Olargues

Olargues , in Occitan Olargues , is a common French located in the department of the Herault and the area Languedoc-Roussillon. It is located in the Regional natural park of High-Languedoc. The village is classified among one of the Plus beautiful villages of France. Its inhabitants is called Olarguais ( los olargués ). Olargues is place chief of canton (the Canton of Olargues) and the seat of the Communauté of communes Orb and Jaur.

Geography

The commune is located at the North-West of the department of Herault, to approximately 35 km with flight of Oiseau of Béziers (50 km by two secondary roads). Olargues is on the D908 secondary road (old Trunk road 608) between Bédarieux and Saint-Pons-with-Thomières from which leave both principal Route S to join the littoral plain (the Railway is unused and was refitted in cycle Track by the general advice).

The village is located at the edge of the river Jaur, to 6 km upstream of its junction with the river Orb, in a narrow valley in the south of the mounts of Espinouse. From its history, Olargues with the characteristic to be located on a rock base forming a hill, puòg in Occitan, which gives its name has a district of the village, and which is almost encircled by water of Jaur. It is a commune of the “high cantons”. It belongs to the back Biterrois country.

History

  • the site of the village allured since always. It was successively occupied by the Romans, the Vandals and the Visigoths. The Romans made of Olargues a city of before post office in extreme cases of the province of the Narbonnaise. After the decline of Gallo-Roman civilization, Olargues became a capital wisigothe in 476.Ce is only with the Moyen-âge that the village was strengthened. The strong castle was built in XIIe century. The fortifications of the city were high at the 13th century. The city was besieged at the time of the crusade against the Albigensians during the epopee cathare carried out by Simon de Montfort in 1210. But of this time, there remains only the old keep square, become the bell-tower of the St Laurent church, and the Pont of the Devil which spans Jaur as well as the streets which rejoingnent the citadel. Excavations carried out in partnership with the Ministry for the Culture and association CONCORDIA made it possible to discover vestiges of the old church as well as traces of the habitat of the old feudal castle. These excavations are in the course of valorization.

  • In 1629, after having undergone the wars of religion and plunderings organized, the citadel was destroyed on the orders of the Cardinal of Richelieu. The troops of Louis XIII invaded turbulent Languedoc to besiege the fortresses.

  • the St Laurent church was built at the XVIIeme century in the village. Vestiges as the New door, the Gaubert door or sides of ramparts testify today to the old fortifications of the city.

  • At XVIIIe and the 19th century, Olargues became a large dynamic borough, which made it possible the village to be essential like an economic center of the valley of Jaur grace in particular to these fairs. Agriculture constituted an important source of revenue. Thus, of the specialities like the culture of the chestnuts (the chestnut of annually celebrated Olargues), of the vine, the olive-trees and the cherry trees allowed Olargues to develop and make its fame on the markets until Paris. The installation of the way of railroad Montauban - Montpellier constituted a considerable asset. Inaugurated in 1889, this line required the construction of works of art such as the Bridge Eiffel located at the entry Is of Olargues. The line was stopped in 1972 for the travellers and 1986 for the goods. It was refitted in cycle track known as tracks green of Courniou with Bédarieux by the General advice of Herault.

  • the architecture of Olargues changed with the wire of time. The bridge of Bonnafous and the bridge of the old gendarmerie came to offer two new entries from and of other of the city. In the years 1930, the place Alexandre Laissac was arranged with the construction of the current Town hall and the school complex. Today, Olargues profits from new infrastructures like the college Alexandre Laissac and the school restaurant inaugurated in 2004.

  • Today, Olargues turned to tourism and the saving in services. The tourist activity allowed the creation of trade but also of several types of lodging within the village. The health sector and social is particularly represented (establishment for elderly, services of home care). Industry, little presents in the area, is represented by a hydraulic factory of production of electricity and by a small production unit of plastics.

Administration

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  • It is with the Révolution that Olargues became place chief of canton, titrates that the city preserved since.

