and barrelworks Cognac Public Garden Notable people The glassmaker Claude Boucher, inventor of the glass-blowing machine in around 1880, lived and worked in Cognac The car manufacturer Louis Delâge was born in Cognac in 1874 Francis I (king of France between 1515 and 1547) was born in the town's castle in 1494. The town's main square is named after him and a statue of the king, on horseback over his enemies, stands at the centre. Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, born in Cognac in 1838, discovered the elements Gallium in 1875 and Samarium in 1878 Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, was born in Cognac in 1888 and ran the Monnet Cognac family-controlled enterprise in the 1920s The French adult film star and model François Sagat was born in Cognac. The French poet Octavien de Saint-Gelais was born in Cognac in 1468 Sport US Cognac is the city's rugby union team. Cognac was the start of Stage 19 in the 2007 Tour de France. Twin towns—sister cities Cognac is twinned with: Boala, Burkina Faso Bozhou, China Denison, United States Königswinter, Germany Michalovce, Slovakia Perth, Scotland Pisco, Peru Tovuz, Azerbaijan Valdepeñas, Spain Vyškov, Czech Republic Gallery See also The Coniacian Age of the Cretaceous Period of geological time is named for the city of Cognac Communes of the Charente department References External links Communes of Charente Subprefectures in France Angoumois Charente communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia