Facts About the City

• Official web site for the city of Epinal.
• Epinal is located in the Lorraine region of France in the northeast part of the country, near Nancy and Strasbourg.
• The Moselle River passes through the center of the city which is also located at the foot of the Vosges Mountains.
• Its biggest festival is to celebrate St. Nicolas, the Patron Saint of the Lorraine area.
• The population of Epinal is around 40,000.
• The residents of Epinal are called "Spinaliens."
• St. Maurice is the Patron Saint of Epinal and the name of its Basilica.
• The ruins of the Château d’Epinal, dating from the 12th-17th century, overlook the city.
• Epinal’s  "Imagerie" has been producing world-famous prints since the 18th century.
• Epinal has Sister Cities in England, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Macedonia in addition to the U.S.
• Trane Company has been in Epinal since 1965, when the headquarters were transferred there from Paris. The factories are in two suburbs of Epinal: Golbey and Charmes.
• In 1940 and 1944, Epinal was the site of intense bombings
• The 45th division of the 7th American Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 21, 1944.
• Quéquemont is the name of the American Cemetery in Epinal where over 5,000 soldiers are buried, including from Wisconsin, and even 4 with La Crosse connections. 

Sister City Relationship

• Over 500 La Crosse area students have participated in the area high school exchanges since 1987.
• Over the years, several other groups have participated in exchanges, including UW-L Choir, Orchestra & Jazz Ensemble as well as a bell choir, Poly-Sons (an Epinal choir), soccer & golf teams as well as some interns.
• For the 10th anniversary, Gary Walth composed a special musical piece for the UW-L Choir and Orchestra to perform in Epinal at the celebration.
• Northside School 5th graders have exchanged booklets they made with their counterparts in a school in Epinal called Notre Dame as part of a Rotary project. 
• There have been numerous young people from Epinal and La Crosse who have participated in internships in either city. 
• The Hoeschler family introduced Logrolling in Epinal and its other Sister Cities. They arranged for a key log to be sent to Epinal in 2017.
• Le Pinau is a statue symbolizing the city of Epinal. For the 20-year anniversary of the Sister City relationship, Epinal gifted a replica to La Crosse, which can be seen at the intersection of Main and 2nd Streets in downtown La Crosse.