Albi

Episcopal City of Albi
UNESCO World Heritage Site
	Sainte-Cécile cathedral in Albi
Criteria	Cultural: (iv)(v)
Reference	1337
Inscription	2010 (34th Session)

Albi
Albi
Prefecture and commune
	Albi featuring the Sainte-Cécile cathedral and the Pont Vieux (old bridge) over the river Tarn.
	Coat of arms
	Location of Albi
	Albi Albi
	Coordinates: 43°55′44″N 2°08′47″E / 43.9289°N 2.1464°E
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Department	Tarn
Arrondissement	Albi
Canton	Albi-1 ; Albi-2 ; Albi-3 ; Albi-4
Intercommunality	Albigeois
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Stéphanie Guiraud-Chaumeil
Area 1	44.26 km2 (17.09 sq mi)
Population (2016)	49,024
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	81004 /81000
Elevation	130–308 m (427–1,010 ft) ; (avg. 169 m or 554 ft)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Episcopal City of Albi
Criteria	Cultural: iv, v
Reference	1337
Inscription	2010 (34th Session)
Area	19.47 ha
Buffer zone	64.09 ha
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Albi (Occitan: Albi) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, in the Occitanie region. It is on the side of the Tarn river, about 85 km (53 mi) to the northeast of Toulouse.

It is the seat of the Archbishop of Albi. The cathedral and the part of the city around it (the Episcopal City) was made a World Heritage Sites in 2010.^[1]

History

The first human settlement in Albi was in the Bronze Age (3000-600 BC). After the Roman conquest of Gaul in 51 BC, the town became Civitas Albigensium, the city of the Albigeois.

The Cathars had their main centre at Albi and so they were known also as Albigens after the city. The Cathar movement was a branch of Christianity which was persecuted in the Middle Ages. Because of this, the city was almost completely destroyed in a crusade between 1209 and 1229. Since 1678, the city is the seat of an archbishop. Since 1790, it is the capital city of the Tarn department.

Geography

Albi is in southern France, in the centre of the Tarn department. The Tarn flows through the city and splits it in two; the historical city is on the left side of the river. Several small rivers, tributaries of the Tarn, flows also through the city.

It has an area of 44.26 km² (17.09 sq mi) and its average altitude is 169 m (554 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 174 m (571 ft).^[2]

Albi and its neighboring *communes*

The commune is at 85 km (53 mi) northeast of Toulouse and the closest cities are Castres, Toulouse, Mazamet, Graulhet, Lavaur, Gaillac, Montauban, Rodez et Carmaux. It is surrounded by the communes Lescure-d'Albigeois to the north; Saint-Juéry to the northeast; Cunac and Cambon to the east; Fréjairolles to the southeast; Puygouzon to the south; Le Sequestre, Carlus and Saliès to the southwest; Terssac, Marssac-sur-Tarn, Florentin, Rouffiac, Cagnac-les-Mines, Castelnau-de-Lévis.

Climate

The climate of Albi is an oceanic climate with template summers, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.^[3]

The average temperature for the year in Albi is 13.4 °C (56.1 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 22.3 °C (72.1 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 5.4 °C (41.7 °F).

The highest recorded temperature in Albi is 41.4 °C (106.5 °F), which was recorded in August. The lowest recorded temperature in Albi is −20.4 °C (−4.7 °F), which was recorded in January.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Albi is 1,023.6 mm (40.3 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is November with 101.6 mm (4.0 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is July with an average of 66 mm (2.6 in).

Climate data for Albi, Tarn, France
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	9.4 (48.9)	11.2 (52.2)	14.7 (58.5)	17.4 (63.3)	21.6 (70.9)	25.5 (77.9)	28.7 (83.7)	28.4 (83.1)	24.7 (76.5)	19.7 (67.5)	13.2 (55.8)	9.8 (49.6)	18.7 (65.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.4 (41.7)	6.5 (43.7)	9.3 (48.7)	11.8 (53.2)	15.9 (60.6)	19.6 (67.3)	22.3 (72.1)	22.0 (71.6)	18.5 (65.3)	14.6 (58.3)	9.1 (48.4)	6.0 (42.8)	13.4 (56.1)
Average low °C (°F)	1.4 (34.5)	1.7 (35.1)	3.8 (38.8)	6.2 (43.2)	10.2 (50.4)	13.6 (56.5)	15.8 (60.4)	15.6 (60.1)	12.3 (54.1)	9.5 (49.1)	4.9 (40.8)	2.1 (35.8)	8.1 (46.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	91.9 (3.62)	79.8 (3.14)	78.7 (3.10)	90.8 (3.57)	95.7 (3.77)	77.5 (3.05)	65.6 (2.58)	75.0 (2.95)	74.1 (2.92)	93.4 (3.68)	101.3 (3.99)	99.1 (3.90)	1,022.9 (40.27)
Source: Weatherbase.com [1]

Population

The inhabitants of Albi are known, in French, as Albigeois (women: Albigeoises).^[4]

The city of Albi has a population, in 2014, of 49,531;^[5] its population density is of 1,119 inhabitants/km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1793	11,176	—
1800	9,649	−2.08%
1806	10,061	+0.70%
1821	10,644	+0.38%
1831	11,665	+0.92%
1836	11,801	+0.23%
1841	12,408	+1.01%
1846	14,211	+2.75%
1851	13,788	−0.60%
1856	14,636	+1.20%
1861	15,493	+1.14%
1866	16,596	+1.38%
1872	17,469	+0.86%
1876	19,169	+2.35%
1881	20,379	+1.23%
1886	21,224	+0.82%
1891	20,903	−0.30%
1896	21,948	+0.98%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	22,571	+0.56%
1906	23,303	+0.64%
1911	25,100	+1.50%
1921	26,628	+0.59%
1926	29,015	+1.73%
1931	29,351	+0.23%
1936	30,293	+0.63%
1946	34,342	+1.26%
1954	34,693	+0.13%
1962	38,709	+1.38%
1968	42,930	+1.74%
1975	46,162	+1.04%
1982	45,947	−0.07%
1990	46,579	+0.17%
1999	46,274	−0.07%
2007	48,889	+0.69%
2012	49,231	+0.14%
2017	48,970	−0.11%

Source: EHESS^[6] and INSEE (1968-2017)^[7]

Administration

Albi is the prefecture of the Tarn department since 1797. It is also the capital of four Cantons:

Albi-1, formed with a part of Albi (15,740 inhabitants) (2014)
Albi-2, formed with a part of Albi and 5 other communes (18,332 inhabitants) (2014)
Albi-3, formed with a part of Albi and 8 other communes (18,145 habitants) (2014)
Albi-4, formed with a part of Albi and 2 other communes (19,064 inhabitants) (2014)

It is part of the intercommunality Albigeois (French: Communauté d'agglomération de l'Albigeois).

Cathedral

St. Cecile´s cathedral is built like a fortress, in a gothic style. The cathedral is built in a very special style. Inside, there are frescoes from the Renaissance, worth a visit.

The cathedral has walls which are up to 6 m (20 ft) thick. This makes it the biggest brick building in the world.

Museum

There is a museum dedicated to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the city. De Touluose-Lautrec was born in the city. There are also paintings of other people in the museum.