Demography

  • the population of Olargues increased approximately 10% between 1975 and 1999, which corresponds to an annual increase of 1,2%. This increase increased between 1999 and 2007 to reach 14%.

  • After having known an important rural turning into a desert, the village of Olargues but also the whole of the canton of Olargues accommodates a new population. They are at the same time new pensioners but also young credits. These demographic trends fall under the departmental tendency of strong increase mainly due to heliotropism. Locally, this dynamism is impelled, on the one hand, by the search for a better framework of life, the improvement of the road infrastructures, the modernization of the equipment for population made up of young credits, foreigners but also of autochtones which after their studies or at the end of their careers returns to settle. This attraction explains the raising of prices of the real estate of these last years.

Places and monuments

The architecture of the site and its medieval aspect made it possible Olargues to be classified and registered with the national inventory of the sites.

The inheritance comprises:

  • a Bell-tower of the 10th century
  • a Bridge of the XIe century, (known as " bridge of the diable").
  • the whole of the old village made up of streets and paved lanes and caladas (streets inclined empierrées of rollers of Jaur)
  • the St Laurent Church built at the XVIIeme century and equipped with an organ classified
  • the vault St Roch
  • the vault St Etienne
  • the staircase of Commanderie made up of 64 steps each one cut in the same stone
  • the Museum of Arts and Traditions popular located in an old middle-class house of the Staircase of Commanderie
  • the Bridge Eiffel (old bridge of railroad creates by the workshops of Gustave Eiffel become cycle track)
  • the memorial Jean Moulin and the stele of the deportees located at the suburb of the Ford
  • the town hall

  • multi-media Center CEBENNA made up of a media library and a geological research center

  • site of Fréjo on the shores of Jaur
  • the area of Olargues is rich in cavities forming of many caves among which are the cave of Vezelle, Asparagus and Macoume. These last made the object of a request for classification to the world heritage of UNESCO for their specificities and the importance of their safeguarding.

  • Olargues is a stage on the ways of Saint-Jacques-with-Compostelle. The village is located on the Via Tolosane connecting Arles to St Jacques de Compostelle. It is the only way which is traversed in the two directions which can also carry out towards Rome or Jerusalem.

  • This common gave its name to a variety of local Châtaigne (the chestnut of olargues) which continues to be cultivated in the area.

  • Olargues shelters research the scientific center CEBENNA of the name of the woman condemned by the Gods of Olympe to being absorbed by Caroux.

The creation of the center was impelled by the General advice of the Herault which wished as from 1988 to create a network of scientific centers specialized on the departmental teritoire. The center has vocation to develop the inheritance, to safeguard the natural environments and geology while privileging a scientific approach. Today, the center holds a big role for the village. Within the framework of the ecotourism, it accommodates training students regularly and sets up animations near different public (teaching exits; conferences). It is equipped with an auditorium, a laboratory, computer rooms, of a Kaléidoscope and a media library.

  • In 2002, the weekly magazine the Express train selected the city of Olargues to integrate it within its Tour de France of the " villages chics". Thus, the magazine of the 7/4/2002 drew up the portrait of 20 " places of rêve" distributed on the whole of the French territory among which appear Olargues. The article is titrated " Voices in the vallée" in reference to the festival of classical music like to the various choral societies of the village. The article raises the charm, the beauty of the landscapes, the richnesses of the inheritance and the gastronomy olarguaise.

Personalities related to the commune

  • Jean d' Olargues:

Doctor illustrates of XIIeme century

  • Alexandre LAISSAC:

Born in Olargues, he was general adviser of the canton of Olargues before becoming President of the General advice. He was also Maire of Montpellier of 1878 to 1892 and in 1896. He was initially named by order in Council into 1878 before being elected into 1881,1884,1888 and 1896.Il initiated important urban projects for the city. To Montpellier of the markets located boulevard of Jeu de Paume bear its name. Olargues paid to him homage by the construction of a monument to its effigy dedicated to its memory on the place which also bears its name. More recently, in 2003, the new college of Olargues built beside the stage of Coulayro was baptized college Alexandre LAISSAC.

