasty]], in 1095 it hosted the [[Council of Clermont]], where [[Pope Urban II]] called the [[First Crusade]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Crusades |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-crusades-1095-1291 |website=Metropolitan Museum of Art |date=October 2001 |access-date=7 June 2025}}</ref> In 1551, Clermont became a royal town, and was declared an inseparable property of the [[French monarchy|Crown]] in 1610.

Today Clermont-Ferrand hosts the [[Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival]] ({{lang|fr|Festival du Court-Métrage de Clermont-Ferrand}}), one of the world's leading festivals for [[short films]]. It is also home to the corporate headquarters of [[Michelin]], the global tyre company founded in the city more than 100 years ago. With a quarter of the municipal population being students, and some 6,000 researchers, Clermont-Ferrand is the first city in France to join the [[UNESCO]] Learning City Network.

Along with its highly distinctive black lava stone [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] styled [[Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral|Cathedral]], Clermont-Ferrand's other famous sites include the [[public square]] [[Place de Jaude]], in which stands a grand statue of [[Vercingetorix]] astride a warhorse and brandishing a sword. The inscription reads {{langx|fr|label=in French|J'ai pris les armes pour la liberté de tous||I took up arms for the liberty of all}}). This statue was sculpted by [[Frédéric Bartholdi]], who also created the [[Statue of Liberty]].

==History==
{{For timeline}}

===Name===
[[File:Clermont-Ferrand - Mur des Sarrasins 20220528-01.jpg|thumb|left|Only remaining Gallo-Roman wall of the Vasso Galate temple, Clermont-Ferrand]]
Clermont-Ferrand's first name was ''Augusto[[nemeton|nemetum]]'', Latin for "[[sanctuary]] for [[Augustus]]", or {{Lang|la|Civitas Arvernorum}} (town of the Arverni people).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.augustonemetum.fr/News/Info-74/La-fondation.html |website=augustonemetum.fr |language=French |access-date=12 July 2023 |first=Hélène |last=Dartevelle  |title=La fondation |date=2023 |quote=Traditionnellement, la ville aurait été créée lors de la fondation de la voie d'Agrippa Lyon/Saintes reliant la capitale des Gaules (Lyon) à Saintes, capitale de l'Aquitaine. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604095206/http://www.augustonemetum.fr/News/Info-74/La-fondation.html |archive-date=4 June 2023}}</ref> It originated on the central knoll where the cathedral is situated today, overlooking the capital of {{ill|Gaulish Arvernis|fr|Arvernis}}. The fortified castle of Clarus Mons gave its name to the whole town in 848, to which the small episcopal town of [[Montferrand (district of Clermont-Ferrand)|Montferrand]] was attached in 1731, together taking the name of Clermont-Ferrand. The amalgamation of the two towns was decreed by [[Louis XIII]] and confirmed by [[Louis XV]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clermont-ferrand.fr/History.html |title=History – Ville de Clermont-Ferrand |language=fr |publisher=Clermont-ferrand.fr |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723063002/http://www.clermont-ferrand.fr/History.html |archive-date=23 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The old part of Clermont is delimited by the route of the ramparts as they existed at the end of the Middle Ages.

===Prehistory and Roman era===
[[File:Inauguration statue vercingétorix 3.JPG|left|thumb|Statue of [[Vercingétorix]] by [[Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi]] on the main square of the city]]
Clermont ranks among the [[List of cities by time of continuous habitation|oldest cities]] of France. The first known mention was by the Greek geographer [[Strabo]], who called it the "metropolis of the [[Arverni]]" (meaning their ''[[oppidum]] [[civitas]]'' or tribal capital). The city was at that time called ''Nemessos'' – a [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] word for a sacred forest, and was situated on the mound where the cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand stands today. Somewhere in the area around Nemossos, the Arverni chieftain [[Vercingetorix]] (later to head a unified Gallic resistance to the [[Gallic Wars|Roman invasion]] led by [[Julius Caesar]]) was born around 72 BC. Nemossos was situated not far from the [[Gergovie plateau|plateau of Gergovia]], where Vercingetorix repulsed the Roman assault at the [[Battle of Gergovia]] in 52 BC. After the Roman conquest, the city became known as ''Augustonemetum''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:entry=augustonemetum|title=Augustonemetum|publisher=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref>

