Forcalquier
| Forcalquier | ||
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A general view of Forcalquier, with the Luberon Massif in the background
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 Forcalquier
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Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region
Forcalquier
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| Coordinates: 43°57′36″N 5°46′50″E / 43.96°N 5.7806°ECoordinates: 43°57′36″N 5°46′50″E / 43.96°N 5.7806°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | |
| Arrondissement | Forcalquier | |
| Canton | Forcalquier | |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Forcalquier et Montagne de Lure | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014–2020) | Christophe Castaner (PS) | |
| Area1 | 42.76 km2 (16.51 sq mi) | |
| Population (2009)2 | 4,640 | |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04088 /04300 | |
| Elevation | 397–904 m (1,302–2,966 ft) (avg. 550 m or 1,800 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Forcalquier (French pronunciation: [fɔʁ.kal.kje]; Occitan: Forcauquier pronounced [fuɾkɔwˈkje]) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.
Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about 30 km (19 mi) south of Sisteron and 10 km (6.2 mi) west of the Durance river. In the Middle Ages it was the capital of Haute-Provence.
Furnus Calcarius was the Latin name, from the lime kilns used in Roman times. (A Roman bridge still stands in the valley to the south of the town.) Its Provençal name is Fourcauquié. At the end of the 11th century, a family of the Counts of Provence created the comté de Forcalquier that remained an independent state through the 12th century.
During this time, the town of Forcalquier was the capital of Haute Provence along the Durance, which included the towns of Manosque, Sisteron, Gap and Embrun. Forcalquier minted its own currency, and its church was elevated to the status of a "concathedral".
The Counts of Forcalquier grew to a power that could defy the Counts of Provence. Rivalry ended in 1195 when Gersende de Sabran, comtesse de Forcalquier, married Alfonso II, the Count of Provence. Their son, Ramon Bérenger IV inherited the two counties.
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