ST ETIENNE, FRANCE | By a Stéphanoise: a big thread
 

:) Here is my thread on St Etienne, my city, Sainté as all Stéphanois call it. in addition to Bordercityboy's thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=145104)

175 000 inhabitants, surrounded by 7 hills, close to Pilat regional park, 1 hour drive from Lyon, an average french city which would like to be more
estimated than it is now, this will probably never change despites our Mayor's efforts.

Sainté is known in France as a black city, first because of its coal mines which were closed during the seventies (I've just discovered that finally, it's not so old!!)
and secondly due to its important industrial past : lots of metal industries but also ribbons companies, bicycles and of course weapons.

This last one was an important part of St Etienne industries so let me explain a little:

In the 16th century the arms factory became the official arms manufacture for the king François 1er, and, just before the French revolution,
this part will interest American readers, in 1776, a stéphanois named Jean-Joseph Carrier de Monthieu and M. de Montbeillard who worked
at the St Etienne weapons manufacture, get, from the king Louis XV, the agreement to produce guns for the US Patriots, which were used for the Saratoga battle.

So I'm pleased to say that, as Lafayette, my city helped the US to get their independence. :yes:

Here it is: http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...usquet1776.jpg

1766 "Charleville (The first model of the US arsenal at Springfield in 1795 was a copy of Charleville)

That's why in the street where I live you can see this: http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...ne/America.jpg Amazing isn't it :notacrook:

St Etienne win the nickname of Armeville (weapon city) and kept manufacturing weapons through the centuries, tanks, guns (FAMAS: Fusil d'Assaut
de la Manufacture d'Armes de St Etienne) anti-tanks weapons... until 2000 when it was definitly closed.
The site is being renovating since last year to become the Cité du Design in 2009 if everything goes OK.

St Etienne is also the home of "Les Verts" soccer team and the head office of the Casino group, the first supermarket chains in France
(a leader as Carrefour or Walmart), Geoffroy Guichard who created the company gave his name to the stadium.

Since the seventies, this worker city had to face with many industrial plants closings: Manufrance (cycles), MAS and GIAT (arms)...,
increasing the unemployment rate.
These economic matters gave a bad look to the city with empty warehouses, old plants...that's why it kept its "black city" name in France.

But for the last 5 years, things change and the city is now showing a new face, its industrial past has been slowly removed with big urban projects.
A politic of outside opening to get investment and to develop high level industry is led by the mayor. (http://www.st-etienne-metropole.com/article16.html)
(This is a good thing but if you want my opinion, I think this is too much, our mayor seems to believe he's at the head of a top 5 French cities :koko:
but St Etienne will always be an average city 40 miles southwest of Lyon which is a city that really count! nothing will change that.)

Now let's appreciate what it became, not so bad finally and not a black city anymore:

1. Small panorama----------------------------------------------->>>>>>>>>>>-------------------------------move------------------------------------------------------------------->>>>>

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/d98c1301.jpg

2.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/0dba03a5.jpg

3. Courriot coal mine shaft which became a museum

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/7814dc1c.jpg

4.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/07d5341d.jpg

5. From the Clapier railroad station

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/28d4f67f.jpg

6. The museum entrance

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/6add84e9.jpg

7. I guess this is mine workers' protector

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/40e48f6c.jpg

8. The old weapons factory

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/a271c770.jpg

9.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/c6f71ae5.jpg

10. Geoffroy Guichard soccer stadium and, to the right, the Zenith construction, a big concert hall

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/642b67ff.jpg

11. No comment

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/eaf06e42.jpg

12.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/0af1eafa.jpg

13. Some views of the city

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/f5af884f.jpg

14.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/5dc807a8.jpg

15. Another "crassier" (hill of waste from the old coal mine)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/ae284438.jpg

16. Near Châteaucreux railroad station

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/36bc7764.jpg

17. The railroad station and its brand new parking lot

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/c2f0d038.jpg

18.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/2155e8ca.jpg

19. Our tram on its brand new line, it has been operating without interruption for 123 years
(the only one in this case in France, even if many cities are now getting it back due to traffic and pollution)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/f42aea69.jpg

20.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/55ad2f9d.jpg

21. Downtown - Place Jean Jaurès viewed from the left

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/b4ebef82.jpg

22. ...to the right

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/891161c4.jpg

22bis. Pano ------------------------------------------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>--------------move--------------------------------------------------->>>>>>>>>>

