Épinal (French pronunciation: [epinal] ⓘ; German: Spinneln; Latin: Spinalium) is a commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges department.
[5] This date was chosen for political reasons to mark a "starting point" following the election of Philippe Séguin as mayor in March 1983.
During World War II, in January 1944, the Stalag 315 prisoner-of-war camp was relocated from the German-occupied Netherlands to Épinal, and it housed Indian POWs.
[3] The old town centre features the Place des Vosges, the Chapitre district, Saint-Maurice's Basilica, medieval castle remains and the Roman House (11th and 13th centuries).
The Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial on the outskirts of the town where United States service members killed in World War II are buried.
These stencil-colored woodcuts of military subjects, Napoleonic history, storybook characters and other folk themes were widely distributed throughout the 19th century.