===Early Middle Ages===
The city became the seat of a bishop in the 5th century, at the time of the bishop [[Namatius]], who built a cathedral here described by [[Gregory of Tours]]. Clermont went through a dark period after the disappearance of the [[Roman Empire]] and during the [[High Middle Ages]] was pillaged by the peoples who invaded Gaul. Between 471 and 475, [[Auvergne (province)|Auvergne]] was often the target of [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] expansion, and the city was frequently besieged, including once by [[Euric]]. Although defended by [[Sidonius Apollinaris]], at the head of the diocese from 468 to 486, and the [[Patrician (post-Roman Europe)|patrician]] [[Ecdicius]], the city was ceded to the Visigoths by emperor [[Julius Nepos]] in 475 and remained part of the Visigothic kingdom until 507. A generation later, it became part of the [[Kingdom of the Franks]]. On 8 November 535 the [[Council of Clermont (535)|first Council of Clermont]] opened at Arvernis (Clermont), with fifteen bishops participating, including [[Caesarius of Arles]], [[Nicetius|Nizier of Lyons]], the Bishop of [[Archbishopric of Trier|Trier]], and [[Hilary of Arles|Saint Hilarius]], Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Mende|Mende]]. The Council issued 16 decrees. The second canon reiterated the principle that the granting of episcopal dignity must be made according to merit and not as a result of intrigues.

In 570, Bishop Avitus ordered the [[Jews]] of the city, who numbered over 500, to accept Christian baptism or be expelled.<ref>{{cite book |title= Encyclopaedia Judaica |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]}} as quoted by {{cite web | url = http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/eu/F/EncJud_juden-in-Frankreich01-Rom-u-karolinger-ENGL.html| title = Encyclopaedia Judaica: Jews in France 01: Roman times and Carolingians| first = Michael
| last = Palomino| work=History in Chronology
| publisher=geschichteinchronologie.ch}}</ref>

In 848, the city was renamed ''Clairmont'', after the castle Clarus Mons. During this era, it was an episcopal city ruled by its bishop. Clermont was not spared by the Vikings at the time of the weakening of the [[Carolingian Empire]]: it was ravaged by the Normans under [[Hastein]] in 862 and 864 and, while its bishop Sigon carried out reconstruction work, again in 898 (or 910, according to some sources). Bishop [[Pope Stephen II|Étienne II]] built a new Romanesque cathedral which was consecrated in 946. It was almost entirely replaced by the current Gothic cathedral, though the crypt survives and the towers were only replaced in the 19th century.

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Galeries de jaude 11072006.jpg|thumb|Galeries of Jaude]]
Clermont was the starting point of the [[First Crusade]], in which [[Christendom]] sought to retake Muslim-ruled [[Jerusalem]]. [[Pope Urban II]] called for the crusade in 1095 at the [[Council of Clermont|Second Council of Clermont]]. In 1120, following repeated crises between the counts of [[County of Auvergne|Auvergne]] and the bishops of [[Bishopric of Clermont|Clermont]] and in order to counteract the clergy's power, the counts founded the rival city of Montferrand on a mound next to the fortifications of Clermont, on the model of the new cities of the [[Southern France|Midi]] that appeared in the 12th and 13th centuries. Until the [[Early modern Europe|early modern period]], the two remained separate cities: Clermont, an episcopal city; Montferrand, a [[Count|comital]] one.

===Early modern and modern eras===
[[File:Clermont-Ferrand 23-7-2011 (3).JPG|thumb|[[Hôtel de Ville, Clermont-Ferrand|Hôtel de Ville]]]]
Clermont became a royal city in 1551, and in 1610, the inseparable property of the French Crown. On 15 April 1630 the Edict of Troyes (the First Edict of Union) joined the two cities of Clermont and [[Montferrand (district of Clermont-Ferrand)|Montferrand]]. This union was confirmed in 1731 by [[Louis XV]] with the Second Edict of Union. At this time, Montferrand was no more than a [[Satellite town|satellite city]] of Clermont, and it remained so until the beginning of the 20th century. Wishing to retain its independence, Montferrand made three demands for independence, in 1789, 1848, and 1863. The [[Hôtel de Ville, Clermont-Ferrand|Hôtel de Ville]] (City Hall) was completed in 1844.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clermontauvergnevolcans.com/fiches/hotel-de-ville-de-clermont-ferrand/|title=Hôtel de ville de Clermont-Ferrand|date=25 October 2024 |publisher=Clermont Auvergne Volcans|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref>

In the 20th century, the construction of the [[Michelin]] factories and of city gardens, which shaped modern Clermont-Ferrand, united the two cities, although two distinct downtowns survive and Montferrand retains a strong identity.

== Geography ==

=== Climate ===
Clermont-Ferrand has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Cfb]]). The city is in the rain shadow of the Chaîne des Puys, giving it one of the driest climates in metropolitan France, except for a few places around the Mediterranean Sea. The mountains also block most of the oceanic influence of the Atlantic, which creates a much more continental climate than in nearby cities west or north of the mountains, like [[Limoges]] and [[Montluçon]]. Thus the city has comparatively cold winters and hot summers. From November to March, frost is very frequent, and the city, being at the bottom of a valley, is frequently subject to [[Inversion (meteorology)|temperature inversion]], in which the mountains are sunny and warm, and the plain is freezing cold and cloudy. Snow is quite common, although usually short-lived and light. Summer temperatures sometimes exceed {{convert|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}, with violent thunderstorms. The highest temperature was reached in 2019 of {{convert|40.9|°C|1|abbr=on}} while the lowest was {{convert|-29.0|°C|1|abbr=on}}.
{{Weather box
|location = Clermont-Ferrand, elevation: {{convert|331|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1923–present
|collapsed =
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 22.1
|Feb record high C = 25.9
|Mar record high C = 26.6
|Apr record high C = 31.3
|May record high C = 33.0
|Jun record high C = 40.9
|Jul record high C = 40.7
|Aug record high C = 40.4
|Sep record high C = 36.8
|Oct record high C = 33.2
|Nov record high C = 24.7
|Dec record high C = 21.9
|Jan high C = 8.0
|Feb high C = 9.5
|Mar high C = 13.7
|Apr high C = 16.6
|May high C = 20.5
|Jun high C = 24.2
|Jul high C = 26.8
|Aug high C = 26.8
|Sep high C = 22.5
|Oct high C = 17.8
|Nov high C = 12.0
|Dec high C = 8.6
|year high C = 17.3
|Jan mean C = 4.3
|Feb mean C = 5.1
|Mar mean C = 8.3
|Apr mean C = 10.9
|May mean C = 14.8
|Jun mean C = 18.4
|Jul mean C = 20.6
|Aug mean C = 20.6
|Sep mean C = 16.7
|Oct mean C = 13.0
|Nov mean C = 7.9
|Dec mean C = 5.0
|year mean C = 12.1
|Jan low C = 0.6
|Feb low C = 0.6
|Mar low C = 3.0
|Apr low C = 5.3
|May low C = 9.1
|Jun low C = 12.6
|Jul low C = 14.5
|Aug low C = 14.4
|Sep low C = 10.9
|Oct low C = 8.3
|Nov low C = 3.9
|Dec low C = 1.4
|year low C = 7.1
|Jan record low C = -23.1
|Feb record low C = -29.0
|Mar record low C = -21.3
|Apr record low C = -7.1
|May record low C = -4.2
|Jun record low C = 1.0
|Jul record low C = 3.8
|Aug record low C = 2.4
|Sep record low C = -3.0
|Oct record low C = -9.2
|Nov record low C = -11.8
|Dec record low C = -25.8
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 26.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 18.7
|Mar precipitation mm = 26.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 51.1
|May precipitation mm = 66.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 67.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 63.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 62.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 57.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 48.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 46.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 29.1
|year precipitation mm = 563.4
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 6.4
|Feb precipitation days = 5.0
|Mar precipitation days = 6.5
|Apr precipitation days = 8.3
|May precipitation days = 9.4
|Jun precipitation days = 8.0
|Jul precipitation days = 7.4
|Aug precipitation days = 7.5
|Sep precipitation days = 6.7
|Oct precipitation days = 7.8
|Nov precipitation days = 7.8
|Dec precipitation days = 6.4
|year precipitation days = 87.2
|Jan snow days = 4.3
|Feb snow days = 4.8
|Mar snow days = 2.2
|Apr snow days = 0.6
|May snow days = 0.1
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 1.6
|Dec snow days = 4.0
|year snow days = 17.7
|Jan humidity = 79
|Feb humidity = 75
|Mar humidity = 69
|Apr humidity = 69
|May humidity = 72
|Jun humidity = 71
|Jul humidity = 68
|Aug humidity = 70
|Sep humidity = 73
|Oct humidity = 78
|Nov humidity = 78
|Dec humidity = 80
|Jan sun = 84.6
|Feb sun = 109.6
|Mar sun = 165.4
|Apr sun = 179.1
|May sun = 199.7
|Jun sun = 225.2
|Jul sun = 255.6
|Aug sun = 243.2
|Sep sun = 191.4
|Oct sun = 136.0
|Nov sun = 90.3
|Dec sun = 77.7
|year sun = 1957.9
|source 1 = [[Meteo France]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/clermont-ferrand/63113001/normales|title=Climatological Information for Clermont-Ferrand, France|publisher=Meteo France|date=7 August 2019|access-date=4 August 2014|archive-date=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630073954/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/clermont-ferrand/63113001/normales|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_63113001.pdf
| title = CLERMONT–FD (63)
| work = Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1991–2020 et records
| publisher = Meteo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 7 August 2019}}</ref>
| source 2 = Infoclimat.fr (relative humidity 1961–1990)<ref name=Infoclimat>{{cite web
| url = http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07460-clermont-ferrand-aulnat.html
| title = Normes et records 1961–1990: Clermont-Ferrand – Aulnat (63) – altitude 339m
| language = fr
| publisher = Infoclimat
| access-date = 7 August 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160402162811/http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07460-clermont-ferrand-aulnat.html
| archive-date = 2 April 2016}}</ref>

}}

===Main sights===
[[File:Notre dame port arrierer 2.JPG|200px|thumb|[[Basilica of Notre-Dame du Port]]|left]]

====Religious architecture====
[[File:Place victoire clermont-ferrand.jpg|thumb|[[Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral|Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption]]]]
Clermont-Ferrand has two famous churches. One is [[Notre-Dame du Port]], a [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] church which was built during the 11th and 12th centuries (the [[bell tower]] was rebuilt during the 19th century). It was nominated as a [[World Heritage Site]] by UNESCO in 1998. The other is [[Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral]] (''Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Clermont-Ferrand''), built in [[Gothic architecture|Gothic style]] between the 13th and the 19th centuries.

====Parks and gardens====
[[File:Jardin lecoq clermont-fd.jpg|thumb|left|Lecoq Garden (Jardin Lecoq)|200x200px]]
* Jardin Lecoq
* Parc de Montjuzet
* [[Jardin botanique de la Charme]]
* [[Arboretum de Royat]]
* [[Jardin botanique d'Auvergne]]

==== Buildings ====

* Galeries of Jaude
* [[Hôtel d'Aubière]]
* [[Hôtel de Ville, Clermont-Ferrand|Hôtel de Ville]]
* Gallo-Roman wall of the Vasso Galate temple

== Economy and infrastructure ==
[[Food industry|Food production]] and processing as well as engineering are major employers in the area, as are the many research facilities of leading computer software and [[Pharmaceutical drug|pharmaceutical]] companies.

The city's industry was for a long time linked to the French [[tire|tyre]] manufacturer [[Michelin]], which created the [[Radial tire|radial tyre]] and expanded from Clermont-Ferrand to become a worldwide leader in its industry. For most of the 20th century, it had extensive factories throughout the city, employing up to 30,000 workers. While the company has maintained its headquarters in the city, most of the manufacturing is now done in foreign countries. This downsizing took place gradually, allowing the city to court new investment in other industries, thus avoiding the fate of many post-industrial cities and keeping it a very wealthy and prosperous area home to many high-income executives.

=== Transport ===
[[File:Clermont-tram-place-de-jaude.jpg|thumbnail|Tramway in Clermont-Ferrand]]
The [[Gare de Clermont-Ferrand|main railway station]] has connections to [[Paris]] and several regional destinations: Lyon, Moulins via [[Vichy]], [[Le Puy-en-Velay]], [[Aurillac]], [[Nîmes]], [[Issoire]], [[Montluçon]] and [[Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme|Thiers]].

The [[A71 autoroute|A71]] motorway connects Clermont-Ferrand with [[Orléans]] and [[Bourges]], the [[A75 autoroute|A75]] with [[Montpellier]] and the [[A89 autoroute|A89]] with [[Bordeaux]], Lyon and [[Saint-Étienne]] ([[A72 autoroute|A72]]). The [[Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport|airport]] offers flights within France. Recently, Clermont-Ferrand was France's first city to get a new [[Translohr]] transit system, the [[Clermont-Ferrand tramway]], thereby linking the city's north and south neighbourhoods.

The [[TGV]] will arrive in Auvergne after 2030. It will be one of the last regions not to have a TGV stop.

