Auvergne | |
|---|---|
Cultural region | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Auvergne in France | |
| Coordinates:45°20′N3°00′E / 45.333°N 3.000°E /45.333; 3.000 | |
| Country |  France |
| Area | |
• Total | 26,013 km2 (10,044 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,362,367 |
| • Density | 52/km2 (140/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €43.022 billion (2022) |
| • Per capita | €31,600 (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Auvergne (/oʊˈvɛərn(jə),oʊˈvɜːrn/;[2][3][4][5]French:[ovɛʁɲ]ⓘ;Occitan:Auvèrnhe orAuvèrnha) is a cultural region in central France.
As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historicalProvince of Auvergne, which was dissolved in 1790, and with the now-defunctadministrative region of Auvergne, which existed from 1956 to 2015.
The region is home to a chain of volcanoes known collectively as the "chaîne des Puys". The volcanoes began forming about 70,000 years ago, and most have eroded, leaving plugs of hardenedmagma that form rounded hilltops known aspuys.[6] The last confirmed eruption occurred around4040 BCE.[7]
Auvergne is known for its mountain ranges and dormant volcanoes. Together theMonts Dore and theChaîne des Puys include 80 volcanoes. ThePuy de Dôme is the highest volcano in the region, with an altitude of 1,465 metres (4,806 ft). The Sancy Massif in the Monts Dore is the highest point in Auvergne (1,886 metres (6,188 ft)).[8]
The northern part is covered in hills, while the southern portion is mountainous and dotted with pastures. TheForest of Tronçais covers nearly 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) and is the largestoak forest in Europe.
Auvergne has two major rivers: theLoire runs through the southeast and borders the northeast, and theAllier runs from north to south down the center of Auvergne, with branches going east and west.[9]
Auvergne has about 50 freshwater ponds and lakes. Some are high in the mountains and have volcanic origins.Lac de Guéry is the highest lake in Auvergne.
The average annual temperature is 12 °C (54 °F), and the region receives 510 to 1,020 mm (20 to 40 in) of rainfall annually.
There are long winters and short summers.[10]
The region of Auvergne was named after theArverni, one of the most powerfulGallic tribes. It was composed of theGabali, theVellavi, and theCadurci, whose sphere of influence included the regions of Languedoc and Aquitaine.Vercingetorix became their king in 52 BC. His father and predecessor, Celtillos, had been killed by his companions who opposed Celtillos' goal of making the title hereditary.
In the winter of 53/52 BC, Vercingetorix created alliances with all the Celtic tribes surrounding him by holding as hostages daughters or sons of the kings of each tribe. With this threat, he gained their guarantees of faithfulness and alliance. Based on reports in 2007 of excavations by archaeologists (radio programme ofYves Calvi with researchers in October 2007), the capital of the Arverni is believed to have been situated betweenGergovie,Corent,Aulnat and several other significant areas within a 35 km (22 mi) range. Researchers estimate a population of 150,000 inhabitants living in the centre of this area, and a total of more than 400,000 inhabitants living in the region of these towns.
The Arverni were one of the most powerful and wealthy tribes in ancient Gaul:
A shrine in Auvergne marks theBattle of Gergovia. Based on scholars' interpretation of books byCaesar, it took place about 12 km (7.5 mi) from present-dayClermont-Ferrand; this has not been conclusively proved. Initially, Vercingetorix and his troops overcame Julius Caesar and the Roman army at Gergovia in 52 BC.[11]
Roman troops subsequently achieved victory at Alesia (Alise-sainte-Reine) in Burgundy. Roman legionaries had set various traps and obstacles to disrupt Gallic advancements.[12] They captured Vercingetorix and took him to Rome, where he was imprisoned. Augustonemetum (as Clermont was known) was developed, probably by displacing a settlement of theArverni. A recent find is a stone foot, measuring 60 cm (24 in), from a statue 4.5 metres (15 ft) high, probably representing a god or a Roman emperor. In the 5th century,Sidonius Apollinaris, an Arvernian nobleman and first bishop of Clermont, made a statement[clarification needed] about the end of the Roman age of the Auvergne.
In the 7th century, theFranks and theAquitani competed for control of Auvergne. Conquered by theCarolingians, it was integrated for a certain time into the kingdom ofAquitania. A section known as the county ofAurillac was given to the father of Géraud d’Aurillac; this grant was made directly by the king. The counts of Auvergne, the Guilhemides, slowly obtained their independence. In the 10th century, Auvergne was subject to rivalry between the counts ofPoitiers andToulouse.