  • Gift Ferdinand VIDAL:

Born with St Vincent d' Olargues, he became Général about the Chartreux within the monastery of Large Chartreuse in Isere meadows of Voiron. It is about a contemplative religious order founded by St Bruno.

Economy

Place chief of a large canton of 13 communes, Olargues gathers many administrative services and commercial very diverse which make village a dynamic city. The village is the seat of the tourist host country of High Languedoc. Tourism also holds a big role. It allowed many installations within the city. The village is equipped with various structures of lodging (Hotels, rooms of host, Campotel, Camping). The health sector and social is particularly present (establishment for elderly, services of home care). The industry, little developed in the area, is represented by a hydraulic factory of production of electricity and by a small production unit of plastics.

Agriculture lost place, but there are some owners, who cling by specializing in the medicinal plants , the processed fruit and vegetables , the honey and pollen or the wine , like the small field of Lisson, which cleared old terraces in hillside to plant noble type of vines and to prove in its cellar arches, that one can fair wine of quality on these soils.

Festivity-culture

  • on July 20th, 2007, Olargues accommodated the Tour de France 2007 within the framework of the stage Montpellier-Castrate. The racing cyclists crossed the commune by the RD 908.

A sprint took place in front of the gendarmerie of Olargues and the supply was organized in Rieumégé. The retransmission of the stage begin with Olargues. The helicopters of France television took off of the stage of Coulayro.

  • All the year, the city of Olargues profits from many animations and festivities thanks to a big number of religious and sporting organizations.

  • Olargues is specialized in the production of chestnut of Olargues which is actually a variety of sweet chestnut. It allows the production of a local speciality that are chataîgnons manufactured in the " secadou".

In addition to the markets and the fairs with the secondhand trade regularly organized, many cultural events take place. Also, in the concerts of organ and choral society are organized in the St Laurent church throughout the year.

  • May: Celebrates horse,

Celebrates gardeners and wheelbarrow
  • June: Music
celebrates Village fair of the schools, celebrates college Alexandre Laissac
  • July: National festival, ball of the firemen and fireworks with flashover of the Tower and the Bridge
Festival of the musical valley, celebrates African
  • August: Great votive festival of St Laurent, Festibaloche, concerts and animations, Scénovertes organized by the center Cebenna
Estival of Bio, large market bio
  • September: Inheritance on the medieval topic
  • November celebrates: Celebrates chestnuts and new wine
  • December: Market of Christmas,
Expositin of crêches of the World in the Staircase of Commanderie and the Vault St Etienne.

Sports activities

The village of Olargues is equipped with important sports equipment which allows the practice of many sports.

  • football club Olargues (stage of Coulayro; teams of tiny, youngest children, seniors and veterans)
  • club of Tennis (ground of Baous near the camp-site)
  • club of VTT
  • skate park
  • municipal bowling pitch
  • room of dance (the Turn of the Bridges)
  • room of musculation (square of the versatile room)
  • club of Judo (square of the versatile room)
  • bathe (Jaur)
  • canoe kayak
  • rafting, canioning
  • acrobranches
  • Spéologie
  • hiking trails

With proximity

See too

  • Common of Herault

External bonds

  • Official site of the town of Olargues

  • Site of Festibaloche
  • Site of the Festival Scénovertes
  • Satellite photos IGN of Olargues and surroundings
  • site of center CEBENNA
  • Site of the tourist office of Olargues
  • Olargues in mountain of High Languedoc. Photographic visit
  • Site on the village
  • Site of the festival of Olargues - Festibaloche (August)
  • Site in three languages on Olargues and the small wine field of Lisson
  • Newspaper of a vigneronne on Olargues
  • Olargues on the site of the national geographical Institute
  • Olargues on the site of INSEE
  • Olargues on the site of Quid
  • Localization of Olargues on a chart of France and communes bordering
  • Plane on Olargues on Mapquest

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