Gramat

Gramat is a common French, located in the department of the Lot and the area the Midday-Pyrenees.
Located at the North-East of the department of the Batch, Gramat belongs to the Regional natural park of Causses of Quercy.
The inhabitants are called the Gramatois and the Gramatoises .

Geography

Gramat is located on the Causse of Gramat

History

The name of Gramat comes from large a tumulus, formerly high in the center of the city and called Mont Eluet. It was acted in fact of a burial which the Cossacks called of Grammats. Only truth tumulus, witness of this time and always visible, are beside the hippodrome of the same name, because today remain at most only some dolmens in the surroundings of Gramat.

The site of Gramat, is attended since prehistory as the many discoveries to hâches, cut flints, points of flêches testify some, and, especially, that of the shelter of Cuzoul. This discovery made it possible to update a skeleton human going back to approximately 8000 years before J.C, called Homme of Gramat, and exposed to the museum of St Germain-In-Bush hammer.

The city of Gramat, was born with the crossroads from the old Gallo-Roman ways, Cahors-Limoges and Rodez-Périgueux. That made him benefit from a privileged situation, in contact with the soils complementary to Causse and Limargue, but also on the passage of the merchants and the pilgrims.

If the movement of the goods were easy, the invasions also profited from this facility. And Gramat was not quère saved by those, because in turn followed one another the Arabs, in VIIeme century, then the Norman ones in IXeme and Xeme century, which plundered the city.

With the Middle Ages, Gramat becomes a baronnie, having right of suzerainty on Carennac, Loubressac, Autoire, Miers, Mayrinhac Lentour and Lavergne. The head of this baronnie, four families of lords followed one another. By chronological order, one finds the families of Castelnau (950 to 1360), of Aigrefeuille (1360 to 1500), of Auriolle (1500 to 1600) and Foulhiac (1600 to 1789).

The One hundred year old War brought its batch of destruction and sufferings. The main entrances of the city, were defended by large doors. Behind those, two other strengthened doors kept the place known as of the castle. In 1356, after the disaster of Poitiers, a detachment of the army of the Prince of Wales traversed Quercy, and entered the city. They ruined it completely, but could not seize the castle thanks to the fortifications mentioned above. Three days during, Gramat was occupied by English. A period of disorders followed then to repetition between local lords. Devastations were so many and frequent, that the inhabitants fled in Spain, for the majority. At the end of the hostilities, it proved that Gramat only counted only five inhabitants. To repopulate the country, were able of the colonies of emigrants of the Limousin, Rouergue and Gévaudan.

During the wars of religion, occupations, plunderings and destruction remade their appearance. Catholics and Protestants followed one another in Gramat. The inhabitants had to support anguishes of the fights, requisitions and plunderings. In 1562, the chiefs of the party calvinist plundered the area to get money and vivres with the armies. The churches were not saved, in particular with Rock-Amadour and Gramat. The latter was even burnt in 1568 always by these same troops.

However, the calm one returned, and Gramat, large borough agricultural is affirmed then like peacefully centers exchanges with the shelter of the great changes. The Revolution of 1789 had obviously some effects on the local life. The population was little enclinte required volunteers, and the resistance of the priests to lend oath had like consequence to see those prohibited to exert their ministry. Pushed by Mr. Delpy, priest of Gramat, the women even had suddenly risen from there of the confiscation of the goods of the clergy, and claimed that those are restored to them. It was made thing after the priests had signed a declaration of tender to the laws of the republic.

Thereafter, the two great world wars marked the life of Gramat. During the First World War, Gramat had its batch of young requisitioned people, and much did not return from the battle field. In addition, from its breeding of horses and its stud farms, at that time there very flourishing, Gramat was used at the same time as and garrison town stage city. The second world war, saw the arrival and the passage of many German troops, although in zone known as free. With the Gabaudet locality, exactions took place perpetrated by troops of division " Das Reich" in reprisals with acts of resistances.

Nowadays, the life is more peaceful with Gramat, large borough place chief of canton, turned towards the craft industry and agriculture primarily made up of family, and traditional small-scale farmings. Gramat shelters nevertheless an important research center of the army and the school cynophile of the gendarmerie.

Administration

Demography

Teaching

Nursery school and primary education Clement Brouqui (public)
Nursery school Louis Mazet (public)
College Garenne (public)
School Saint-Helene : nursery school, primary education and college (private)

Monuments and places of interest

the Tower of the Clock (16th century)
the market (19th century)
the animalist Park of Gramat
National center of instruction cynophile of the Gendarmerie
Site of the Mill of Jump (XVe and 18th centuries)
Gardens of the Large convent

Personalities related to the commune

Pierre Catch (1803-1861), founder of the Notre-Dame congregation of the Martyrdom.

See too

Common of the Batch

External bonds

Gramat on the site of the Tourist office.
the official site of the Park of Causses of Quercy
Gramat on the site of the national geographical Institute
Gramat on the site of INSEE
Gramat on the site of Quid
Localization of Gramat on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Gramat on Mapquest

Random links: