Clermont-Ferrand, France is home to Michelin Tire Company since it was founded in 1889 by Edouard Michelin and Andre Michelin. Michelin is the largest tire producer in the world today. Michelin now supposedly owns the brand names of B.F. Goodrich, Tigar, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran, and Uniroyal (in North America). Michelin’s “middle name” is “radial.” They more or less invented the radial tire. Worldwide, Michelin employs about 115,000 people in 179 countries.
Michelin is the largest private sector employer in Clermont-Ferrand, which employs about 12,000 people. Of this number, perhaps about 1000 are in Michelin’s engineering group in Clermont-Ferrand out of 2400 worldwide according to Tire Business in 2016. While many in Michelin are approaching retirement, Michelin’s reported strategy is also to hire about 250 new scientists and engineers from Clermont-Ferrand and other parts of France with knowledge and skills in high-technology materials and digital.
The population of Clermont-Ferrand itself is about 142,000 residents; however, it is reportedly part of a metropolitan area of 467,000 people.
Clermont-Ferrand has been called a “University City” in central France. Some of these universities are given as follows:
- Clermont Auvergne University
- University of Clermont-Ferrand
- University Clermont Auvergne (UCA)
- Blaise Pascal University
The Clermont-Ferrand is one of the oldest cities in the country of France. The name “Clairmont” dates back to 848 CE. The walled cities of Clermont and Montferrand merged under Louis XIII and was confirmed by Louis XV in 1731.
Clermont-Ferrand is not only near the special city of Vichy (a famous historic spa resort), but also near the dormant volcanic Chaine Des Poys Mountains, consisting of eight lava domes, one of which is over 4,800 feet high (Puy de Dome). Volcanic lava is so common is this region that it was used as the main construction material to build Clermont-Ferrand’s main Gothic Cathedral (Notre-Dame-de-l’ Assomption). This is why the central cathedral has an unusual darker shade of color in its appearance.
Things to do why in Michelin are given below:
- L’Aventure Michelin (The Michelin history of tires, museum)
- Cathedrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption
- Place de Jaude (City square)
- Parc de Montjuzet (for overview of city)
- ASM Experience (Rugby Museum with Interactive Features)