Title: Montauban Content: Montauban  is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi- Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the préfecture (capital) of the department. The town, built mainly with reddish bricks, is on the right bank of the Tarn river at its confluence with the Tescou. It was one of the first bastides in history. ==History== Together with Mont-de-Marsan, Montauban is one of the oldest towns with walls (a bastide) in southern France. It was founded in 1144 by Alphonse Jourdain, Count of Toulouse. Most of the inhabitants came from Montauriol, a village which had grown up around the neighbouring monastery of St Théodard. In the 13th century the town suffered much during the Albigensian Crusade and from the Inquisition, but by 1317 it had recovered sufficiently to be chosen by the Pope John XXII as the head of a diocese of which the basilica of St Théodard became the cathedral. In 1360, under the Treaty of Brétigny, the town was given to the English; they were expelled by the inhabitants in 1414. In 1560 the bishops became Protestants; ten years later it became one of the four Huguenot strongholds under the Peace of Saint-Germain, and formed a small independent republic. In 1790, Montauban was in the Lot department as the capital of a district; with the creation of the arrondissements in 1800, Montauban became a sous-préfecture in the Lot department. When Napoleon created the Tarn-et-Garonne department in 1809, Montauban became the préfecture (capital) of the new department. ==Geography== Montauban is at about to the north of Toulouse, on the confluence of the Tescou and the Tarn rivers, and at from Agen (préfecture of the Lot-et- Garonne), from Albi (préfecture of the Tarn) and at about from Cahors (préfecture of the Lot). It has an area of and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .  Montauban is surrounded by the communes Villemade, Piquecos, Lamothe-Capdeville, Albias, Saint-Étienne-de-Tulmont, Léojac, Saint-Nauphary,Corbarieu,Bressols, Lacourt- Saint-Pierre, Montbeton and Albefeuille-Lagarde. ===Climate=== The climate of Montauban, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers. The average amount of precipitation for the year in Montauban is . The month with the most precipitation on average is October with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of . The average temperature for the year in Montauban is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of . ==Population== The inhabitants of Montauban are known, in French, as Montalbanais (women: Montalbanaises). With a population of 58,826, Montauban has a population density of inhabitants/km2. Evolution of the population in Montauban Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:500 height:373 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:30 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:60000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:2500 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1968 text:1968 bar:1975 text:1975 bar:1982 text:1982 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:1999 text:1999 bar:2006 text:2006 bar:2011 text:2011 bar:2014 text:2014 PlotData= color:barra width:30 align:left bar:1968 from:0 till: 45872 bar:1975 from:0 till: 48028 bar:1982 from:0 till: 50682 bar:1990 from:0 till: 51224 bar:1999 from:0 till: 51855 bar:2006 from:0 till: 53941 bar:2011 from:0 till: 56536 bar:2014 from:0 till: 58826 PlotData= bar:1968 at: 45872 fontsize:S text: 45,872 shift:(-12,5) bar:1975 at: 48028 fontsize:S text: 48,028 shift:(-18,5) bar:1982 at: 50682 fontsize:S text: 50,682 shift:(-18,5) bar:1990 at: 51224 fontsize:S text: 51,224 shift:(-18,5) bar:1999 at: 51855 fontsize:S text: 51,855 shift:(-18,5) bar:2006 at: 53941 fontsize:S text: 53,941 shift:(-18,5) bar:2011 at: 56536 fontsize:S text: 56,536 shift:(-18,5) bar:2014 at: 58826 fontsize:S text: 58,826 shift:(-18,5) == Administration == Montauban is the prefecture of the Tarn-et-Garonne department since 1809. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Montauban and the administrative centre  of three cantons, all formed with part of the commune: # Montauban-1 : 19,143 inhabitants (2014) # Montauban-2 : 19,143 inhabitants (2014) # Montauban-3 : 20,540 inhabitants (2014) It is part of the intercommunality Le Grand Montauban . === Sister cities === Montauban is twinned with: * Pawhuska, United States * Yokneam, Israel * Khemisset, Morocco * Kozarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina ==Places of interest== Some interesting places in Montauban are: * The Place Nationale ("National Square") is a square of the 17th century. * The Notre-Dame de l'Assomption cathedral is unique by its stone construction in a place dominated by red bricks. Its construction was ordered by Louis XIV. * The Musée Ingres is the old town hall and the residence of the bishops of Montauban built in 1664. The building houses some paintings of the famous painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and some works of the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle; both artists were born in Montauban. * The church of Saint Jacques is the only intact medieval church in Montauban. * The Pont Vieux ("Old Bridge"), a bridge from the 14th century on the Tarn river. ==Gallery== File:Hôtel d'Alies - Mairie de Montauban.jpg|Montauban Town Hall File:Montauban - Le Musée Ingres.jpg|Ingres Museum File:Cathédrale Notre Dame de l'Assomption de Montauban.jpg|Notre Dame Cathedral ==People from Montauban== * Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) painter. * Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), sculptor. ==Related pages== * Arrondissement of Montauban * Communes of the Tarn-et-Garonne department