Auzat
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Auzat (;
Languedocien Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian, or Lengadocian () is an Occitan language, Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Lang ...
: ''Ausat'') 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 ...
. The commune has been awarded one flower by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.


Geography

Auzat is located some 45 km south by south-west of
Pamiers Pamiers (; ) is a commune and largest city in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the most populous commune in the Ariège department, although it is not t ...
and 40 km north by north-west of
Andorra la Vella Andorra la Vella is the capital and largest city of Andorra. It is located high in the east Pyrenees, between France and Spain. It is also the name of the parishes of Andorra, Andorran parish that surrounds the capital. , the city had a populati ...
. Its south-western border is the border between
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 ...
and
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and its south-eastern border is the border between France and
Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...
. Access to the commune is by road D8 which branches from the D18 at
Vicdessos Vicdessos (; ) is a former commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Val-de-Sos.Pica d'Estats Pica d'Estats (or ''The States Peak'') ( Catalan: ''Pica d'Estats'', French: ''Pique d'Estats'') is a mountain in the Montcalm Massif, Pyrenees. on the Spanish–French border, and is the highest mountain in Catalonia. This mountain is included ...
(3143 m), which is located in the
Montcalm Massif The Montcalm Massif (, ) is a mountain massif located in the Pyrenees, at the border between France and Spain, with an altitude of 3077 metres above sea level. Some of the summits are over 3,000 m high and the highest mountain in Catalonia ( Pi ...
, exactly on the Spanish border.Google Maps
/ref> Many streams rise in the south of the commune and flow north in two parallel main streams - the ''Ruisseau de la Coume de Subra'' and the ''Ruisseau de Mounicou''. The ''Ruisseau de la Coume de Subra'' joins the ''Ruisseau de l'Artigue'' flowing east to join the ''Ruisseau de Mounicou'' which continues north to the village where it becomes the ''Ruisseau de Vicdessos'' then continues east to join the Ariège at
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 ...
. There are also many lakes in the south of the commune with the Etang de Soulcem being the largest.


Hamlets and places in the commune

*Emperrot *L'Artigue *Marc *Saleix *Olbier *Artiès *Mounicou


Neighbouring communes and villages


Environment

The commune has a rich environment in terms of
Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
and ecological potential but industrialization has left traces: in particular the disused Pechiney Aluminium Smelter (closed in 2003) left heavy environmental consequences. The smelter was ranked 2 under
Directive 96/82/EC Council Directive 96/82/EC of 9 December 1996 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances (as amended) is a European Union law aimed at improving the safety of sites containing large quantities of dangerous substances. ...
(Seveso). The plant had an internal
landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
site of 1.8 hectares located several kilometres from the smelter site at a place called ''Massada'' on the border with
Vicdessos Vicdessos (; ) is a former commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Val-de-Sos.fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic, Monatomic ion, monatomic Ion#Anions and cations, anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose ...
s,
cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...
s,
hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
s,
arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...
,
aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
, and
barium Barium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is the fifth element in group 2 and is a soft, silvery alkaline earth metal. Because of its high chemical reactivity, barium is never found in nature as a free element. Th ...
.Note by ONG on the Robin Hood website
entitled "The failures of Pechiney" dated 6 October 2003


History

*Onost had the first group housing in the Middle Ages with the Church of Saint-Vincent of Onost mentioned in the 11th century *Auzat village was founded in the 11th or 12th century. It was a village grouped around the present Rue du Fort and the Rue du Rocher *12th-15th centuries: domination by Montreal-de-Sos, castle of the
Counts of Foix The Count of Foix ruled the County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their court to Pau, Pyré ...
*1907: Construction of the Pechiney Smelter to manufacture ingots and billets of aluminum *1908: construction of a central hydroelectric station to supply electricity to the Pechiney smelter *1911: opening of the ''Tramway de Tarascon-sur-Ariège à Auzat'' *1939: The ''Catastrophe of Izourt'' - an avalanche that killed 28 people *1990: Implementation of the Montcalm Water Company *2003: closure of the Pechiney smelter *2007: Opening of the House of heritage *2011: a new athletics stadium was inaugurated in the presence of President of the FFA,
Bernard Amsalem Bernard Amsalem (born 1951 in Saida, Algeria) is a French organizer of athletics. He was vice-president of the French Athletics Federation from 1997 to 2001, and is now the president since 2001. Amsalem was vice-president of the French Olympic ...


Administration

List of Successive Mayors


Twinning

Since 2003, the Auzat valley and Vicdessos have developed special links with Italy, especially with the
Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
and
Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...
regions which were the origins of the victims of the Izourt Dam disaster in Auzat that had resulted in the deaths of 29 Italians and 3 Frenchmen on 24 March 1939. The Ricordate Association, with the support of elected officials, regularly organizes events and commemorations for the victims' families to honour their dead and to better understand the circumstances of the accident.


Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Auzatois'' or ''Auzatoises'' in French.


Culture and heritage


Civil heritage

*The Chateau of Montreal-de-Sos is located on a rocky escarpment overlooking the hamlet of Olbier *The Vicdessos Valley *The Vicdessos Lakes File:Pont du GR 10 dans les Pyrénées.JPG, A bridge on the GR 10 across the Ruisseau de Bassiès at 1590m File:Estanh de Canalbòna.JPG, The Etang de Canalbonne File:Etang de bassiès et chevaux de Mérens.JPG, The Etang de Bassiès and Mérens horses File:Zone1.JPG, Inside the Chateau of Montreal-de-Sos File:Col du Saleich (Saleix), Vicdessos, 17 juillet 1882 (8269463092).jpg, The Col du Saleich in 1882 File:Pont dAuzat, Vicdessos, septembre 1882 (8190562948).jpg, Auzat Bridge in 1882 File:Le Mont Calm, Auzat, 17 juillet 1882 (8190566606).jpg, Mont Calm in 1882


Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings: *The Cemetery Chapel has a Statue of Saint Bartholomew (15th century) which is registered as an historical object *The Church of Auxat has three items that are registered as historical objects: **A
Chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...
(19th century) **A Ciborium (19th century) **A
Monstrance A monstrance, also known as an ostensorium (or an ostensory), is a vessel used in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, High Church Lutheran and Anglican churches for the display on an altar of some object of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharisti ...
(19th century) *The Church of Olbier has one item that is registered as an historical object: **A Collection Plate (16th century) *The Church of Saleix has many items that are registered as historical objects: **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 ...
(17th century) **A
Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...
(18th century) **2 Statues: Virgin and Child, Saint Joseph (18th century) **Group sculpture: Virgin of Pity (16th century) **A Collection Plate: the Annunciation (16th century) **A Collection Plate: Adam and Eve (16th century) **2 Statues: Saint Roch, Saint John (18th century) **A Chandelier (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy


Notable people linked to the commune

*
Jean Sérafin Jean Sérafin (born 24 June 1941) is a French former footballer and coach. He played for US Valenciennes and USL Dunkerque. After his playing career, he became a coach with Le Touquet AC, RC Lens, OGC Nice, Nîmes Olympique, Tours FC, Al-Wahd ...
,
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
*Aimé Molinié,
senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...


See also

*
Communes of the Ariège department The following is a list of the 325 communes of the Ariège department of France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French ...


References


External links


Auzat official website

Auzat on the old IGN website

Vicdessos Valley official website




{{authority control Communes of Ariège (department)