L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre
| L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Ariège | |
| Arrondissement | Foix | |
| Canton | Haute-Ariège | |
| Community association | Haute Ariège | |
| Coordinates | 42 ° 35 ' N , 1 ° 48' E | |
| height | 1,279-2,816 m | |
| surface | 26.12 km 2 | |
| Residents | 95 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 4 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 09390 | |
| INSEE code | 09139 | |
 View of L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre in the Ariègetal |
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L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre is a French commune with 95 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region ( Midi-Pyrénées until 2015 ). It belongs to the Arrondissement Foix and the Haute Ariège municipal association .
geography
The municipality of L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre is located in the Pyrenees , 17 kilometers south of the spa town of Ax-les-Thermes . L'Hospitalet is the southernmost and at 1440 m above sea level also the highest municipality in the Ariège department.
The municipality extends on both sides of the Ariège river in the Pyrenees . It borders on the Pyrénées-Orientales department in the south and the miniature state of Andorra in the southwest .
To the west and east of the Ariègetal, the area of the municipality has a distinctive high mountain character with several peaks over 2000 m . These include:
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west of the Ariègetal
east of the Ariègetal
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on the northern municipal boundary
on the southern municipal boundary
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Rock formations, hollows with small lakes (Étang du Siscar, Étang de Pédourrés), mountain pastures and scree fields determine the landscape between the peaks . The lakes flow over mountain streams (Ruisseau du Siscar, Ruisseau de Val d'Arques, Ruisseau des Bésines) partly over cascades to the Ariège.
The proportion of forest in the municipality is only around 10%. The municipality's own Forêt Domaniale de l'Hospitalet is located in the Ariège valley and on its slopes; large parts of the community area are above the tree line . The mountain regions of the municipality are not accessible by roads, there are only paths and hiking trails - among other things, the GR 10 long-distance hiking trail leads through the mountains.
L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre borders in the north and east on Mérens-les-Vals , in the south on Porté-Puymorens in the Occitanie region and in the west on Canillo in Andorra .
history
The official name since 1928 L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre (1793 only L'Hospitalet, 1801 L'Hospitales ) means, loosely translated, (Das) Hospital near Andorra . Hospital stands for refuge or refuge or hospice . In the place, travelers found shelter from storms and cold, who could not cross the snow-covered passes in the Pyrenees on the way south. According to an old tradition, a knight named Enveight swore in 1003 that a hospice would be built in front of the 1920 m high Col de Puymorens , which was impassable due to storms . The construction of the Sainte-Suzanne oratory began . The chapel near the bridge over the Ariège is still preserved in its basic form. The Holy Susanne was henceforth patron saint of the municipality, the village festival is celebrated on the holiday, the 11th of August every year.
In the Middle Ages, pilgrims and travelers were looked after by the Order of St. John .
The municipality of L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre was formed in 1791 after the town had long been part of Mérens-les-Vals . In the 17th century, the Sainte-Suzanne church was built and a separate cemetery was created. The church bell, which weighs 164 kg, also dates from the 17th century.
In 1793, the area around L'Hospitalet was the scene of fighting between national guards and Spanish troops, even in the following period, during the Napoleonic Wars (1811-1812) the area did not calm down.
Until the construction of the railway line, L'Hospitalet was the terminus of the Toulouse road through the Ariègetal. Here the horses of the carriages were changed for the arduous ascent to the Col de Puymorens. On October 1st, 1898, the stagecoach connection to Spain was opened. On January 4, 1895, as well as on December 16 and 25, 1906, there were many victims in serious avalanche accidents. On October 20, 1908, a small hydroelectric power station and the customs post on the border with Andorra went into operation. In 1896 there were 28 houses with 34 households and 139 inhabitants in L'Hospitalet.
Expansion of traffic connections
In 1933 the road was paved over the Pas de la Casa , the Col d'Envalira and the winter sports location Soldeu to Andorra la Vella ; it has been referred to as N 22 on French territory since 1973 .
The often long winter closures over the Col de Puymorens in the direction of the Têt Valley or to Puigcerdà in Spain ( European route 9 Orléans - Barcelona ) made it necessary to build a tunnel. The 4820 m long Puymorens toll road tunnel (Tunnel du Puymorens) was opened in 1994. This made it possible to cross the main ridge of the Pyrenees all year round.
The construction of the railway line through the Pyrenees (Oriental Transpyrenees) took almost 80 years. The Toulouse - Foix section was completed on April 7, 1862. South of Foix - following the Ariège upwards - the terrain became increasingly difficult, so that many artificial structures were necessary. In addition to some viaducts, the tunnels in particular extended the construction time. After the state took over the project, it took another 15 years until the small town of Tarascon-sur-Ariège was reached and the line could be opened on August 20, 1877. On April 22nd, 1888, the Ax-les-Thermes health resort was finally connected to the railway. Work then came to a standstill for ten years. In 1904, France and Spain signed a transport agreement that included the extension and electrification of the railway line via the French border station Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg to the provisional terminus at Puigcerdà . The last two obstacles to the final completion in 1929 were the 5000 m long tunnel under the Col de Puymorens and the 1800 m long spiral tunnel Saillens northeast of L'Hospitalet, which climbs 66 meters. The 1226 m long de Barthe-Espresso tunnel immediately north of the L'Hospitalet train station, with its wide curve radius, also serves to artificially lengthen the route and thus reduce the incline.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2007 | 2017 | |
| Residents | 193 | 161 | 186 | 171 | 146 | 166 | 98 | 95 | |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | |||||||||
economy
Tourism and transportation are the main employers in the municipality. Agriculture (cattle breeding, cheese factories) only plays a subordinate role.
supporting documents
- ↑ L'Hospitalet on france-voyage.com. Retrieved November 28, 2012 (French).
- ↑ Saillens spiral tunnel on en.structurae.decom. Retrieved December 24, 2012 .
- ↑ L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre on cassini.ehess.fr
- ↑ L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre on insee.fr
