Baronnies Provençales Regional Natural Park
The Baronnies Provençales Regional Nature Park ( Parc naturel régional des Baronnies Provençales ), established in 2015, covers an area of 1506 km² and is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions in the south of France .
geography
The Baronnies Provençales Regional Nature Park with its limestone cliffs and lime-rich soils is located at altitudes of approx. 250 to 1000 m above sea level. d. M. east of the Rhône in the north of Provence in the two departments of Drôme and Hautes-Alpes ; larger towns in the vicinity of the park are Veynes and Sisteron in the east and Dieulefit , Vaison-la-Romaine , Valréas and Grignan in the west. The most important rivers are Ouvèze and Eygues , but the Buëch , the Céans and the upper reaches of the Lez are also worth mentioning. The climate is temperate.
history
The name Baronnies is a medieval name for an area that - legally belonging to the Holy Roman Empire - was de facto ruled by the barons of Mévouillon and Montauban from the 11th to the 13th centuries . Later, large parts of the area belonged to the Dauphiné and the lords of Les Baux . In the time of the rising Protestantism and the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) many places were devastated; thereafter the French kings extended their power to this region. After two epidemics of the plague in 1629 and 1652, the baronnies were in complete economic disrepair and hardly recovered.
In the 1990s the idea arose to set up a regional nature park. In 2003 the responsible regional parliaments commissioned feasibility studies and in 2007 the Drôme department created the first administrative structures (“Syndicat Mixte”) required for the future nature park. In 2011 the project was presented to the public for discussion and in January 2015 the park was launched.
Goals of the nature park
- Upgrading the natural and man-made habitats
- economic development based on a regional identity
- Conception of a sustainable development
Communities in the nature park
The nature park includes 86 communities ( communes ) with a total population of over 30,000 people; the largest city is Nyons with around 6,500 inhabitants.
- Arpavon , Arnayon , Aubres , Barret-de-Lioure , Beauvoisin , Bénivay-Ollon , Bésignan , Buis-les-Baronnies , Châteauneuf-de-Bordette , Cornillon-sur-l'Oule , Eygalayes , Eygaliers , La Charce , La Motte- Chalancon , La Roche-sur-le-Buis , La Rochette-du-Buis , Laborel , Lachau , Le Poët-en-Percip , Le Poët-Sigillat , Lemps , Les Pilles , Montauban-sur-l'Ouvèze , Montaulieu , Montbrun -les-Bains , Montferrand-la-Fare , Montguers , Montjoux , Montréal-les-Sources , Nyons , Pelonne , Pierrelongue , Propiac , Reilhanette , Rioms , Rochebrune , Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne , Roussieux , Sahune , Saint-Auban -sur-l'Ouvèze , Sainte-Euphémie-sur-Ouvèze , Saint-Ferréol-Trente-Pas , Saint-Maurice-sur-Eygues , Saint-May , Taulignan , Valouse , Venterol , Verclause , Vesc , Villebois-les-Pins , Villeperdrix , Vinsobres .
- Antonaves , Barret-sur-Méouge , Chabestan , Chanousse , Châteauneuf-de-Chabre , Éourres , Étoile-Saint-Cyrice , Eyguians , La Bâtie-Montsaléon , La Piarre , Lagrand , Laragne-Montéglin , Lazer , Le Bersac , L'Épine , Le Saix , Méreuil , Montclus , Montrond , Orpierre , Oze , Ribeyret , Ribiers , Rosans , Saint-Auban-d'Oze , Sainte-Colombe , Saint-Genis , Saint-Pierre-Avez , Saléon , Salérans , Savournon , Serres , Sigottier , Trescléoux
Nature and habitat
The hilly, wooded and animal-rich natural area was visited early by Neolithic hunters and gatherers ; in the 2nd millennium BC The settling down and with it the cultivation of the soil began - the cultivation of spelled ( épeautre ) has recently been revived. There are traces of settlement by the Celts . The Romans brought olive and viticulture to the region, which have been important economic factors to this day. Other fruit tree crops were added later - apricot , cherry and apple trees can be found almost everywhere . In the 17th and 18th centuries, the cultivation of lavender experienced its first heyday. Human activities, including sheep and cattle breeding , restricted the habitat for wild animals more and more - the larger wild animal species such as fallow deer and red deer disappeared and with them the last larger predators (bears, wolves, etc.); only smaller mammals as well as birds, amphibians and insects survived.
Arts and Culture
Because of the remoteness and the rather poor soil, the area is only sparsely populated; as a result, there are no historically significant buildings; only a few simple Romanesque village churches and the significantly more numerous castle ruins indicate human activities in medieval times. Due to the unstable conditions and devastation during the Huguenot Wars (1562–1698) and other religiously motivated disputes in the 17th century, the area became even more economically and culturally sidelined - buildings from this period are only known from Nyons and Buis. The most important medieval priory church is in the village of Sainte-Jalle , which does not belong to the actual area of the nature park, but is enclosed by it.
tourism
The region has been a popular area for those seeking relaxation for years; Numerous hiking trails crisscross the forests as well as the wine and lavender fields. The places offer smaller restaurants and overnight accommodations.
