Saint-Girons
| Saint-Girons | ||
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Ariège | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Girons | |
| Canton | Couserans Ouest | |
| Community association | Couserans-Pyrénées | |
| Coordinates | 42 ° 59 ′ N , 1 ° 9 ′ E | |
| height | 387-1,200 m | |
| surface | 19.13 km 2 | |
| Residents | 6,383 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 334 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 09200 | |
| INSEE code | 09261 | |
| Website | Saint-Girons | |
 Saint-Girons - the townscape with the Salat River |
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Saint-Girons ( Occitan Sent Gironç ) is a southern French municipality with 6,383 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region . Saint-Girons is the capital of the historic county of Couserans . The municipality is part of the Pyrénées Ariégeoises Regional Nature Park .
Location and climate
Saint-Girons is located in the center of a basin at the confluence of the Lez with the Salat and the Baup at the foot of the Pyrenees at an altitude of approx. 390 m . The closest major city is Toulouse, a good 100 km north . The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 770 mm / year) falls over the year.
Population development
| year | 1800 | 1851 | 1901 | 1954 | 1999 | 2017 | ||
| Residents | 3,054 | 3,981 | 6,018 | 6,841 | 6.254 | 6,383 | ||
| Source: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
The population growth in the late 19th and 20th centuries is mainly due to the loss of labor in rural communities as a result of the mechanization of agriculture (rural exodus).
economy
The people of earlier centuries lived mainly as self-sufficiency from the produce of their fields and gardens. Cattle breeding also played a not insignificant role. More and more craftsmen and service providers also settled in town. Tourism began in the 19th century and is still important today.
history
Unlike the neighboring Roman Saint-Lizier (Lugdunum Consoranum) , Saint-Girons may be a Gallo-Roman foundation. The place does not appear in documents until around the year 1100, but historical evidence is generally rare.
Attractions
- Église Saint-Valier (12th and 19th centuries)
- Église Saint-Genès (19th century)
- Château des vicomtes du Couserans (16th and 17th centuries)
Personalities
- Roger Fauroux , politician
- Sylvain Dispagne , rugby player
- Gaston Massat , surrealist
- Frédéric Moncassin , ex-racing cyclist
- Alexandre Grothendieck , mathematician
Others
In 2009, Saint-Girons was the arrival point of a stage in the Pyrenees of the Tour de France . On July 14, 2017, a stage started in Saint-Girons with the goal in Foix .
Town twinning
- Vielha e Mijaran , Catalonia, Spain (since 1992)
- Albese con Cassano , Lombardy, Italy (since 1995)
