Aveyron

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Aveyron

Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.

History

Aveyron was one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790.

The first historical inhabitants of the region were the Rutenii tribe, but the area was inhabited more anciently and boasts many prehistoric ruins.

Geography

The département is part of the current Midi-Pyrénées région. It is surrounded by the départements of Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, Hérault, Gard, Lozère, and Cantal.

The highest point in the département is the summit of Mailhebuau at 1469 m.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the département are called Aveyronnais, inhabitants of Rodez are called Ruthénois, based on the first Roman settlers, the rutenii.

Tourism

Aveyron contains a part of the Cévennes National Park. Two well known tourist attractions are the castle of Najac, a medieval ruin perched high on a hill, and the abbey of Loc-Dieu, located near Martiel in a region with many dolmens. The small city of Millau is the site of the world's tallest bridge, the viaduc de Millau, opened by President Chirac in December 2004.

Activities include horseriding, fishing, swimming in the Lacs du Lévézou and hiking/camping. The inhabitants are also very good craftsmen, and Aveyron is full of various craft objects, handmade, that can be found locally. Examples include the couteau de Laguiole, the world famous Roquefort cheese, from the village of the same name and other local produce. Markets take place every Saturday on market places around the region.

External links

Castle of Najac

Château_de_Najac
http://cf.laroque.free.fr/chateau/najac.htm
http://www.seigneurs-du-rouergue.com/nouveau/PresentFrancais.php?numero=14
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/vent.ouest/text/197bad3-1031.html
http://sauzets.co.uk/

Abbey of Loc-Dieu

Abbaye de Loc-Dieu
http://www.cister.net/viewabbey/76/
http://www.aveyron.com/tourisme/Regions/locdieu.html

Hiking in Aveyron

http://www.netrando.com/4dcgi/us/geoquery/198.htm