The

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The
Coat of arms of the
The (France)
The
region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Drôme
Arrondissement The
Canton Le Diois (main town)
Community association Diois
Coordinates 44 ° 45 '  N , 5 ° 22'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 45 '  N , 5 ° 22'  E
height 367-1,841 m
surface 57.28 km 2
Residents 4,621 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 81 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 26150
INSEE code 26113
Website www.mairie-die.fr

Houses in Die

The [ di ] is a French commune with 4621 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Drôme department .

geography

The area around the city in the foothills of the Alps is shaped by Provencal. It is named after the city of Diois . The touristic town is located 67 km east of Valence at an altitude of 400  m in a wide, flat valley. Around 30% of the department is forested. This landscape is framed by the mountains and nature reserve of the Vercors , the Montagne de Lans, the Triéves and chains of alpine mountain ranges in the east. The municipality is located in the Vercors Regional Nature Park .

The city is the sparkling (foam) wines Clairette de Die and Crémant de Die her name.

history

Etymologically, the name of the Drôme is derived from the Greek word Druna (= oak), as this area used to be home to large, closed oak forests, especially in the flat parts. The (formerly: Dye) is derived from the Gallic-Roman goddess Andarta (Dea Augusta Vocontiorium) , who was worshiped here in the northern capital of the Vocontier tribe . The city walls and the historically valuable Saint Marcel gate date from this period . From 325 to the 18th century, The Bishopric was the seat of a bishop and has therefore received the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Chapel of St. Nicholas. One of the first bishops was Nicasius von Die , who attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325 as one of only five bishops of the western Roman Empire .

Persecution of Huguenots in Die / in Diois

A trigger for the very early (first official contacts 1952) and to this day very active Franco-German town twinning between Die and Louisendorf-Frankenau ( Hesse ) are the consequences of the Huguenot persecution in the 17th century, which triggered a wave of refugees of a quarter of a million people. 118 refugees from the Diois were initially admitted to the "desert and forest area" of Hammonhausen (today the village and district of Louisendorf ) and the end of their escape by the landgrave administration of Hessen-Cassel with a decree of June 4, 1688 . To this day there are still traceable Huguenot family roots and old French inscriptions in Louisendorf, e.g. B. on barn beams. The last inhabitants who still used Old French as a colloquial language died in the beginning of 2000. The Huguenot past is intensively cultivated on both sides of the country to this day.

As early as the 13th century, the Diois was known with new ideas from Vaudois "peddlers" (Waldensians from the western Swiss canton of Vaud ), and since the 16th century with Lutheran and Calvinist Protestantism . In the middle of the 16th century he was already firmly rooted in the area, and Huguenots had been the common name for French Protestants since around 1560 . The Reformation was initiated by the city's clergy themselves, who became a stronghold.

From 1562 until the Edict of Nantes in 1598 - the decree of Henry IV was supposed to grant the Huguenots freedom of religion - the first eight Huguenot Wars took place. During this time, the most important places changed occupiers several times, including Die. A Protestant Académie , consisting of a classical high school and a university with 120-130 students , contributed to its prestige since 1604 . Well-known university professors such as Antoine Crégut (later chair of theology in Heidelberg) and Thomas Gauthier , who worked as a professor of theology and who was expelled from the University of Marburg in 1685 , taught here.

Between 1600 and 1643, the armed conflicts were replaced by public religious disputes, several of them in Crest , between supporters of the Huguenot and the Catholic Church . These were often reproduced in polemical works, which in turn had severe legal consequences, primarily for the Huguenots, up to and including exile.

From the middle of the 17th century, the pressure on the Huguenots increased through increasingly restrictive regulations and laws - starting in Rome and Paris - sometimes fanatically driven by the local directors. In 1662 an Arrêt du Conseil d'Etat - an official state decree - was announced, according to which the burial of a Huguenot could only take place "outside the community cemetery before sunrise or after sunset". This led to the custom, which - contrary to the actual Jesuit intentions - was converted into an honorable right of burial in “one's own God-given earth” (from around 1685). So you can still find many “private cemeteries” in the area, mostly small, well-maintained, fenced-in areas near old farmsteads or small settlements. This right of exception still exists today.

The repression ultimately culminated in open persecution, which reached a climax under Louis XIV from 1685 with the annulment of the Edict of Nantes. "In the winter of 1683 to 1684 the Dragoons lived terribly in the Diois and in March 1684 nine Protestant temples (churches) had already been closed and 19 destroyed." The Académie was also closed. The Intendant Bouchu in Grenoble , responsible for the Diois, is described as particularly harsh and hateful towards the Huguenots, so that even the king felt compelled to intervene to mitigate the penalty. Under the dragons, those who remained were forced to "voluntarily" change their religion, but were discredited by the Church as second-class Catholics. The Huguenot Church in the underground thus strengthened all the more.

