Millau

Millau is a commune with 21,626 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Aveyron in the Midi-Pyrénées region. It is sub-prefecture of the district of the same name.

Geography

The southern French city of about 22,000 inhabitants located in the Regional Natural Park of Grands Causses, at the entrance of the Gorges du Tarn and on the very site where the Dourbie empties into the Tarn.

History

From the Tabula Peutingeriana shows that the place in Roman times Condatomagus said. He was a well-known pottery center (→ La Graufesenque ).

Attractions in Millau and the environment

  • The gorges of the Tarn, Jonte and Dourbie
  • The rock labyrinth of Chaos de Montpellier- le -Vieux
  • The Aven Armand
  • The Parc Régional des Causses
  • Cabrières, Castle of Emma Calve
  • The Place du Marechal Foch is surrounded by arcades dating from the 12th to the 16th century and based on cylindrical columns. A square stone, which is located between the pillars 2 and 3, the remainder of the former pillory. Every Friday and Wednesday is next to the halls in the Rue de la Capelle on the Place du Maréchal Foch of vibrant and traditional weekly market.
  • The church of Notre -Dame-de - I'Espinasse was formerly in the possession of a mandrel of the Holy Crown. Originally built in the Romanesque style, the church played in medieval times as a place of pilgrimage an important role. After a partial destruction in 1582, it was rebuilt in the 17th century and added to the aisles in the 18th and 19th centuries. Jean Bernard enriched in 1939 the choir with modern frescoes, stained glass windows in the nave created Claude Baillon in 1984.
  • The Viaduc de Millau, on the Autoroute A75 leads, crosses the Tarn about 5 km west of the city and connects Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers. He is with 2460 meters the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world; the highest pier is from the valley floor up to the road 245 m high. The spans 204 meters amount to 6 times 342 meters and 204 meters. The roadway is located at a height of not more than 270 feet above the Tarn

Economy and infrastructure

Trade

Since medieval times, leather gloves were made ​​in manual labor in Millau. The city is then also the capital of the glove. A golden age began in the Belle Époque and ended with the increasing globalization. Up to 22,000 residents worked in the 1960s in the glove industry. Added to this was as a supporting factor for the in close proximity to sheep farms, which provided the necessary fine leather. 2008, only finished a few craft enterprises gloves for a quality-conscious clientele.

Adventure tourism

Millau is one of the most well known areas for paragliding and hang gliding in Europe. 2004 hang gliding World Championship was held here. The most striking mountain air of the area is located on the eastern outskirts of Pouncho d' Agast.

Varia

Millau in 1999 was the scene of the symbolic, yet tangible " dismantling " a McDonald's restaurant by the French activists and critics of globalization José Bové.

Twinning

  • Bad Salzuflen, North Rhine -Westphalia since 1975
  • Bridlington, United Kingdom, since 1992
  • Mostar, Bosnia - Herzegovina, since 2006
  • Louga, Senegal, since 1962
  • Sagunto, Spain, since 2006
  • Mealhada, Portugal, since 2010
573168
de