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/64b621d3.jpg

23. Restaurants: in summer, all the Jean Jaurès place become a big terrace

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/3bfde92e.jpg

24. Part of St Charles Cathedral

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/379a40d4.jpg

25.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/ef0c9b9d.jpg

26.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/Saint011.jpg

27. More restaurants (:yes: Yes in France we love eating!)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/7930ed99.jpg

28.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/ce41ee98.jpg

29.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/a1d48cc3.jpg

30. The Prefecture (office of the prefet, the cops' boss)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/ef430e63.jpg

31.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/ba3af42d.jpg

32. The Grand'rue with the tram

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/2130234f.jpg

33. City Hall (almost the same photo than Border city boy: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=145104)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/7ac27026.jpg

34.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/876e01f3.jpg

35. Place Dorian

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/4ea140ef.jpg

36.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/4aa248fd.jpg

37. Rue de la République (always with big traffic the week days)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/9de19150.jpg

38. Place du Peuple newly renovated (a tram line has been added)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/995608e3.jpg

39.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/a4cc401b.jpg

40. Trams again (Eh!! this is one of Sainté symbols!)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/96bda589.jpg

41. Middle ages buidings known as "La droguerie de la Tour"

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/12e5222e.jpg

42. Again! on the Grand'rue

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/65345cd5.jpg

43. Nice building on Liberation Avenue

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/0dc13609.jpg

44.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/ffc82eae.jpg

45.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/dc189432.jpg

46. La Grande Poste

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/b38e6755.jpg

47. St Jean pedestrian street (the flashy yellow building: a revenge to
the mayor who forced Stéphanois to use yellow for renovation!! :D )

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/9cec11d1.jpg

48. Brand new renovated "Halles": covered market

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/63458ebd.jpg

49. Beaux Arts (Fine arts school)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/b9f9cf4c.jpg

50. Another pedestrian street

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/83f835a9.jpg

51. Quartier St Jacques and Rue des Martyres de Vingré: Middle ages houses

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/76201d42.jpg

52.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/a5b73061.jpg

53.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/ebc54c9e.jpg

54.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/c3d7efb5.jpg

55. La Grand'rue

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/4a8afc85.jpg

56. Under the city hall

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/48b1c0a5.jpg

57.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/5163c2fa.jpg

58. Reflects

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/a3153f35.jpg

59. Views from my appartment

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/f215c0a1.jpg

60.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/86da7adc.jpg

61. Good night

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/711a3fd3.jpg

These pics was taken last Sunday, early in the morning, which explains there's not a lot of people.
Week days there's many more but not too many cars as it's almost impossible to drive on the Grand' rue,
streets are narrow and many of them are one way only or pedestrian, Grand Cherockee or 4x4 Toyota still OK but Hummer is not recommended!

This is end for today, I will post more in next days to show the Cité du Design site which is still under construction.

Hope you enjoy this thread, in any case I enjoyed writting it even if it was a little bit difficult to resume the history of the city and translating it
into English at the same time, I hope I didn't make too many mistakes and that's understandable.

:)

Definitely a great looking place.

Not many comments, maybe I should have wait to post another thread on St Etienne. :(

Anyway, here's some pics from The Cité du Design, it's being built on the former national arms factory, most of the old buildings will be renovated and a new one will be added : the "deck" and an observatory tower reminding a coal mine shaft.
It'll have in the same place a school, exhibition areas, a research center, auditorium... its purpose will be to unite all players in the design industry.
St Etienne has already The international biennal event of design, so this project, led by the architect Finn Geipel, will help to achieve the city's goal to become the undisputed design capital of France. (http://www.st-etienne-metropole.com/The-city-of-design-Saint-etienne.html)

1. The Finn Geipel project(http://www.agglo-st-etienne.fr/decou...tre_design.htm)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...ueaerienne.jpg

2. GE (the tower is still laid down) and Virtual Earth views (St Etienne is in high res in both)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...itduDesign.jpg

3.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...rtualearth.jpg

4. Entering former national arms factory (big part of our industrial past we've just discovered, about 2 years ago, this place as the whole site was surrounded with high walls: nothing should be seen!)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign000.jpg

5. Caution: military zone, no trespassing

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign026.jpg

6. Old buildings on the background and the construction of the "deck" on the foreground

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign003.jpg

7.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign004.jpg

8. The clock building (missing it has been stolen :shrug: )

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign008.jpg

About just 2 years before:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i.../ManuPhoto.jpg
(http://vieux.saint.etienne.club.fr/patrimoiMAS.htm#2)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...Manubefore.jpg
(http://www.forez-info.com/component/option,com_copperminevis/Itemid,138/place,displayimage/album,7/pos,6/)