The escape routes of the Huguenots were the forests and the impassable gorges through the eastern mountain ranges. For the people of the middle Diois and Die themselves it was the Col de Menée; later one fled u. a. via the Vallon de Combeau to Mens and Trièves . Since these were centers of the Protestant movement, refugees could count on help here. Many moved on: to Geneva , Lausanne , Neuchâtel , some via Frankfurt am Main and then in the direction of the greater Marburg area - where Thomas Gauthier worked - and to Brandenburg .

The remaining "unteachable" met since 1687 for forbidden, worship-like gatherings du désert (a fixed term that can hardly be translated: it means partly traditional, repeatedly used, partly changing, secret places outside of inhabited areas). Traveling preachers took on the role of the missing pastors. Traditions speak z. T. from 5000-6000 participants. From 1689 the punishment for this became even more severe than before. Anyone who was surprised and arrested by the Dragoons ended up on the Tour of Crest. In 1745 there were still convictions for galley service , others were sentenced to prison or to the gallows. Only on the eve of the revolution , 1775, were two men freed after 30 years in prison. Kidnapping of children and their re-education in monasteries to become Roman Catholics were the order of the day.

In 1752/53 an - albeit uncertain - tolerance began. The greeting of the revolution that took place in 1789 a. a. brought freedom of conscience and religion. Despite all persecution, emigration and the forced change of religion, the Huguenots made up 33% of the entire population of the Diois in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, the mountainous landscape, the only moderately fertile soil and the lack of industry resulted in an increasing rural exodus v. a. in the youth. The Huguenot community in particular lost half of its members by the end of the century.

During the German occupation, the Huguenot priests were the contact point for the resistance , for the accommodation of Jews and for the procurement of forged papers. Since then an increasing ecumenization can be observed, so that denominational disputes have largely disappeared today.

Every year at Pentecost , a meeting of the Huguenots from the Diois, Trièves and European descendants of the Huguenots who took this route takes place on the Col de Menée to commemorate the escape in the 17th century.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2005 2016
Residents 3546 4048 4062 3992 4230 4451 4376 4585
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Attractions

Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
View of the northern section of the Drômetal coming from the Col de Rousset; Facing west
Lavender fields in Chamaloc in front of the Col de Rousset ( Vercors )
  • The statue menhir of Die was exhibited at the Grottes de Choranche.
  • Roman city wall with the famous St. Marcel city ​​gate from the 3rd century
  • Notre-Dame Cathedral , originally from the 12th / 13th centuries Century (still preserved: Romanesque portal and south wall). After it was destroyed by the Huguenots, it was rebuilt in the 17th century.
  • Protestant Church (Temple, Calvinist)
  • Romanesque Mosaïque des quatre fleuves (Mosaic of the Four Rivers) from the 12th century in the Saint-Nicolas chapel in the former bishop's palace (later town house).
  • Wednesday and Saturday mornings market with mainly regional offers in front of the cathedral: (goat) cheese, wines, rustic breads, meat / sausages (e.g. deer, wild boar, horse, donkey etc.), handicrafts, clothing, everyday objects and Depending on the season, different vegetables, fruits, honey, walnuts, olives from Nyons etc.
  • Cave coopérative (wine cellar) which u. a. which offers traditional Clairette , red and white wines known throughout France .
  • In addition, recommended "independent providers", v. a. the "UJV" (Union of Young Wine Pressers).
  • The dominant mountain dome of Justin forms the western boundary in this section of the valley and is suitable for easy mountain hikes ( Chemin des 40 lacets - path of 40 serpentines) with a view over almost the entire valley. Car access is permitted to just below the summit. Informative panorama picture at the summit cross.
  • The already alpine Glandasse (2041 m) is the eastern boundary of the valley and suitable for more demanding mountain hikers and mountaineers.