[[Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport]] serves only a handful of mostly domestic destinations. For international travel, the city is served by the nearest international airport, [[Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport]], which is located {{convert|190|km|abbr=on}} to the east of Clermont-Ferrand.

==Population==

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|9705|Clermont-Ferrand}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-63113#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |30000
|1800 |30000
|1806 |30982
|1821 |30010
|1831 |28257
|1836 |32427
|1841 |35152
|1846 |34083
|1851 |33516
|1856 |38160
|1861 |37275
|1866 |37461
|1872 |37357
|1876 |41772
|1881 |43033
|1886 |46718
|1891 |50119
|1896 |50870
|1901 |52933
|1906 |58363
|1911 |65386
|1921 |82577
|1926 |111711
|1931 |103143
|1936 |101128
|1946 |108090
|1954 |113391
|1962 |127547
|1968 |148759
|1975 |156763
|1982 |147224
|1990 |136181
|1999 |137140
|2007 |139501
|2012 |141569
|2017 |143886
}}

==Culture==
[[File:Fontaine place victoire 4.jpg|thumb|One of the 48 public [[fountain]]s with the cathedral in background. The fountain and the cathedral are made with the typical black volcanic stone of the area, named "[[pierre de Volvic]]".]]
Clermont-Ferrand was the home of mathematician and philosopher [[Blaise Pascal]], who tested [[Evangelista Torricelli]]'s hypothesis concerning the influence of [[Partial pressure|gas pressure]] on liquid equilibrium. This is the experiment in which a [[vacuum]] is created in a mercury tube; Pascal's experiment had his brother-in-law carry a [[barometer]] to the top of the [[Puy-de-Dôme (mountain)|Puy-de-Dôme]]. The [[Blaise Pascal University|Université Blaise-Pascal]] (or Clermont-Ferrand II) was located primarily in the city and is named after him.

{{anchor|Short Film Festival}}Clermont-Ferrand also hosts the [[Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival]], the world's first international short film festival, which originated in 1979. This festival, which brings thousands of people every year (137,000 in 2008) to the city, is the second [[Cinema of France|French film]] Festival after Cannes in terms of visitors, but ranks first for spectators (in Cannes, visitors are not allowed in theatres, only professionals). This festival has revealed many young talented directors who are now well known in France and internationally, such as [[Mathieu Kassovitz]], [[Cédric Klapisch]] and Éric Zonka.

Beside the short film festival, Clermont-Ferrand hosts more than twenty music, film, dance, theatre and video and digital art festivals every year. With more than 800 artistic groups from dance to music, Clermont-Ferrand and the Auvergne region's cultural life is significant in France. One of the city's nicknames is "The Liverpool of France". Groups such as The Elderberries and [[Cocoon (band)|Cocoon]] were formed there.

Additionally, the city was the subject of the acclaimed documentary ''[[The Sorrow and the Pity]]'', which used Clermont-Ferrand as the basis of the film, telling the story of France under [[Nazism|Nazi]] occupation and the [[Vichy regime]] of Marshal [[Philippe Pétain|Pétain]]. [[Pierre Laval]], Pétain's "handman", was an ''Auvergnat''.

''[[My Night at Maud's]]'' ({{langx|fr|Ma nuit chez Maud}}), a 1969 French [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] by [[Éric Rohmer]], was set and filmed in Clermont-Ferrand in and around Christmas Eve.<ref>James Monaco. ''The New Wave''. New York: Oxford University Press. 1976. p. 303.</ref> It is the third film (fourth in order of release) in his series of ''[[Six Moral Tales]]''. [[Pascal's wager]], a philosophical and theological [[thought experiment]] from [[Blaise Pascal]]'s ''[[Pensées]]'', is a major theme in the film. Pascal was born in Clermont-Ferrand in 1623.

The city also hosts ''[[L'Aventure Michelin]]'', the museum dedicated to the history of Michelin group.

===Sport===
A [[List of Formula One circuits|racing circuit]] close to the city, the [[Charade Circuit]], using closed-off [[Highway|public road]]s, held the [[French Grand Prix]] in [[1965 Formula One season|1965]], [[1969 Formula One season|1969]], [[1970 Formula One season|1970]] and [[1972 Formula One season|1972]]. It was a daunting circuit, with such harsh elevation changes that some drivers became ill as they drove. Winners included [[Jim Clark]], [[Jackie Stewart]] (twice), and [[Jochen Rindt]].

