Palairac
Palairac is a commune with 33 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the Aude department in the Languedoc- Roussillon region. It belongs to the district of Carcassonne, in the canton of Mouthoumet and the Local Government Association, Hautes Corbières.
- 4.1 Road Access
Geography
The community Palairac located about 35 kilometers north- west of Perpignan ( straight line ).
The municipality covers a portion of the Corbières mountain country north of Mont Tauch massif. The village lies in the valley of the small river Ruisseau de la Peyre, which flows through the Ruisseau du Moulin, the Mas de Ségure and the Petit Verdouble to Verdouble. The hilly area is characterized by open Mediterranean shrub heath ( garrigue ) and slightly denser tree growth in the valleys. The highest point in the area of the municipality is the Pech de Guillaumet with 631 meters above the sea.
Palairac bordered to the north Talairan ( contact point), to the east by Quintillan, on the southeast by Tuchan, in the southwest of Maisons, on the west by Davejean and to the northwest by Félines- Termenès and Ville -Termenès.
History
The story of Palairac dates back to the 8th century. Charles the Bald gave the place in the year 842 one of his vassals named Milon. From 876 until the French Revolution Palairac remained in the possession of the Abbey of Lagrasse.
Since the Carolingian period the mining is detectable in and around Palairac. It small iron mines were exploited, but also promoted coal. The mines were in the 13th century, the Viscount of Beziers and the lords of Termes. In the castle Palairac a contract between the kings of France and Aragon, Philip the Bold and was Peter the Great completed on August 18, 1283. The castle was destroyed in 1655 during fighting today scanty ruins are still visible.
Demographics
In the mid-19th century, the church had about 200 inhabitants. With the decline of the mining industry began in the early 20th century a gradual migration trend one, only towards the end of the 20th century, the population stabilized at a low level. With 33 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) Palairac is now one of the smallest municipalities in the department of Aude.
Culture and sights
The Romanesque parish church of Saint -Saturnin, located just outside the village, dates from the 12th century. The simply constructed church building with a barrel vault has been extended by two side chapels in the 14th century. The square bell tower with a gable roof is located on the west gable of the nave. The church is run as a Monument historique.
Economy and infrastructure
In Palairac is the wine of the main branch. The vines in the municipal area are within the protected designation of origin Corbières.
Transport links
The community is located off of the nationally significant transport routes. From the southeast a country road from Tuchan leads to Palairac; more road links exist on the Col de Ferréol to Maisons, over the Col de Couise after Félines- Termenès and over the passes Col de la Gineste and Col d' Amiel after Quintillan.