Events

  • At the end of June there is the well-known transhumance in Die . This is an old custom in which thousands of sheep are driven to the alpine pastures - and beforehand through the middle of the city of Die. Of course, the whole thing is accompanied by festivities.
  • On the first weekend in July there is the well-known Vogue festival with fair and dance, craft markets (ceramics, “organic products” etc.) and other events over four days. In the evening on the former Place de la Mairie (town hall square): ball with dance and live music. On Saturdays and Sundays mostly modern music, on Monday evenings there is ball musette with Franz . Folk dance, waltz to accordion music - a real tourist attraction
  • In July there is a street festival in Saoû under the motto the Fête du Picodon (goat cheese).
  • In the nearby Crest u. a. An open-air jazz festival takes place in mid-August .
  • Every weekend from July to the end of September there are village festivals with dancing, lots of Clairette, Marquisette (Clairette with lemonade, fruit and rum) in different villages throughout the Drôme department. The most beautiful are in Pontaix (August), Barsac (near Pontaix), Espenel (mid-August) and Châtillon. The last one is in Crest on the last weekend in September with a big fireworks display.
  • July 14th is the day of the French Revolution with festivities and evening fireworks. In the church of Crest, requiems are performed by the little singers of the Orchester du Palais Royal . Afterwards there is a dinner under the plane trees on the Place des Cagnards .
  • September: Festival Est-Ouest in Die. This serves the international understanding, in recent years especially with the former Eastern bloc .

economy

Agricultural products: herbs, olives, walnuts, donkey, goat, wild boar sausage, lavender, acacia, fir, chestnut honey, goat cheese , lavender oil , water, pillows and other products, fruits (white peaches, melons “de Cavaillon “, Strawberries, cherries, etc.), special nougat, truffle pralines and truffles (mushrooms), lambskin products, and of course Clairette, wines, etc. There is also a small furniture industry that u. a. valuable cherry wood processed. Summer and increasing winter tourism play a very important economic role.

Town twinning

It maintains a very early and to this day very active Franco-German town partnership . The German partner “city” of Die is Frankenau near Marburg , more precisely the small village Louisendorf-Frankenau , which maintains its Huguenot past intensively to this day.

Other partnerships:

Personalities

literature

  • François Isler, Pierre Boulais: Drôme - des pays et des hommes . Édisud, Aix-en-Provence 1991, ISBN 2-85744-542-3 (picture and text volume; French)
  • Patrimoine de la vallée de la Drôme (Association) (Ed.): Die, histoire d'une cité . 1999, ISBN 2-9514779 (Comprehensive information on the history of Die and its surroundings; French)
  • Jacques-Louis Delpal: Knaur's cultural guide: France . Droemer Knaur Munich / Zurich 1979, p. 241, ISBN 3-426-26015-8 .

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Magistrate of the city of Frankenau (ed.): Louisendorf 1688–1988. Origin and development of a Huguenot colony. 1988. Wilhelm Bing printing and publishing house, Korbach / Bad Wildungen, without ISBN, p. 36.
  2. ↑ Pierre Bolle (Professor of History at the University of Grenoble): The Protestants in the Diois (from 16th to 20th century). Cayol, Die 1988, without ISBN, p. 2 (translated by G. Flessier, published with permission from Editions Réveil and with the help of the Protestant parishes of Die (Dauphine) and Louisendorf (Hesse) in the year of the 300th anniversary).
  3. ↑ a b Pierre Bolle (Professor of History at the University of Grenoble): The Protestants in the Diois (from the 16th to the 20th century). Cayol, Die 1988, without ISBN, pp. 3–4 (translated by G. Flessier, published with permission from Editions Réveil and with the help of the Protestant parishes of Die (Dauphine) and Louisendorf (Hesse) in the year of the 300th anniversary ).
  4. ^ Magistrate of the city of Frankenau (ed.): Louisendorf 1688–1988. Origin and development of a Huguenot colony. Wilhelm Bing printing and publishing house, Korbach / Bad Wildungen 1988, without ISBN, pp. 27, 31.
  5. ^ Magistrate of the city of Frankenau (ed.): Louisendorf 1688–1988. Origin and development of a Huguenot colony. Wilhelm Bing printing and publishing house, Korbach / Bad Wildungen 1988, without ISBN, pp. 27, 33.
  6. ^ Magistrate of the city of Frankenau (ed.): Louisendorf 1688–1988. Origin and development of a Huguenot colony. Wilhelm Bing printing and publishing house, Korbach / Bad Wildungen 1988, without ISBN, p. 31.
  7. ↑ Pierre Bolle (Professor of History at the University of Grenoble): The Protestants in the Diois (from 16th to 20th century). Cayol, Die 1988, without ISBN, pp. 5–7, 13–15 (translated by G. Flessier, published with permission from Editions Réveil and with the help of the Protestant parishes of Die (Dauphine) and Louisendorf (Hesse) in the year 300 Year celebration).