Description:

Geography and Transport

Cognac is a town (15.5km²) situated in the extreme west of the Charente Region at a maximum altitude of 53m.  The town is by-passed by the N141 that carries traffic between Saintes (28km West) and Angouleme (43km East).  The A10 motorway can be accessed at Saintes and this facilitates good access to Poitiers in the North and to Bordeaux in the South.  The nearest airport is at Angouleme, indeed the name of the airport was recently changed to Angouleme (Cognac), to coincide with the start of budget services to and from the UK (3 times a week).  Cognac has access to the regional railway (TER), and this gives access to the TGV at Angouleme, which can have you in Paris in 2h20m.
See also:  Jarnac

Climate

The Maritime climate here means that summers are warm (and occasionally very warm) and winters are generally mild.  Average summer temperatures are between 24C and 27C (13C to 15C night), and in winter this drops to 9C to 11C (3C to 4C night).  Driest months are March, July and August (around 32mm), with the wettest months being October to December (52 to 59mm).  Cognac is part of a zone which receives over 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

There is much more to Cognac than the drink for which it is famed.  It is a medieval town with narrow cobbled streets, and the white stone buildings blackened by evaporating alcohol (referred to as the Angels share).  The old quarter (St Jacques) has an open-air market, and mooring facilities on the Charente River that runs through the town.  In terms of architecture, there is the 12^th Century St Leger Church with its rose window, and the 13^th Century Chateau des Valois that now houses one of the major cognac producers. 

Cognac has been produced here since the 16^th Century, and there are many facilities available to the tourist who wishes to learn more about how it is made, how it tastes and the history of both the place and the drink.  The Etapes du Cognac are a series five colour-coded itineraries (of almost 200 signposted trails) that help you experience the countryside, vineyards and local people and culture.  The Espace Decouverte near the marina is a good place to learn a little about the Cognac Region, and better still it is free.  Photography traces the history of the Charente River and its role in Cognac's development, and there are also interactive attractions. 

Amongst other places of interest there is a large and modern Saint Gobain Glassworks here, which offers guided tours, and it is possible to take a trip on a replica ‘gabare' flat bottomed boat (la Dame Jeanne), historically used for transporting goods between Angouleme and the sea. There is an 18 hole golf course (between Jarnac and La Maurie) offering views over vineyards and the river, and at La Base Plein Air it is possible to hire canoes, kayaks, pedal-boats, water bikes and electric boats for up to 7 people.

Cognac has a busy schedule of events, with both La Fete du Cognac (free concerts/dancing) and Blues Passions (blues festival) during July, the Cognac Electro Festival (25 artists covering different electro music  genres) during August, and the Coupe de Chauffe (street theatre festival) during September.

Economy

Cognac is part of the Cognac economic zone, which has an unemployment rate of 8.3%, compared against the regional rate of 8.6% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).  Not surprisingly the economy here is about cognac production, with the big distilleries at the top of the list for big companies here.  The Saint Gobain Glassworks is said to employ around 400 people.    As cognac is now a global export, the economy here is said to be largely recession-proof.

Facilities

Cognac offers many facilities as you would expect for a town of this size, and this includes many restaurants offering international cuisine, including seafood, Charentais, Moroccan, Chinese, traditional and gourmand.  The town has a municipal swimming pool and there is municipal camping available (160 pitches).  

Education

There are 8 state nurseries (Maternelle) 6 state primary schools and 3 state secondary chools (College).  There are two state colleges (Lycee) and there are private options available at primary, secondary and college levels.

Key Stats

The majority of properties in Cognac are main residences 88.8%, and this is higher than the national average.  1.9% of properties are classed as second homes.  There are marginally more people aged 60 or over than the national average (23.9% vs 21.3%), and the number of retired people is also higher (20.8% vs 18.2%).  23.2% of the population are under 19 years of age and there are fewer males than females resident here (46% vs 54%).

Key Facilities and Services:

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