Clermont-Ferrand has some experience in hosting major international sports tournaments, including the FIBA [[EuroBasket 1999]]. The city was the finish of [[Tour de France]] stages in 1951 and 1959, and hosted the start of the [[2023 Tour de France Femmes]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-27 |title=Tour de France 2023: routes reach for the sky with limited sprint chances |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/oct/27/tour-de-france-announces-2023-routes |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

The city is also home to a [[rugby union]] club competing at international level, [[ASM Clermont Auvergne]], as well as [[Clermont Foot|Clermont Foot Auvergne]], a football club that has competed in France's top tier, [[Ligue 1]], since the 2021/22 season.

In the [[Rugby sevens|sevens version]] of rugby union, Clermont-Ferrand has hosted the [[France Women's Sevens]], the final event in each season's [[World Rugby Women's Sevens Series]], since [[2015-16 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series|2016]].

==Famous people==
=== Born in Clermont-Ferrand ===
[[File:Blaise Pascal Versailles.JPG|thumb|140px|[[Blaise Pascal]], {{Circa|1690}}]]
[[File:André Michelin 1920.jpg|thumb|140px|[[André Michelin]], 1920]]
[[File:Audrey Tautou janvier 2016.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Audrey Tautou]]]]
[[File:20130113 - PSG-Montpellier 086 - Laure Boulleau.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Laure Boulleau]]]]

* [[Avitus]] ({{circa|385|456}}), [[Roman emperor]] from the West from 455 to 456
* [[Fadela Amara]] (born 1964), feminist and politician
<!--* Pierre Bourdeau (1640)--> <!--Possibly the settler in Quebec-->
* [[Martine Blanc]] (born 1944), author and illustrator of ten books for children
* [[Dumaniant|Antoine-Jean Bourlin]] (1752–1828), known as ''[[Dumaniant]]'', comedian and [[Goguette|goguettier]]
* [[Thomas Cailley]] (born 1980), French screenwriter and film director
* [[Nicolas Chamfort]] (1741–1794), writer of [[epigram]]s and [[aphorism]]s<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Chamfort, Sebastien Roch Nicolas | volume= 5 | pages = 824&ndash;825 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Étienne Clémentel]] (1864–1936), politician, government minister and painter
* [[Cécile Coulon]] (born 1990), novelist, poet and short story writer
* [[Jacques Delille]] (1738 in Aigueperse – 1813). He translated Virgil's [[Georgics]] and wrote a didactic poem on gardening.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Delille, Jacques | volume= 7 | pages = 962&ndash;963 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Lolo Ferrari]] (1963–2000), dancer, actress and singer with very large breast implants
* [[Gregory of Tours]] ({{circa|538}} – 594), [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman]] historian and [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours|Bishop of Tours]]<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Gregory, St, of Tours | volume= 12 |last1= Pfister |first1= Christian |author1-link= Christian Pfister | pages = 564&ndash;565 |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Ginette Hamelin]] (1913–1944), French engineer and architect, member of the French resistance, died in a concentration camp
* [[Annelise Hesme]] (born 1976), actress and player of cello and piano
* [[Thierry Laget]] (born 1959), writer, winner of the 1992 [[Prix Fénéon]]
* [[Edmond Lemaigre]] (1849–1890), composer and organist
* [[Antoine de Lhoyer]] (1768–1852), composer, guitarist and soldier
* [[Bernard Loiseau]] (1951–2003), celebrity [[chef]]
* [[François-Bernard Mâche]] (born 1935), composer of contemporary music
* [[Antoine François Marmontel]] (1816–1898), pianist and teacher at the [[Conservatoire de Paris|Paris Conservatory]]
* [[Léon Melchissédec]] (1843–1925), baritone and teacher at the [[Conservatoire de Paris|Paris Conservatory]]
* [[André Michelin]] (1853–1931) and [[Édouard Michelin (industrialist)|Édouard Michelin]] (1859–1940), creators of the [[Michelin]] tyre group, whose global headquarters are still located in Clermont-Ferrand
* [[Léonard Morel-Ladeuil]] (1820–1888), goldsmith and sculptor<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Morel-Ladeuil, Léonard | volume= 18 | page = 829 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[George Onslow (composer)|George Onslow]] (1784–1853), composer, mainly of chamber music
* [[Victor Pachon]] (1867–1938), physiologist. He worked on [[blood pressure]].
* [[Paloma (drag queen)|Paloma]] (born 1991), drag queen. Winner of the first season of [[Drag Race France (season 1)|Drag Race France]].
* [[Blaise Pascal]] (1623–1662), mathematician, [[physicist]] and religious philosopher<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Pascal, Blaise | volume= 20 |last1= Saintsbury |first1= George |author1-link= George Saintsbury ||last2= Chrystal |first2= George |author2-link= George Chrystal | pages = 878&ndash;881 |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Jacqueline Pascal]] (1625–1661), child prodigy, youngest sister of [[Blaise Pascal]]. She composed verses <ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Pascal, Jacqueline | volume= 20 | page = 881 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Gilberte Périer]] (1620–1687), biographer, eldest sister of [[Blaise Pascal]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Étienne Pascal - Biography |url=https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Pascal_Etienne/ |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=Maths History |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Dominique Perrault]] (born 1953), architect. He designed the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France|French National Library]].
* [[Henri Pognon]] (1853–1921), epigrapher, archaeologist and diplomat
* [[Henri Quittard]] (1864–1919), composer, musicologist and music critic
* [[François Dominique de Reynaud, Comte de Montlosier]] (1755–1838), politician and political writer<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Montlosier, François Dominique de Reynaud, Comte de | volume= 18 | page = 786 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Peire Rogier]] (born ca. 1145), Auvergnat troubadour (fl. 1160 – 1180) and cathedral canon
* [[Audrey Tautou]] (born 1976), actress and model
* [[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin]] (1881–1955), philosopher, [[Jesuits|Jesuit priest]] and [[Paleontology|paleontologist]]
* [[Alexandre Kantorow]] (born 1997), pianist

