Sisteron
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Sisteron in 2004
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 Sisteron
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Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region
Sisteron
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| Coordinates: 44°11′28″N 5°56′50″E / 44.1911°N 5.9472°ECoordinates: 44°11′28″N 5°56′50″E / 44.1911°N 5.9472°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | |
| Arrondissement | Forcalquier | |
| Canton | Sisteron | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Daniel Spagnou | |
| Area1 | 50.25 km2 (19.40 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 7,326 | |
| • Density | 150/km2 (380/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04209 /04200 | |
| Elevation | 448–1,145 m (1,470–3,757 ft) (avg. 485 m or 1,591 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.
Sisteron (Occitan: Sisteron in classical norm or Sisteroun in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Sisteron is situated on the banks of the River Durance just after the confluence of the rivers Buëch and Sasse. It is sometimes called the "Gateway to Provence" because it is in a narrow gap between two long mountain ridges.
It is 135 km (84 mi) from Marseille, also 135 km (84 mi) from Grenoble, 180 km (110 mi) from Nice and 40 km (25 mi) from Forcalquier.
Sisteron has been inhabited for 4000 years. The Romans used the route through Sisteron as can be shown by a Latin inscription in the rocks near the road to Authon. It escaped the barbarian invasions after the fall of Rome, but was ravaged by the Saracens. It was first fortified by the Counts of Forcalquier in the 11th century and later was the northern boundary of the domain of the Counts of Provence. In 1483 during the reign of Louis XI, Sisteron re-joined the kingdom of France. Around this time there were seven plagues that killed two thirds of the population. Between 1562 and 1594 the town and its citadelle was fought over by Protestants and Catholics including two sieges. During this time the walls of the town were built. The plague returned in 1630, and typhus in 1744, killing many of the town's population.
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