Valaurie
| Valaurie | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
| Department | Drôme | |
| Arrondissement | Nyons | |
| Canton | Grignan | |
| Community association | Enclave des Papes-Pays de Grignan | |
| Coordinates | 44 ° 25 ′ N , 4 ° 49 ′ E | |
| height | 80-290 m | |
| surface | 12.30 km 2 | |
| Residents | 593 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 48 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 26230 | |
| INSEE code | 26360 | |
| Website | Valaurie | |
 Valaurie - ramparts and gate |
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Valaurie ( Occitan : identical) is a municipality and a town with 593 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Drôme in the southern French region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes .
location
The place Valaurie is located in the Rhone Valley in the old cultural landscape of the Tricastin about 22 kilometers (driving distance) south of Montélimar at about 150 m above sea level. d. M.
Population development
| year | 1800 | 1851 | 1901 | 1954 | 1999 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 359 | 563 | 448 | 284 | 508 | 593 |
The population decline in the first half of the 20th century is largely due to the loss of jobs as a result of the mechanization of agriculture . The population increase at the end of the century results from the relative proximity to the cities in the Rhône Valley and the significantly lower property prices in the countryside.
economy
The inhabitants of the place lived for centuries as a self-sufficiency from agriculture (agriculture and cattle breeding). Wine was also grown; the place still has the right to market its grapes through the appellations of Comtés Rhodania , Grignan-les-Adhémar , Mediterranée and Drôme ; There are also olive, apricot, cherry and apple trees to a lesser extent. Since the last decades of the 20th century, tourism has played an important role in the economic life of the place in the form of renting holiday apartments ( gîtes ) .
history
Small finds suggest the presence of hunters and gatherers in the Neolithic ; The finds from Roman and Gallo-Roman times are becoming more numerous, which can be explained by the convenient location on one of the most important north-south connections of the time. A Merovingian cemetery was discovered during excavations in the place. In the 12th century, the place name 'VALAURIA' appears in two documents . In 1158 the Counts of Poitiers acquired property in the region by marriage, which they enlarged by buying them in the 13th century. Later ownership passed to the bishops of Uzès . In 1588/89 Protestant troops under François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières destroyed the fortifications of the place. In the course of the French Revolution , the nobility and the church lost all land ownership claims.
Attractions
More Attractions
- The townscape is characterized by numerous buildings made of largely uncut quarry stone .
- Only sparse remains of the former castle ( château ) and the fortifications ( remparts ) have been preserved.
- On the outskirts there is a wash house ( lavoir ) from the 19th century.
