Languedoc

The Languedoc ( langue d'oc, langue of French language; Occitan oc for French oui, an indication of the Occitan language ) is a historical French province. It comprised the central part of southern France between the Rhône as a border to Provence and the Garonne River as a boundary to Gascony. Their territory is now divided among the regions of Languedoc -Roussillon, Midi -Pyrénées and the smallest part of Rhône -Alpes. Their capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées region.

The Languedoc, in the strict sense of the present-day administrative region of Languedoc -Roussillon belonging part, comprises an area of 17,000 square kilometers, roughly the region between the Rhône and Aude and extended north to the Cévennes and the Massif Central. Go to Languedoc include the departments of Gard, Hérault and Lozère.

Cities

The area has a population of about 1.6 million inhabitants; there are few large settlements. The main towns are the regional capital of Languedoc -Roussillon Montpellier, Nimes, Narbonne, Béziers and Sète.

Agriculture

The Languedoc area, looks back on a long tradition. In the 19th and 20th centuries, there were several significant changes in cultivation. The cultivation was severely damaged by phylloxera and downy mildew; only in the 1960s began with the targeted expansion of high-yielding varieties. Although the region was a major wine producer again, the wine stuck but the image of a "cheap wine " to. The Languedoc was mainly responsible for an EC -wide production surplus, which became known as the " wine lake " until the 1970s.

In the 1970s, people began to focus on quality wines again; there were and very good wines are mostly produced. This development is recognized by many wine critics; they now make up some wines of the Languedoc same quality with the best wines of Bordeaux. Overall, the Languedoc produces more than a third of French grapes. Furthermore, olives, fruit and rice are grown. In the hill country sheep and goats are bred for meat and cheese. In the coastal area much fish is caught, as well as shellfish. The area is a popular tourist destination.

History

The Mediterranean coast of Languedoc was settled in ancient times by the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans and conquered by the Alamanni, Vandals, Visigoths and Saracens.

The name derives from the Occitan from Languedoc (French: Langues d' oc); this regional Romance language was the language of the country, see also Languedokische language before the French period.

In the late Middle Ages, the Languedoc was the center of the religious movement of the Cathars. The Roman Catholic Church declared it to be heretics and had them in the Albigensian Crusade to exterminate. The Montsegur castle was the capital of the Cathar church and was in 1243 and in 1244 besieged in the siege of Montsegur by crusaders. The inhabitants of the castle were faced with the choice of either renounce their faith or to be burned at the stake. 225 Cathars, including their bishop, were burned.

As part of this crusade, the area was subjected in the early 13th century by the kings of France and incorporated into the Kingdom, see History of France from 1328 to 1589. Thus began a process of suppression of local language and culture in favor of those of Paris. The Occitan language has been largely supplanted in the 16th century, the written and since the 19th century and from the oral language use.

The extraordinary inland waterway Canal du Midi from the 17th century, connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites of 1996. At the canal, there are impressive buildings, such as the lock staircase at Fonseranes near Béziers, birthplace of the channel founder Pierre -Paul Riquet.

Archeology

In Languedoc an Iron Age necropolis was discovered exceptionally preserved. It testifies to the usual in the West cremation. 235 small mound of earth and stone, which are sealed inside with heavy stone slabs that characterize the tombs. About 4,000 vessels and 600 metal objects have been found.