Gaillac (Tarn)
| Gaillac | ||
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Camouflage | |
| Arrondissement | Albi | |
| Canton | Gaillac (main town) | |
| Community association | Gaillac-Graulhet | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 54 ' N , 1 ° 54' E | |
| height | 105-288 m | |
| surface | 50.93 km 2 | |
| Residents | 15,294 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 300 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 81600 | |
| INSEE code | 81099 | |
| Website | http://www.ville-gaillac.fr/ | |
 The St. Michel Abbey, landmark of the city of Gaillac |
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Gaillac ( Occitan Galhac ) is a French commune with 15,294 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Tarn département in the Occitanie region, about 37 km northeast of Toulouse on the Tarn . The city is the capital of the eponymous canton of Gaillac .
history
The origins of the city go back to the 10th century, when the Benedictine Abbey of St. Michel was founded on the banks of the Tarn. The abbey on the Way of St. James existed until the French Revolution . The city itself benefited from its favorable location: the trade route from the Rouergue to Toulouse crossed the navigable Tarn here, which in turn was the most important trade route to Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast. Viticulture and the cultivation of the pastel called woad also contributed to the prosperity of Gaillac . In the 16th century there were already 3500 inhabitants within the city walls.
In the wars of religion, Gaillac, which had remained Catholic, suffered severe damage. The city wall was dismantled in the 18th century. After the subdivision of the French departments created in 1790 in 1800 , Gaillac became the seat of an arrondissement . However, the decline in trade on the Tarn made the agrarian Gaillac fall behind the developing industrial towns of the Tarn department such as Graulhet or Carmaux . Only towards the end of the 20th century was the city able to catch up again. The opening of the motorway to Toulouse in 1993 also contributed to this. They almost made Gaillac a suburb of the regional metropolis. The socialists have been ruling the city, which was previously ruled by conservatives, since 1995.
coat of arms
Description : A golden rooster in blue under three golden lilies placed in bars .
Attractions
The most important buildings in the city are mostly shaped by the brick architecture of southwestern France. The abbey church of St. Michel is historically documented as early as 972, the originally Romanesque building dates from the 13th century and was completed in Gothic style. After the abolition of the monastery and severe destruction in the 16th century, the church was rebuilt into the 18th century. In the French Revolution, it came to secularization , the church was temporarily used as a warehouse. In the 19th century it was restored with neo-Romanesque elements such as the portal in front of the west facade. The remaining abbey buildings were restored in the 1990s. They now house the Maison des Vins (House of Gaillac Wine) and a city history museum. The cellars are still used for the production of sparkling wine.
The Church of St. Pierre, located in the old town, the main church of the city, dates back to the 10th century. The mighty stone bell tower dates from the 13th, the portal from the 14th century. It was also destroyed in the Wars of Religion.
Of the medieval secular buildings, the Tour Palmata with remains of paintings from the 13th century and the Hôtel Pierre de Brens (13th – 15th centuries) should be emphasized.
The Place du Griffoul, where the weekly market takes place, was originally surrounded by half-timbered arcades. In the middle is the Fontaine du Griffoul made of bronze (early 17th century).
The Château de Foucaud, now an art museum, also dates from the 17th century and has a baroque garden . The city's classicist town hall was built in the 19th century on the site of a Capuchin monastery.
economy
Gaillac is primarily known for its 3700 hectare wine-growing area. Some of the best locations of the Premières Côtes , the first slopes to rise from the Tarn valley, are in the city limits.
There is hardly any industry, only a pharmaceutical company, the production site of Laboratoires Pierre Fabre , is of certain importance .
19th century market hall and half-timbered house from the 16th century, Place du Griffoul
Saint-Michel Abbey, west facade
The Fontaine du Griffoul
Maison Pierre de Biens
Château d'Hutaud
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Sports
The city's best- known sports club is UA Gaillac , which plays rugby union and is represented in the second-highest league, Pro D2 .
Personalities
Gaillac is the birthplace of
- Joseph Vaissète (1685–1756), Benedictine monk and historian
- Antoine Gaubil (1689–1759), missionary
- Antoine Portal (1742–1832), anatomist, medical historian and personal physician to Louis XVIII. and Karl X.
- Émilie de Vialar (1797–1856), canonized mystic and founder of the order
- Jean Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul (1754–1807), Marshal of Napoléon , was born in Château de Salettes, about 10 km away.
- Maurice de Guérin (1810–1839), French Romantic writer, and his sister
- Eugénie de Guérin (1805–1848), also active in literature, was born in the Château d'Andillac, a good 15 km north of Gaillac.
- Provin Serres (March 8, 1840 - after 1902), sculptor and bronzer, pupil of Mathurin Moreau in Paris
The organ builder family Cavaillé-Coll also comes from Gaillac .