9. The observatory tower (28 meters: 92 feet)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign010.jpg

10.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign015.jpg

11.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign017.jpg

12. Inside

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign019.jpg

13.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign020.jpg

14.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign022.jpg

15. Still a long work to go...

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign025.jpg

16.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign027.jpg

17. The clock building's back

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign029.jpg

18.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign031.jpg

19. This part is almost finished

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign032.jpg

20.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign034.jpg

21.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign035.jpg

22.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign037.jpg

23. "Street art" ???

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign058.jpg

24. Optics and Vision research center (part of Jean Monnet University) which has just been rehabilitated built on the GIAT factory site, the recent name of the weapons factory until 2000 when it closed: Groupement Industriel de l'Armée de Terre: Army Industrial Group.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign041.jpg

25.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign043.jpg

26.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...uDesign044.jpg

All these pics except those I credited was taken by me.

:)

Really nice :tup:
I did not knew Saint Etienne, only it is tram wich is not Citadis ore a TMF like most french light rails. :)

I used to see often the platform of St Etienne station in the end of 90's.
For going to Lyon, I used the nantes Lyon corail line. Now I live in paris, so I take the TGV.

;) Thanks for your comments!!

The Nantes Lyon line, it's a very long trip, and still today, I've some friends using Lorient - St Etienne, there are several connections, it's almost a 12 hours trip!! :dead:

Excellent! It looks a lot different from my photos of 2006.

I'll have to plan for a return visit in 2009 when the Cité du Design is done. You are very lucky to live in a great city. You have a good location, close to Lyon, on a major rail line, and your apartment is in an excellent location as well.

I can't wait to return.

Thanks, and yes the city has being really improved since the last 2/3 years, and there's still many projects underway, I think within about 5 years, St Etienne will have a new face and will definitely lost its black & worker's city nickname.
However, in 1 month, we'll have municipals elections in France, and our Mayor may lose his position then make a break/stop to urban development.

The thing is, all these projects, those already finished as the new ones, for instance the development of a new business district located near Châteaucreux railroad station (where Casino group headquarter has just moved to its brand new building :tup: ), cost a lot of money with the risk for the city to go bankrupcy that's why attracting new companies and investors from outside is the main goal and issue of St Etienne Métropole.
So, we'll see what will be the future.

Anyway, if you come here next year, PM me we could organize something: a what's new visit!

and its also the beautiful city that gave the world this beautiful and kick ass sexy gun: The famas

http://www.mirage2000.com.tw/images/...n/FAMAS-F1.jpg

http://www.mirage2000.com.tw/images/...n/FAMAS-F1.jpg
:slob:

yes, written just a few lines below your quote! sorry for that :D but we're not the only place on earth to produce guns!! ;)

I'm going to france in a month or two....how far is st-etienne from Paris and far is it from Nice respectively?

Rico, it's about 2 hours by TGV train from Paris, if you get the direct train to St. Etienne. If you don't get the direct one, you have to transfer in Lyon. Then it's about 2+30 hours give or take.

I'm not sure from Nice.

Thanks!

Sound as if everybody wants to come to St Etienne, thanks for the interest.
And yes Border City boy is right, nearly 3 hours from Paris, 2 hours to reach Lyon, which worth to be visited, then 1 hour to St Etienne, with TGV or other train (this part of the line is not speedy). I don't know exactly from Nice but I'll check.
There's many things to visit around here, how long long will you stay in France?

Ca depend, je fais un tour a Nice puis en suite je me bounce pour paris ou je reste pendent une ou deux semaines et en suite je ne sais pas, je veux improviser, aller explorer la france interieur et puis peut-etre aller vers Instabul et peut-etre plus loins!

Si tu fais un stop dans la région avant de remonter sur Paris : Nice Lyon avec le TGV, il faut compter 4h30 environ d'après ce que j'ai pu trouvé sur le site web de la sncf, puis Lyon St Etienne, 1h avec le TER.
Voilà! :)

Delightful city!

Thanks! but still a lot of work to do!

nice shots. beautiful city. well done.

St. Etienne looks great. I'm especially digging that first pano. Nice job!

Nice, pretty much all I knew about this city was the football club. Sainté certainly is a classic team - so are Magic Fans 91 and Green Angels. ;)