==== Sport ====
[[File:Gabriella Papadakis at the 2018 Olympics.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Gabriella Papadakis]], 2018]]
* [[Chakir Ansari]] (born 1991), Moroccan freestyle wrestler. He competed at the [[2016 Summer Olympics]].
* [[Laure Boulleau]] (born 1986), footballer with 216 club caps and 65 for [[France women's national football team|France women]] 
* [[Patrick Depailler]] (1944–1980), [[Formula One]] driver
* [[Yves Dreyfus]] (1931–2021), epee fencer, bronze medalist at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]]<ref>[http://data.bnf.fr/16174910/yves_dreyfus/ Yves Dreyfus - Auteur - Ressources de la Bibliothèque nationale de France<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Raphaël Géminiani]] (1925–2024), French former road bicycle racer
* [[Jordan Lotiès]] (born 1984), footballer with 370 club caps
* [[Émile Mayade]] (1853–1898), motoring pioneer and racing driver
* [[Darline Nsoki]] (born 1989), basketball player
* [[Vincent Cé Ougna]] (born 1985), former footballer
* [[Gabriella Papadakis]] (born 1995), [[ice dancer]], Olympic champion ([[Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Ice dance|2022]]), Olympic silver medalist ([[Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Ice dance|2018]]), five-time world champion ([[2015 World Figure Skating Championships|2015]], [[2016 World Figure Skating Championships|2016]], [[2018 World Figure Skating Championships|2018]], [[2019 World Figure Skating Championships|2019]], [[2022 World Figure Skating Championships|2022]]) and five-time European champion ([[2015 European Figure Skating Championships|2015]]–[[2019 European Figure Skating Championships|2019]])
* [[Émile Pladner]] (1906–1980), flyweight champion boxer; 104 wins, 16 losses and 13 draws
* [[Jean-Louis Rosier]] (1925–2011), racing driver 
* [[Aurélien Rougerie]] (born 1980), [[rugby union]] player, with 417 club caps and 47 for [[France national rugby union team|France]]
* [[Christian Sarron]] (born 1955), Grand Prix motorcycle road racer
* [[Gauthier de Tessières]] (born 1981), World Cup alpine ski racer
* [[Rémi Cavagna]] (born 1995), professional road cyclist

===Resident in Clermont-Ferrand===
[[File:Claude Lanzmann 2014.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Claude Lanzmann]]]]
* [[Sidonius Apollinaris]] (c. 430 – after 489), [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman]] poet, diplomat and bishop<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Apollinaris Sidonius, Caius Sollius | volume= 2 | page = 183 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Henri Bergson]] (1859–1941), philosopher
* [[Olivier Bianchi]] (born 1970), politician and Mayor of Clermont-Ferrand since 2014
* [[Paul Bourget]] (1852–1935), novelist and critic<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bourget, Paul Charles Joseph | volume= 4 | pages = 331&ndash;332 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Ivor Bueb]] (1923–1959), British professional sports car racing and [[Formula One]] driver
* [[Anton Docher]] (1852–1928), "The Padre of Isleta", Roman Catholic priest, missionary and defender of the Indians. He lived in the pueblo of Isleta, in the state of [[New Mexico]], for 34 years.
* [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]] (1927–2020), [[president of France]] from 1974 to 1981. He lived in the city of [[Chamalières]], part of Clermont-Ferrand's metropolitan area.
* [[Claude Lanzmann]] (1925–2018), filmmaker. He attended the Lycée Blaise-Pascal.

