by: Jakob Jelling
Cognac is located in the region of Poitou Charentes, towards the western area of France. This town is bordered by the River Charentes which provides it with very fertile and rich lands from which most of the city's prosperity is born. This area is among the most productive and fertile ones of France, and is very appealing for tourists who wish to meet spots offering a variety of different things to do and places to visit.
The history and past of Cognac is very interesting and is one of its most attractive features. During the Renaissance, within the XII century, this town was considered to be part of Angouleme. During this epoque, Cognac became a central spot for arts and literature due to the fact that many artists, writers and people who enjoyed literature would meet and gather within this area.
During the XVI century, the town went through the Wars of Religion. During the period of time in which this war took place, Cognac became strongly affected by it, and an important amount of its population moved to another area. These confrontations finished once an agreement from both sides could be reach, and peace was re-established.
Towards the XVIII century, the town of Cognac received an important amount of immigrants who arrived in order to establish their homes within this town. These immigrants were mainly Irish and British, and had an important influence in the actual traditions and culture of this town.
During the XIX century, this town saw an important increasing in its amount of inhabitants, and with this, the entire structure of it changed as well. During this period of time, an important amount of new buildings and constructions were added to Cognac, as well as its economy grew from an augment in the town's trading of wine and other products.
World War I caused a decreasing in cognac's population and the town's economy became strongly affected by it. But despite all these problems and obstacles, this city molded to its new situation and slowly gained back its prosperity, as it had already done in other moments of its past.