Bouquet (gard)

Bouquet
region	Occitania
Department	Gard
Arrondissement	Alès
Canton	Alès-2
Community association	Alès agglomeration
Coordinates	44 ° 10 ′  N , 4 ° 17 ′  E Coordinates: 44 ° 10 ′  N , 4 ° 17 ′  E
height	159-600 m
surface	30.26 km 2
Residents	176 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	6 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	30580
INSEE code	30048
Saint Martin Church

Bouquet is a French commune with 176 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Gard department of the Occitanie region .

geography

The municipality of Bouquet is located on the south-eastern edge of the Cevennes . It is located around 20 kilometers by road northeast of the city of Alès , while Bagnols-sur-Cèze is the closest city to the west . The landscape of the sparsely populated area is dominated by garrigue , which is a form of rich, low vegetation that is common in the Mediterranean region. In geological terms, there is a large limestone plateau around Lussan, which ensures relatively dry soil and is a prerequisite for the spread of the garrigue. On the southern outskirts of the municipality towards the neighboring town of Brouzet-lès-Alès , Mont Bouquet, the highest point in the vicinity is located; this is a starting point for sport climbers. In total, the municipality comprises six small settlements, with the core town being located relatively far north on the D147.

The neighboring municipalities of Bouquet are Allègre-les-Fumades in the north, Fons-sur-Lussan in the northeast, Lussan in the east, Vallérargues and Belvézet (point of contact) in the southeast, Seynes and Brouzet-lès-Alès in the south and Navacelles in the west.

Infrastructure

An important regional road, the D6, runs through the extreme south of the municipality and connects the cities of Alès and Bagnols-sur-Cèze. Via Bagnols-sur-Cèze lies on the edge of the Rhone Valley, which is very important for traffic . The smaller road D147A connects the core town to the D6 and there is also a connection to neighboring towns via the D147.

History, culture and agriculture

A human settlement of the area has been proven for thousands of years and with an oppidum there was a permanent settlement in today's municipal area at the time of the Roman occupation. The historical municipal coat of arms , which was last changed in the 16th century, depicts several heads of Moors who once ruled the region. Later, the place and the local castle belonged to the ruling family of Barjac . The strong Protestant character of the region led to the denominational Cevennes War between 1702 and 1705 , which was also carried out in Bouquet. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the community experienced a decline in population due to the declining importance of agriculture. To this day there is a Protestant and a Catholic church in the village.

Local agriculture is based in particular on the cultivation of olives and almonds, while the rearing of goats and sheep also plays a subordinate role.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2008	2017
Residents	76	73	85	114	103	143	190	176

In 1793 the community had 250 inhabitants. Subsequently, there was a significant increase in population up to the historic high of 503 residents, who were counted in 1851. As early as the second half of the 19th century, a clear downward trend began and, especially in the first half of the 20th century, the number of residents continued to decrease, until Bouquet was first inhabited by less than 100 people around 1950. A low of 73 people was reached in 1968, before the population grew again from then on.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Patrimoine , mairiedebouquet.com
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Bouquet ( Memento of the original from June 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , alescevennes.fr 
3. ↑ Bouquet - Notice Communale , cassini.ehess.fr