Larzac

The Causse du Larzac is a limestone plateau in the south of France.

Geography

It is the southernmost Causse of the Massif Central, which lies at an altitude 650-1200 meters above sea level. The Causse du Larzac is one of the Aveyron and Hérault. It is bounded on the north by the nearly 500 -meter-deep Tarn Gorge. To the east of the Causse of canyons Dourbie, the Cevennes and Mont Aigoual is limited. To the west lies the river Dourdou. The A75 from Paris to Barcelona on the section of Millau to Beziers through the heart of the Causse du Larzac.

History

The French government planned in the early 1970s, which expand on the Larzac of about 30 to 170 square kilometers since 1903 existing practice area of the military. The living on the Larzac farmers should sell their land at rock bottom prices to the government, otherwise they would expropriated. Against this resistance suggested plans: The farmers decided to make unconditional nonviolent resistance; they were supported by the majority of the population.

Alone the inhabitants of La cavalry were for the expansion plans, as the military there maintains a barracks and thus the residents a degree of prosperity is guaranteed. Only after it became known that the site should also be made for foreign military forces available, also supported the inhabitants of this village the struggle of the peasants on the Larzac.

The farmers learned in the course of their struggle support from around the world, found it on the Larzac meetings with up to 100,000 participants. Probably the most famous resisters are Alain Desjardin and José Bové; the fight lasted 10 years: Only when in 1981 François Mitterrand was elected President, the plans to expand the military area were discarded.

Attractions

Several historic villages of Malta and the Knights Templar such as La Couvertoirade and the Dolmen de la Prunarède and " de la Fabière " lie on the plateau.

Publications

  • Wolfgang Hertle: Larzac 1971-1981. The non-violent struggle against a military training area in southern France. Publisher Weber- breeding, Kassel, 1982
  • Pierre -Marie Terral: Larzac. De la lutte à l' Paysanne altermondialisme. Editions Privat, Toulouse, 2011

Radio

  • Dradio.de, The feature / spatial explorations, August 21, 2012, Ruth Jung: Larzac - 40 years of resistance or: From Shepherd and sheep (21 August 2012; Manuscript: dradio.de )
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