Under the reign of the Carolingians, Auvergne included five secondary counties with a particular administrative system (Clermont, Turluron, Brioude, Tallende, Carlat (comitatus Cartladensis)).
During the Middle Ages, the county of Auvergne covered the current departments ofPuy-de-Dôme, the northern half ofCantal, as well as a small third in northwesternHaute-Loire, with the county ofBrioude. The other part of Cantal constituted the direct territory ofAurillac Abbey, and a part of it was indentured to the viscounts ofMillau, to form the viscountcy of Carlat.
King Philip August linked the majority of the county to the royal territory. The royal territory of Auvergne tookRiom as an administrative center. However, Philip August was not able to fully subdue the area: the Count held out inVic-le-Comte.
In 1226, KingLouis VIII's will bequeathed Auvergne as anappanage to his younger son,Alphonse, Count of Poitiers. In 1360 it was given as a duchy toJohn, Duke of Berry, who also bought the area of Carlades. His daughterMarie marriedJohn I, Duke of Bourbon, who in 1416 also becameDuke of Auvergne. The Dukes of Bourbon acquired the Dauphiné of Auvergne through marriage, but in the end all their territories were confiscated byFrancis I (1527).
In the 16th century Auvergne was plunged into religious wars. SomeCalvinist militia made incursions into the highlands and took castles and Catholic villages by surprise. They returned them, subject to aransom.Captain Merle in particular, firmly established in nearbyGévaudan, took a ransom fromIssoire but failed in Saint Flour. That is how the city ofAurillac had been taken over, and its abbey was completely destroyed.
In the 16th century,Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France, inherited the last part of the county from her mother, which allowed the integration of the last feudal fiefdom, in the heart of Auvergne, into the royal territory.
In 1665,Louis XIV temporarily set up an exceptional criminal court inClermont andLe Puy-en-Velay,les grands jours d’Auvergne (The Great Days of Auvergne), in response to the complaints of the people, who were victims of violence and abuse by officials and noblemen of Auvergne. During the 18th century, the economic situation of the farmers improved considerably, due to the policies of the Auvergneintendants, who developed farming, cheese manufacturing, agriculture, glasswork, ironwork and roads.
During World War II,Vichy was the headquarters of the government of theFrench State.
Auvergne is an underpopulated area with an aging population. Auvergne is one of the least populated regions in Europe, and lies at the heart of theempty diagonal, a swath of sparsely populated territory running from northeastern to southwestern France.
The main communes in Auvergne are (2019 census, municipal population):Clermont-Ferrand (147,865),Montluçon (34,361),Aurillac (25,593), andVichy (24,980).[13]
The region is predominantly agricultural, with tourism slowly growing. Both beef and dairy cattle are plentiful, and there are several well-known cheeses:Bleu d'Auvergne,Cantal,Fourme d'Ambert andSaint-Nectaire.
Despite its small local market, the Auvergne region has developed many national and international companies, such asMichelin, Limagrain (seed), the Centre France-La Montagne group (regional daily press), Volvic mineral water (Danone group) and numerous dynamicSMEs around the two universities and high schools (engineering, medical and business) of its capital, Clermont-Ferrand.
Most of these companies export more than 75% of their production.[citation needed]
Auvergne is also a relatively industrial region: the share of the working population in industry is 22% (110,000 jobs), compared to the national average of 18%. The main industry is the tyre industry, represented by Michelin, with its headquarters and history located in Clermont-Ferrand, and Dunlop, based inMontluçon. There is also a diverse range of small industries, particularly in the Puy-de-Dôme and the Haute-Loire: metallurgical (Aubert and Duval), mechanical, pharmaceutical (Merck-Chibret), food—cereals; meat (Salers, Limousin)—as well as cheese.
These include Thiers cutlery, metal Issoire, lace in Le Puy, and livestock as well as food in the Cantal.
The Auvergne is one of the premier research areas in France with more than 8,000 researchers in the fields of chemistry, tires, steel, medical and pharmaceutical sciences in agricultural research (INRA and Limagrain laboratories), in biotechnology, seismology and meteorology.
The food industry, with its branches mineral water, dairy products, meat products, forestry, honey, jams and candied fruit, employs over 12,000 people.
In 2018, the animal theme parkLe Pal had 640,000 visitors, making it the most visited theme park inAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes.[14] Le Pal is the fifth most visited amusement park in France and the fourth in the zoo sector.[15][16][17]
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