Belpech
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Belpech Bèlpuèg |
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Aude | |
| Arrondissement | Carcassonne | |
| Canton | La Piège au Razès | |
| Community association | Piège Lauragais Malepère | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 12 ' N , 1 ° 45' E | |
| height | 228–371 m | |
| surface | 25.49 km 2 | |
| Residents | 1,273 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 50 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 11420 | |
| INSEE code | 11033 | |
 Belpech - Saint-Saturnin Church |
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Belpech ( Occitan : Bèlpuèg ) is a municipality with 1,273 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the west of the Aude department in the Occitania region of southern France .
location
Belpech is located at an altitude of about 240 meters in the Garnaguès , a region on the southern edge of the Lauragais , about 68 kilometers (driving distance) in a south-easterly direction from Toulouse . Castelnaudary is about 30 kilometers to the northeast . It is about 60 kilometers to the east to Carcassonne .
A little below the village center, but still in the municipality, the Vixiège flows into the Hers-Vif .
Population development
| year | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
| Residents | 1224 | 1089 | 1068 | 1165 | 1152 | 1272 | 1272 |
In the Middle Ages, Belpech was an important city with over 2000 inhabitants.
economy
As in most places in the Lauragais (also called Pays de la Cocagne = 'Land of plenty'), the cultivation, processing and trade of woad ( pastel ) played an important role in the economic life of the wealthy city in the late Middle Ages and early modern times. However, the cultivation of pastel was given up as early as the 18th century - it had gradually been displaced from the market by the new dye indigo, which is mainly obtained from the indigo plant grown in the American colonies . Since then, the farmers in the Lauragais have had to eat grain ( wheat , corn , sunflowers ) and a little cattle-raising (sheep) again. In the 19th century, fabrics were produced on a large scale in Belpech.
history
The name of the hill, which was already settled in Gallo-Roman times, is probably derived from the Middle Latin name bellopodio , the later Beaupuy, which both means something like ' ruling hill'. In the Middle Ages the city had a castle ( Le Castelas ), a monastery ( Notre-Dame de Garnac ) and several churches. Whether and to what extent the city was involved in the Cathar movement and the Albigensian Crusades (1209-1229) is unclear; in any case, King Ludwig VIII made a stop in Belpech in 1226 as part of the crusade he initiated and partly also led against the Albigensians.
During the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598), Belpech was also affected; perhaps church buildings were already destroyed or damaged during this time. In the years 1630 and 1654 the plague was rampant and everyone who could left the place and fled to the countryside. In 1791 large parts of the city were destroyed by a conflagration, but in 1835 there were still almost 2,500 inhabitants.
Attractions
Saint-Saturnin Church
Others
- The ruins of the medieval castle ( Le Castelas ) are not particularly impressive.
- Some medieval half-timbered houses ( maisons à colombages ) loosen up the image of the city center.
- The cast iron market hall ( hall ) in the style of Victor Baltard dates from the 19th century.
- Several stone bridges from the 15th and 16th centuries lead across the Vixiège .
