Pont-Saint-Esprit
| Pont-Saint-Esprit | ||
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Gard | |
| Arrondissement | Nîmes | |
| Canton | Pont-Saint-Esprit (main town) | |
| Community association | Gard Rhodania | |
| Coordinates | 44 ° 15 ′ N , 4 ° 39 ′ E | |
| height | 36-187 m | |
| surface | 18.49 km 2 | |
| Residents | 10,336 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 559 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 30130 | |
| INSEE code | 30202 | |
| Website | https://pontsaintesprit.fr/ | |
 Historic center of Pont-Saint-Esprit, photographed from the Rhône bridge (1984) |
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Pont-Saint-Esprit is a French commune in the Gard department with 10,336 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017). It is the capital of the canton of the same name .
location
The place is on the right bank of the Rhône . In the northern local area the Ardèche flows into the Rhône. The closest larger municipalities are Bollène (9 km east), Pierrelatte (15 km north) and Bagnols-sur-Cèze (11 km south). Pont-Saint-Esprit is located in the far northeast of the Gard department. The distance to the capital Nîmes is around 60 kilometers. After Avignon ( Vaucluse ) is approximately 45 kilometers. Due to its location near the approximately 30 kilometer long Ardèche gorge ( Gorges de l'Ardèche , which end in nearby Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche ) and the stalactite cave Aven d'Orgnac , the place is now also touristy. The route nationale 86 (today D 6086) crosses the town in a north-south direction . In the center of the town, Route nationale 94 (now D 994) branches off to the east , which then crosses the Rhone. Furthermore, the railway line from Givors to Nimes crosses in a north-south direction, on which today only freight traffic is on the way.
The vineyards of the place are in the wine-growing area of the southern Rhône valley . The wines may be marketed under the designation of origin Côtes du Rhône and the qualitatively stricter Côtes du Rhône Villages .
history
The place was founded in the 5th century. In the years 1265 to 1309 the Pont Saint-Esprit was built across the Rhone , after which the small port Saint-Saturnin-du-Port was renamed and the place on the border between the provinces of Languedoc and Provence gained in importance.
Mass poisoning
A mass poisoning that occurred in August 1951 in Pont-Saint-Esprit is known under the name of l'affaire du 'pain maudit' (roughly: " Affair of the Accursed Bread "). The cause was contaminated bread from a local bakery, which caused nausea and vomiting as well as psychotic symptoms. Seven people died, 50 were admitted to psychiatric clinics, and another 250 suffered from more or less severe symptoms of intoxication. The residents of the city panicked and there was long and widespread speculation about the origin of the substance.
Because of the partly hallucinatory symptoms, the local health authorities suspected ergot poisoning ( ergotism ), but this could not be confirmed. Further hypotheses made a mercury compound , which was used to disinfect grain, and poisoning by mycotoxins responsible. To this day, the cause of the mass poisoning is still unclear. In his book "The Day of St. Anthony's Fire (German: Apocalypse 51)" from 1968 the journalist John G. Fuller describes in detail the incidents surrounding this frightening tragedy and its consequences.
In a book by HP Albarelli published in 2008, the latter claims that it was a CIA field test to test the effects of LSD and its use as a weapon.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
| Residents | 5778 | 6951 | 6709 | 8067 | 9277 | 9265 | 9661 | 10,336 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
Attractions
See also: List of medieval bridges in France
- The most important sight of the place is the eponymous bridge over the Rhône, built between 1265 and 1309. The bridge is 853 meters long and consists of 19 arches.
- Also worth seeing is the historic town center with the churches Saint-Saturnin from the 15th century and Le prieuré Saint-Pierre from the 12th / 13th. Century and the citadel La Citadelle et la Collégiale from the 14th century.
- In the old town, the knight's house - Maison des Chevaliers of the former noble von Piolenc family - became the (non-denominational) museum of sacred art of the Gard department, Musée d'Art Sacré (exhibitions).
- Wash house , built in 1832
- The Saturday market on the wide avenues on the edge of the old town is particularly lively all year round.
Personalities
- Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes (1578–1621), statesman
- André Philip (1902–1970), politician
- Joseph Di Mambro (1924–1994), co-founder of the solar templar
- Gilbert Baumet (* 1943), politician
Twin cities
Individual evidence
- ↑ HP Albarelli: A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments. Trine Day, Springfield, Or. 2008
- ↑ Drugs in a baguette: CIA is said to have poisoned a French village with LSD - Article by Sascha Lehnartz in “Die Welt” from March 17, 2010 (accessed March 17, 2010)