== Education ==
Education is also an important sector in the economy of Clermont-Ferrand.

The [[University of Clermont Auvergne]] (formed in 2017 from a merger of [[Blaise Pascal University|Université Blaise Pascal]] and [[University of Auvergne|Université d'Auvergne]]) is located in the city and has a total student population of over 37,000,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cache.media.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/file/Atlas_2012-2013/27/8/Atlas_1213_Web_316278.pdf |title=Atlas Régional |publisher=le ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche |language=French |page=51 |date=April 2014 |access-date=19 June 2015 |archive-date=27 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427212456/http://cache.media.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/file/Atlas_2012-2013/27/8/Atlas_1213_Web_316278.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> along with [[faculty (teaching staff)|university faculty]] and staff.

With around 2,700 students, [[Polytechnic Institute of Clermont-Auvergne|Clermont Auvergne INP]] is the biggest engineering graduate school in the city.

A division of [[École polytechnique universitaire de Clermont-Auvergne|Polytech]] (an engineering school of Clermont Auvergne INP) located in Clermont-Ferrand made the news when two of its students, [[New Cross double murder|Laurent Bonomo]] and [[New Cross double murder|Gabriel Ferez]], were murdered in June 2008 while enrolled in a program at Imperial College in London in what was to be known as the [[New Cross double murder]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4265622.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013134346/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4265622.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 October 2008 |title=Police baffled by horrific end of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez |work=The Times |location=UK |date= 4 July 2008|access-date=5 May 2009  | first1=Adam | last1=Fresco | first2=Fran | last2=Yeoman | first3=Marcus | last3=Leroux}}</ref>

The [[ESC Clermont Business School]], created in 1919, is also located in the city.

== Twin towns – sister cities ==
Clermont-Ferrand is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Jumelages|url=http://international.clermont-ferrand.fr/-Jumelages-.html|website=international.clermont-ferrand.fr|publisher=Clermont-Ferrand|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-12|archive-date=12 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112163555/http://international.clermont-ferrand.fr/-Jumelages-.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Aberdeen]], Scotland (since 1983)
*{{flagicon|POR}} [[Braga]], Portugal
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Gomel]], Belarus
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Norman, Oklahoma]], United States
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Oviedo]], Spain
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Regensburg]], Germany (since 1969)
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[City of Salford|Salford]], England, United Kingdom
{{div col end}}

==See also==
*[[Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department]]
*[[Jaude Centre]]
*[[List of works by Auguste Carli]]
*[[List of twin towns and sister cities in France]]
*[[Trémonteix sanctuary]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Clermont-Ferrand#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Clermont-Ferrand}}
*{{cite book |title=Choices in Vichy France: The French under Nazi Occupation |location=New York |year=1986 |first=John F. |last=Sweets |author-link=John F. Sweets}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{wikivoyage|Clermont-Ferrand}}
{{EB1911 poster|Clermont-Ferrand}}
*{{in lang|fr}} [https://clermont-ferrand.fr Town hall website]
*{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.clermontauvergnetourisme.com Tourist office] 
*{{in lang|en}} [https://visitclermontferrand.com Visit Clermont Ferrand] 
*{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.clermontferrand.com Unofficial Clermont-Ferrand website]
* [http://archive.joan-of-arc.org/joanofarc_letter_Nov_7_1429.html Joan of Arc's Letter to Clermont-Ferrand] – Translation by Allen Williamson of an entry concerning Joan of Arc's letter to this city on 7 November 1429.

{{Cities in France}}
{{Prefectures of departments of France}}
{{Puy-de-Dôme communes}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clermontferrand}}
[[Category:Clermont-Ferrand| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Puy-de-Dôme]]
[[Category:Massif Central]]
[[Category:Prefectures in France]]
[[Category:Cities in France]]
[[Category:Gallia Aquitania]]
[[Category:Auvergne]]