Figeac

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Figeac
Figeac Coat of Arms
Figeac (France)
Figeac
region Occitania
Department Lot
Arrondissement Figeac ( sub-prefecture )
Canton Figeac-1 (main town)
Figeac-2 (main town)
Community association Grand Figeac
Coordinates 44 ° 37 '  N , 2 ° 2'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 37 '  N , 2 ° 2'  E
height 170-451 m
surface 35.16 km 2
Residents 9,792 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 278 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 46100
INSEE code 46102
Website City website

View over the old town of Figeac

The French commune of Figeac is located in the Lot department in the Occitanie region and is the administrative seat of the Figeac arrondissement . With 9,792 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), the city is a regional center that lives mainly from tourism, agriculture and mechanical engineering. It is located on the GR 65 long-distance hiking trail , which largely follows the historical course of the French Way of St. James " Via Podiensis ". It is known nationwide above all as the birthplace of the Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion , who deciphered the hieroglyphs by translating the Rosette stone .

geography

Figeac is located on the southwestern edge of the Massif Central , north of the Lot Valley, on the right bank of the Célé River . The Célé flows into the Lot as a left tributary between Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and Bouziès . The nearest major French cities are Lyon (254 km) in the northeast, Toulouse (121 km) in the southwest, Bordeaux (209 km) in the west and Montpellier (184 km) in the southeast.

history

According to Victor Adolphe Malte-Brun, a monastery is said to have been built in the first half of the 8th century , which was attacked by Vikings in 861 . After the sacking by the Vikings, another monastery was founded in 838. The monastery and the developing city quickly achieved great prosperity thanks to the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and Rocamadour . After growing tensions between the city, the large merchant families and the abbot , Figeac came under the direct supervision of Philip the Fair in 1304 . This gave the city the rare privilege of minting its own coins. She also had the right to choose her own city government and to fortify the city. These privileges were confirmed by the respective French rulers in 1334 and 1483. Figeac was involved in both the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) with England and the wars of religion in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century the city achieved some prosperity. On November 10, 1862, Figeac gained access to the French rail network with the opening of the railway line between Brive-la-Gaillarde and Toulouse . In 1864 another line to Aurillac was opened.

Hôpital Saint-Jacques

The Hospital Hôpital Saint-Jacques was used to care for and care for the pilgrims on the Via Podiensis . The existence of the hospital has been documented since the 13th century, the oldest components still preserved today date from the 18th century when it was converted into a general hospital for the city and the surrounding area. Since 1998 it has been listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage “ Paths of the Pilgrims of St. James in France ”.

Way of St. James ( Via Podiensis )

In Figeac there is a tourist information office ( Office du Tourisme ), hotels and restaurants as well as a campsite. There are also several pilgrim hostels (French Gîtes d'étape ) and private rooms ( Chambres d'Hôtes ) in the village. The path now leads north of the Lot Valley through the Causses du Quercy, which stretch between the Lot and Célé valleys. Oak forests and barren sheep pastures dominate this limestone plateau. In Béduer , the variant branches off through the valley of the Célé , while the GR 65 continues to Cajarc in the valley of the Lot. As a road connection to Cajarc there is the D662, which leads from Figeac directly into the Lot Valley and then follows the northern bank. On the other hand, there is the D19, which branches off the D662 after about two kilometers and leads over the plateau via Béduer to Cajarc.
In the Middle Ages, many pilgrims first turned north-west to visit the Marian shrine in Rocamadour .

Culture and sights

Figeac bears the official title City of Art and History , which is awarded by the Conseil Régional Midi-Pyrénées , and is one of the 18 Grands Sites de Midi-Pyrénées . The old town has essentially retained its medieval character. There are still many houses from the 13th to 16th centuries. The typical architectural style consists of three-story buildings with arcades on the ground floor, behind which there are mostly shops. The living quarters were on the first floor, and the open top floor was used as a storage or stacking room. Gothic window shapes and a gallery can often be found in the living area. Playful bay windows and richly decorated doors can often be found on the facades.

  • The splendid Hôtel de la Monnaise , the former mint from the 13th century, now houses the Office du Tourisme and the city museum.
  • The round obelisks to the west and south of the city are known as the needles of Cingle and Lissac . They are each built on a cylindrical stone base and are 14.5 and 11.5 meters high. The purpose of the monuments was lost. It is believed that they served as landmarks or as clues for the pilgrims to St. James.
  • The Saint-Sauveur church was part of the former abbey and was consecrated in 1092 at the time of Abbot Hugo of Cluny . Despite the addition of side chapels in the 14th century and destruction during the Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion, the former plan has largely been preserved.
  • The Church of the Carmelites , at the entrance to the city near the hospital, is the last visible remnant of the former Carmelite monastery .
  • The church Notre-Dame du Puy is of Romanesque origin, but now has the typical form of the Carolingian basilica. It was rebuilt several times, most recently in the 14th and 18th centuries. The choir contains beautiful Romanesque carvings and a large walnut retable from 1696.
Panorama of Figeac

Economy and Infrastructure

economy

Besides tourism and agriculture, there are two important companies in Figeac:

  • Ratier-Figeac, founded in 1904, has been producing propellers since 1908 and was the first propeller manufacturer in the world. Today the company is a supplier to the aviation industry and produces, among other things, the propellers for the Airbus A400M .
  • Figeac Aero produces assemblies and motors for the aerospace industry. The company has experienced strong growth in recent years through contracts with American manufacturers.

traffic

  • There is a small aerodrome Aérodrome de Figeac-Livernon near the city .
  • The nearest regional airport is Aurillac , which can be reached via the N122.
  • The nearest commercial airport is Rodez-Marcillac , which is served by Air France and Ryanair , among others . It is about 55 kilometers away on the D840 , in a south-easterly direction.
  • Figeac is an SNCF station on the Brive-la-Gaillarde – Toulouse-Matabiau and Figeac – Aurillac – Arvant railway lines .
  • In September 2003 Figeac introduced a free bus service. It consists of ten lines with 100 stops on which three minibuses with 28 seats each run. In addition, an on-demand service is offered in four regions outside the city. Figeac is one of the smallest municipalities in France to have such a transport system.
  • Figeac is connected to the French motorway network with the A20 motorway via exit 56 Labastide-Murat and the D802, or exit 58 Cahors-Sud and the D653.
  • Further road connections are the N122 , which ends in Figeac when coming from the northeast, while the D840 leaves the Lot Valley in Capdenac and continues in a north-westerly direction via Figeac. The D802 and D662 continue to leave Figeac in a westerly direction, while the D822 heads south.

Public facilities

Personalities

literature

  • Bettina Forst: French Way of St. James. From Le Puy-en-Velay to Roncesvalles. All stages - with variants and height profiles. Bergverlag Rother, Munich (recte: Ottobrunn) 2007, ISBN 978-3-7633-4350-8 ( Rother hiking guide ).
  • Bert Teklenborg: Cycling along the Camino de Santiago. From the Rhine to the western end of Europe. (Cycling guide, route planner). 3rd revised edition. Publishing House Tyrolia, Innsbruck 2007, ISBN 978-3-7022-2626-8 .

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Congregational information on annuaire-mairie.fr (French). Retrieved on January 21, 2010
Muszla Jakuba.svg
Way of St. James " Via Podiensis "

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