Aurillac

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Aurillac
Aurillac Coat of Arms
Aurillac (France)
Aurillac
region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Cantal
Arrondissement Aurillac
Canton Aurillac-1
Aurillac-2
Aurillac-3
Community association Bassin d'Aurillac
Coordinates 44 ° 56 '  N , 2 ° 26'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 56 '  N , 2 ° 26'  E
height 573-867 m
surface 28.76 km 2
Residents 25,499 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 887 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 15000
INSEE code 15014
Website www.ville-aurillac.fr

Saint-Géraud church

Template: Infobox municipality in France / maintenance / different coat of arms in Wikidata

Aurillac (Occitan: Orlhac) is a French city in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and with 25,499 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017), the largest city in the Cantal . The city is the seat of the prefecture of the department. The prefecture also administers the Aurillac arrondissement , which consists of twelve cantons .

location

Aurillac is located at the southwestern foot of the Cantal volcano in a fertile basin on the river Jordanne , which flows into the Cère shortly afterwards .

history

Remains of a temple from the first century AD show that there was already a settlement here in Gallo-Roman times. Around the 9th century from St. Géraud founded the abbey, the city began to develop, especially as the abbey rose to become one of the most influential monasteries in Auvergne. The first French Pope, Silvester II, came from the monastery . The Middle Ages were an era of economic prosperity for the city. In the religious wars of the 16th century, mutual attacks and violent disputes broke out between the townspeople and the monastery; the city was partially destroyed and then recovered only with difficulty. Later the city lived from the production of lace in factories, today it is characterized by agricultural trade, the furniture industry and tourism. Aurillac was the whereabouts of the Danish-speaking German prisoners of war captured by the French during the First World War. These so-called prisoners were treated so well that they visited the region again after the war.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2016
Residents 24,563 28,226 30,863 30,963 30,773 30,551 29,477 25,954
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Attractions

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Aurillac

  • St-Géraud church, originally from the 9th century, enlarged in the 11th century, destroyed in the 16th century, rebuilt in stages up to the 19th century; Stone monuments in the Chapelle St-Géraud.
  • Old town around the church; old houses also along the Jordanne
  • Serpentine basin (12th century) in Place St-Géraud
  • Former pilgrims' hospice "Ancien Hôpital", originally from the 12th century, richly decorated facade
  • Château St-Étienne, castle ruins from the 13th century, rebuilt in the 19th century, including the Musée des Volcans, the volcanoes
  • Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges church, former Romanesque-Gothic chapel of the Order of the Cordeliers (13th century), with a 17th century Black Madonna
  • South of the old town is the Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie in a former Salesian monastery
  • The menhirs of Saint Simon stand northeast of Aurillac.

Economy and Infrastructure

The Aurillac airport is located three kilometers southwest of the city.

From Aurillac there are rail connections to Clermont-Ferrand , Toulouse and Brive-la-Gaillarde via the Figeac – Arvant line .

Personalities

Town twinning

Since 1972 Aurillac and its neighboring town Arpajon-sur-Cère have had joint town twinning with:

Web links

Commons : Aurillac  - collection of images, videos and audio files