Dieulefit

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dieulefit
Coat of arms of Dieulefit
Dieulefit (France)
Dieulefit
region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Drôme
Arrondissement Nyons
Canton Dieulefit ( chef-lieu )
Community association Dieulefit-Bourdeaux
Coordinates 44 ° 31 '  N , 5 ° 4'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 31 '  N , 5 ° 4'  E
height 323-969 m
surface 27.42 km 2
Residents 3,159 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 115 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 26220
INSEE code 26114
Website www.mairie-dieulefit.fr

Town center

Dieulefit is a French commune in the southern departments of Drôme in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . The municipality with 3159 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) is the main town ( Chef-lieu ) of the canton of the same name Dieulefit and belongs to the Nyons arrondissement .

geography

Dieulefit is approximately 323  m height in the river valley Jabron which over the Roubion at Montélimar in the Rhône dewatered. Due to its mild climate, the place has developed into a climatic health resort for the treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases .

The neighboring communities are in the west Le Poët-Laval , in the north Félines-sur-Rimandoule in the canton of Bourdeaux ; to the south is Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne and to the east are Comps and Montjoux .

history

There is evidence that the Celtic tribe Voconces originally settled in this area. The Romans later left their mark here. The first written records of the place's existence date from the Middle Ages . There was a Protestant minority in this area early on . During the wars of religion in the 16th and 17th centuries, many Huguenots were able to save themselves from persecution in Dieulefit .

During the Vichy regime and the German occupation in World War II , more than 1500 refugees found a safe haven in Dieulefit. Among them were Jewish children and adults, resistance activists , artists and writers such as René Char , Pierre Jean Jouve , Louis Aragon , Elsa Triolet and the German painter Wols . None of these refugees was betrayed by the locals, and none were deported to Germany. The Yad Vashem memorial has honored nine of the volunteers at the time, including the town hall secretary Jeanne Barnier, who forged a thousand identity cards, as Righteous Among the Nations . The association PMH (Patrimoine Memoire et Histoire du Pays de Dieulefit) tries to get Dieulefit recognized as a “place of the righteous”.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2009 2016
Residents 2450 2534 2632 2666 2924 3096 3028 3121
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Attractions

Above the clock tower is the old town (viale) with its old streets, many Renaissance houses , the Romanesque church of St. Pierre and the remains of the city fortifications. In the city center, Rue du Bourg , there are numerous shops, boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Every week the Provencal market with products from the region is very popular: goat cheese (picodon) , olives and olive oil, nougat , organically grown fruit and vegetables, honey, wine, jams, liqueurs, flowers, lavender and textiles.

Dieulefit serves as a starting point for hikes, cycling and climbing tours. Rolling hills, lavender fields and olive trees shape a landscape that is also home to the Côtes du Rhône wines. Tourists can find accommodation in hotels, apartments, chambres d'hôte and campsites. Attractions such as Montélimar , Orange , Avignon , Vaison-la-Romaine , Mont Ventoux and the Ardèche can be reached in less than an hour.

Town twinning

There has been a community partnership between Dieulefit and Lich (Hessen) since 1974 . On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty , an exhibition on civil courage in the French twin town during World War II was shown in Lich .

Radio broadcasts

literature

  • Bernard Delpal, Anna Tüne (ed.): Rescue resistance in Dieulefit: Topographien der Menschlichkeit . AJZ Verlag, Bielefeld 2013, ISBN 978-3-86039-030-6
  • Anna Tüne: On the restoration of happiness. A German childhood in France . Galiani, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-86971-013-6

Web links

Commons : Dieulefit  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tanja Stelzer: The given life . In: Die Zeit , February 12, 2015, pp. 13–15.
  2. ↑ Patrimoine Mémoire Histoire du Pays de Dieulefit . Retrieved September 2, 2016 (French).
  3. ↑ Comité de jumelage Lich-Dieulefit . Dieulefit city website, accessed September 2, 2016 (French).
  4. ↑ Reverence to silent heroes in the French provinces . In Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 2, 2013, p. 54.