Aulus-les-Bains (; ) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region of south-western

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Aulus-les-Bains is located at the head of the Garbet river valley and beneath the Guzet-Neige ski resort some 35 km south-east of Saint-Girons and 25 km south-west of

Tarascon-sur-Ariège Tarascon-sur-Ariège (, literally ''Tarascon on Ariège''; Languedocien: ''Tarascon d’Arièja'') is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. Tarascon-sur-Ariège station has rail connections to Toulouse, Foix and Lato ...

at an altitude of 750 metres. Access to the commune is by the D8F road which branches from the D3 west of the commune and follows a tortuous route to the village before continuing by an even more tortuous route to join the D18 in the east. The D32 road comes from

Ercé Ercé (; ) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. Population Inhabitants are called ''Ercéens''. See also *Communes of the Ariège department The following is a list of the 325 communes of the Ariège depa ...

in the north to the village. The commune is mountainous and heavily forested with large areas in the south above the snow line.Google Maps
/ref> The village is best known for its thermal springs and spa complex. There are several ''

Belle Époque The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...

'' buildings with some still offering hotel accommodation. The village is very popular in winter for skiing and in the summer for walking and cycling. The local beauty spot and waterfall, the ''Cascade d'Ars'', is a one-hour walk from the village. Cyclists can climb the ''Col de Latrappe'' or the ''Col d'Agnes'' directly from the village. There are two holiday cottages: the ''Presbytère'' and the ''Goulue''. Other local amenities include a bar/café, a pizzeria/health food restaurant, a tobacconist, a mini supermarket, a post office, and a butcher shop. The ''Garbet'' river rises in the commune and gathers a very large number of tributaries in the commune as it flows north-west through the village to join the

Salat ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal ibadah, worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as rak'a, ''rak'ah'', include ...

north of

Oust The Oust (; ) is a river in Brittany, France, right tributary of the Vilaine. It is long. Its source is in the hills between Corlay and Quintin. It flows generally southeast, through the following ''départements'' and towns: * Côtes-d'Armo ...

. There are numerous streams and ponds throughout the commune which all flow to join the Garbet.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

From the early 19th century, Aulus expanded as a health

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

, frequented by "invalids of love" or "young people with shameful illnesses". This came about after a

syphilitic Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent or tertiary. The primary stage classic ...

army lieutenant had found some relief in its waters, probably because they counteracted the effects of the mercury then used to treat syphilis patients. The lieutenant's regiment spread the word: by 1849 Aulus had three hotels, a new bridge and an avenue of

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

trees to attract visitors. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in January 1942, 686 foreign Jews were sent to stay in Aulus. The

Vichy government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

arrested 174 Polish Jews out of this group on 26 August 1942 and took them to Vernet. A further 100 were added from elsewhere in the department then they were all taken to

Drancy Drancy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in northern France. It is located 10.8 km (6.7 mi) from the center of Paris. History Toponymy The name Drancy comes from Medieval Lati ...

on the way to

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

. On arrival all but 44 were killed and only 26 survived the war. A further 266 Jews were arrested by the Germans on 9 January 1943 and only 83 survived from this group.

Administration

List of mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aulusiens'' or ''Aulusiennes'' in French.

Economy

Aulus-les-Bains is a hydro-mineral resort whose sources, which were known to the Romans, found fame at the beginning of the 19th century. Today Aulus-les-Bains is still best known for its hot springs. With syphilis now curable, the village markets itself as the "Cholesterol Spa". The water from the springs is also used to treat ailments such as urinary problems, arthritis, and some disorders of the nervous system. The village is also the point of departure for the many hikers wishing to visit the surrounding valleys and mountains.

Sites and monuments

* The

Hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

s. * The Cascade d'Ars (Ars waterfall), which is 246 metres high and has three levels. There are many walks going up to and around the waterfall taking from three and a half hours to nine hours ranging from easy to very difficult. * The Parish Church contains three items that are registered as historical objects: **A Collection Plate (16th century) **A Collection Plate depicting the Annunciation (16th century) **A

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

with

Paten A paten or diskos is a small plate used for the celebration of the Eucharist (as in a mass). It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Wes ...

(19th century) The

GR10 GR 10 is a French GR footpath, or hiking trail, that runs the length of the Pyrenees Mountains. It roughly parallels the French–Spanish border on the French side. Those attempting the entire trail often choose to walk it from west to east, from ...

hiking trail passes through the commune from the Lac d'Izourt in the south-west to

Ustou Ustou (; ) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. The commune of Ustou comprises several villages: Saint-Lizier, Le Trein, Sérac; and numerous hamlets, including: Escots, Bieille, Rouze. Population Inhabitants of U ...

in the west.Aulus-les-Bains on Géoportail
/ref>

References

External links

Aulus-les-Bains Tourist Office

Aulus-les-Bains on the old IGN website

Aulus-les-Bains on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Aulne'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auluslesbains Communes of Ariège (department)