Tautavel

Tautavel is a commune in the department of Pyrénées- Orientales in the Languedoc-Roussillon region about 20 km north- west of Perpignan. In Catalan the Winzerort is called in France Taltahull, Spain Talteüll. The 890 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) of Tautavel describe themselves as " les Tautavellois ".

Tautavel located on the banks of the river Verdouble, in the southern foothills of the Corbières, a mountain country, extending from the coast at Leucate up to Carcassonne. The town became internationally known through the Homme de Tautavel, a 1971 mile north-east of the village in the cave of Arago excavated skull of Homo erectus. Today's southern French region of Languedoc -Roussillon was thus inhabited by members of the genus homo already 450,000 years ago.

The Musée de Préhistoire, a small piece above the village situated on a hillside, among other things to visit a replica of the cave of Arago. Furthermore, there copies of the fossils of Homo erectus, stone tools and originals issued by animal fossils. In several dioramas worlds from the epoch of the hommes de Tautavel and the later Neanderthals are alive. The museum is adjacent to the Centre Européen de Recherches Préhistoire, which among other things the excavations in Tautavel organized, the volunteers looked after and makes public relations.

From the Carolingian period of fortifications (including ruins of the donjon ) are still preserved, belonging to the Château de Tautavel, which was first mentioned in 1011 as " Castellum de Taltevull ". Tautavel was then part of the border fortifications of the rulers of Aragon and later belonged to the Kingdom of Mallorca. The present village Tautavel was, leaning against the fortifications, in the Middle Ages. The Château existed until the mid-17th century.

Gallery

• Look at Tautavel from the direction Vingrau
• View of the Donjon of the Château
• Mayor's Office
• Main road