Foix

Foix is a municipality with 9782 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the south of France and the capital of the department of Ariège in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Foix is located in the output of the former glacial valley of the Ariege in the Pyrenees. Foix is after Pamiers is the second most populated municipality of the department.

History

Probably Foix goes back to a chapel, which was founded by Charlemagne and from the later developed into a monastery. Originally belonged to the pays de Foix to the Duchy of Aquitaine. Later, it came to the county of Carcassonne. In the 11th century it was even brought to the county, which dominated a glorious noble family. At her farm, the counts were regularly troubadours and poets occur. The Count Gaston III. Fébus was even the author of a hunting guide. The pays de Foix belonged together with the couserans and the Donezan the Cathar region. The walls of Foix held in the 13th century the onslaught of the Crusaders stood. Here the Albigensian Crusade was raging particularly violent. 1229 Albingenserkrieg is explained in the Treaty of Paris ended and made ​​for the Counts of Foix became vassals of the French king. Through inheritance came to this possession of Navarre Béarn, where they settled, so as not to be under the dominion of the French king. But 1607 also reached the Béarn under the rule of Henry IV, which it joined his demesne.

The Counts of Foix practiced together with the Bishop of Urgell as co- princes, the dominion of Andorra from. They transferred these rights to the French king, who has since been sent a bailiff to Andorra. This right was on the French side over to the French Republic and the President. Since 1993, Andorra is an independent principality with the two co- princes as heads of state.

Economy

The inhabitants of the Pays de Foix lived a long time from the iron ore mining in the mine you Rancié, which was operated until its final closure in 1931 after an archaic cooperative system. In the Ariège has also been repeatedly successful gold scrubbers sought since the Middle Ages for gold. The northern side of the Pyrenees, particularly along the Ariège is rich in forests, so many people lived by the timber industry. In the vicinity of Foix there are also large fish ponds, where the large supply of clean water for fish farming is used. Today, tourism dominates.

Attractions

Outstanding attractions are the castle of the Counts of Foix and the former abbey church of Saint Volusien. The narrow streets Rue de Labistour and Rue des Marchands intersect, just a small bronze fountain geese. To the castle is a steep path, the Rue des Chapeliers. The castle houses the Town Museum, the Museum of the Ariège department, there next war and hunting weapons also finds from the Paleolithic will be shown to the Bronze Age.

Twinning

Foix is twinned with Lleida in Spain since 1962 and Andorra la Vella.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Charles de Freycinet (1828-1923), politician
• Christian d' Orgeix (* 1927), painter
• Éric Carrière (born 1973 ), French midfielder of Dijon FCO