Luzenac

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Luzenac
Luzenac (France)
Luzenac
region Occitania
Department Ariège
Arrondissement Foix
Canton Haute-Ariège
Community association Haute Ariège
Coordinates 42 ° 46 ′  N , 1 ° 46 ′  E Coordinates: 42 ° 46 ′  N , 1 ° 46 ′  E
height 594–2,247 m
surface 26.43 km 2
Residents 538 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 20 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 09250
INSEE code 09176
Website www.luzenac.fr

Luzenac - view from the Château de Lordat

Luzenac is a place and a municipality ( commune ) in the south of France with 538 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Ariège department in France .

location

The place Luzenac lies at an altitude of about 600  m to 700  m on the river Ariège at the foot of the Pyrenees . The small town of Ax-les-Thermes is about nine kilometers (driving distance) in a south-easterly direction; the towns of Foix and Pamiers are 34 and 54 kilometers northwest, respectively.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2012
Residents 898 956 848 816 690 632 638 556

In the 19th century the place had mostly between 250 and 500 inhabitants. The mechanization of agriculture led to a loss of jobs in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century and, as a result, a decline in the number of inhabitants, which, however, has been offset by the increased mining of talc since the 1930s .

economy

For centuries, the inhabitants of Luzenac lived exclusively from agriculture (milk and cheese production); Among the villages in the Ariège valley, Luzenac was known for the production of slate slabs ( ardoises ). In the late Middle Ages, the gold panning in the Ariège river bed is mentioned; there were also several watermills here.

Talc factory on the banks of the Ariège
Center of Luzenac

Since the end of the 19th century, the mining and processing of talc has played a central role economically, and today it is mined in the Trimouns talc quarry , which is located at 1,700 and 1,850 meters above sea ​​level and in the municipal areas of Lordat , Vernaux and Bestiac , and above a cable car is transported to the talc factory in Luzenac. The end product, talcum powder , is packed in sacks and transported by rail. The production is carried out by Talc de Luzenac , one of the world's largest producers of the mineral, which is part of the Imerys Group . Currently, around 400,000 tons are mined each year; 270 permanent and 70 seasonal jobs in Luzenac and the surrounding area are currently dependent on the extraction and processing of this mineral.

history

The first mention of Luzenac comes from a stove census of the Counts of Foix , which was made under Gaston Fébus in the 14th century.

Attractions

  • local parish church ( Église Saint-Martin ), built in 1656
  • medieval stone bridge, first mentioned in the 14th century; However, it was repaired or rebuilt several times after being damaged by the floods of the Ariège

Town twinning

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Talc de Luzenac company website , viewed on May 15, 2010
  2. ^ Website of the talk quarry , seen on June 1, 2009