Fourques (Gard)

Fourques Forcas
region	Occitania
Department	Gard
Arrondissement	Nîmes
Canton	Beaucaire
Community association	Beaucaire-Terre d'Argence
Coordinates	43 ° 42 '  N , 4 ° 37'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 42 '  N , 4 ° 37'  E
height	1-15 m
surface	38.24 km 2
Residents	2,891 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	76 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	30300
INSEE code	30117
Website	fourques.com
Bridge over the Petit Rhône from Fourques to Arles

Fourques is a French commune with 2891 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Gard department of the Occitanie region .

geography

Fourques lies on the Grand Rhône and the Petit Rhône , which branches off in the municipality , whose estuaries form the Camargue landscape further south . The rivers also form the municipal boundary of Fourques, which also forms the border with the Bouches-du-Rhône department . In the north the municipality borders on Beaucaire , in the east and south on Arles , in the south-west on Saint-Gilles and in the north-west on Bellegarde .

The place name is derived from the geographical conditions: The name Fourques comes from the word fourche , which means fork. This goes back to the junction of the Petit Rhône from the Grand Rhône.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2009	2017
Residents	1489	1492	1614	2047	2251	2544	2897	2891

Attractions

Roman times

A bridge over the Petit Rhône already existed in Fourques in the 2nd century. This was part of a branch line of the Via Domitia . At that time there was a Roman villa, the exact location of which is known. At the beginning of the 19th century, the first remains from Roman times were found. After it had simply remained on the canal bank for a long time, the mayor of Fourques did not restore the find until 1954. In the same year a farmer discovered two columns from Roman times.

church

Two saints play a special role in the parish, which used to be part of the Archdiocese of Arles . On the one hand, there is Saint-Sixte , who is the patron saint of the place. Martin von Tours is the namesake of the local church. This originated in the 15th century. It burned during the Huguenot Wars and was later renewed. The rectory dates from the 18th century. In 1841 the church was enlarged and in 1859 its old altar was replaced. On November 10, 1980, several elements of the church were declared historical monuments.

lock

Fourques Castle was first mentioned in 1070. At that time it served to protect the border between France and the Holy Roman Empire , which was formed by the Rhône. This castle is square in shape, with a tower at each corner. The outer walls that exist today probably date from the 12th century. At that time, in 1180, the castle was besieged by Alfonso II . It was then owned by the Count of Toulouse . In 1215 Simon de Montfort became the legal owner of the region and thus also of the castle. In 1229 it passed into royal possession, i.e. into the possession of France. It was finally sold by Louis XIV in the 17th century . From then on it was owned by the Créquy family until the French Revolution .

bridge

The bridge of Forques (French Pont de Fourques ) is located on the Petit Rhône and connects Fourques with the city of Arles. It is a total of 157 meters long and four meters wide. Today, department road 11 carries it from Nîmes to Arles.

The permit to build the suspension bridge was granted on July 10, 1828. The bridge was finally opened on April 1, 1830. Exactly three years later, on April 1, 1833, the bridge toll that had initially been due ceased to apply. 1909 replace metal support , the supports used so far made of wood. On August 29, 1944, the bridge was badly damaged by the retreating German troops. It was reopened in 1946. Various restoration work has been carried out on the bridge since then. In 1988 the bridge was classified as a monument historique .

Web links

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

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Le Village ( Memento of the original from October 20, 2011 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.  
2. ↑ Le sarcophage ( Memento of the original dated February 11, 2015 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.  
3. ↑ L'église ( Memento des Originals of February 11, 2015 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.  
4. ↑ Le château ( Memento des Originals of April 8, 2012 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.  
5. ↑ Le Pont de Fourques ( Memento of the original of April 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Pont suspendu de Fourques ( Memento of the original of November 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.