Guchen

Guchen ; Gushen
region	Occitania
Department	Hautes-Pyrénées
Arrondissement	Bagneres-de-Bigorret
Canton	Neste, Aure and Louron
Community association	Aure Louron
Coordinates	42 ° 52 ′ N , 0 ° 20 ′ E Coordinates: 42 ° 52 ′ N , 0 ° 20 ′ E
height	750-1,659 m
surface	5.55 km 2
Residents	343 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	62 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	65440
INSEE code	65212
	; Mairie Guchen

Guchen ( Occitan : Gushen ) is a French commune with 343 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region (until 2015 Midi-Pyrénées ). The municipality belongs to the arrondissement of Bagnères-de-Bigorre and to the municipality association Aure Louron, founded in 1995 . The inhabitants are called Guchenois .

geography

Look at Guchen

The municipality of Guchen is located in the southeast of the Bigorre landscape in the Pyrenees , 35 kilometers south of Lannemezan and around 17 kilometers north of the border with Spain . The 5.55 km² large municipal area belonging to the Pyrenees National Park extends from the bottom of a 1000 m wide basin of the Neste d'Aure at 750 m above sea level to the high mountain massifs to the south and west with altitudes of over 1500 m. The Lavedan mountain stream coming from the south-west is flanked by wooded mountain slopes and flows into the Neste d'Aure in Guchen. One of the highest peaks in the municipality of Guchen is the Peyre Nègre ( 1515 m ). In the south, the community area extends to the northwest flank of the Crête de Grascouéou ( 1614 m ). Here and in the west of the community on the southeast slope of the Arbizon massif, the tree line is exceeded.

Guchen is bounded by the neighboring communities of Ancizan in the north, Grézian in the northeast, Bazus-Aure in the east, Guchan in the southeast, vielle-Aure in the south and Aulon in the west.

Place name

The place name Fort Dat Gisen appeared for the first time in the 12th century . This was followed by the names and spellings Per de Gussen (1180) and Sole de Guxen (around 1300) as well as the Latin names de Guxenio and de Guxennio . The place name is probably derived from the Aquitaine personal name Guish . The community has been called Guchen since 1793 - with a brief spelling Guehen in 1801.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2016
Residents	267	280	256	300	335	368	357	356
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Attractions

Parish church of Saint-Brice-Sainte-Catherine with origins in the 14th century, monument historique
Notre-Dame-du-Bouchet chapel from the 17th century, Monument historique
Château Rolland , built between 1891 and 1904, Monument historique
Maison du Procureur , former courthouse, built at the end of the 16th century, monument historique

Architectural monuments in Guchen
Château Rolland
Saint-Brice-Sainte-Catherine church
Notre-Dame chapel in the Bouchet district
Maison du Procureur

Oratory Saint-Jean-Baptiste
former lavoir
Fountain
Wayside crosses
Fallen memorial

former lavoir
Fountain
1909 built villa of an industrialist from Bordeaux

Economy and Infrastructure

Tourism dominates in Guchen (holiday homes and camping sites; ski lifts in Cadeilhan-Trachère, five kilometers away ) as well as agriculture and forestry. There are three farms in the municipality (sheep and goat farming). There are also six retail stores in Guchen.

The municipality has a public pre-school and elementary school with 33 students in the 2019/2020 school year.

Guchen can only be reached via the D929 trunk road from Lannemezan to Bielsa, Spain .