Aurillac

Aurillac
Park in Aurillac
Aurillac
Location within Auvergne region  Aurillac
Administration
Country	France
Region	Auvergne
Department	Cantal
Arrondissement	Aurillac
Intercommunality	Aurillac
Mayor	Alain Calmette (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	573–867. m (1,880–2,844 ft) (avg. 622 m or 2,041 ft)
Land area1	28.76 km2 (11.10 sq mi)
Population2	28,641  (2008)
- Density	996 /km2 (2,580 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	15014/ 15000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Aurillac (Orlhac in Occitan) is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.

Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens (from Cantal) or Cantalous in Occitan.

Geography and climate

Aurillac is 558 km (347 mi) away from Paris and 223 km (139 mi) from Toulouse. Aurillac was part of a former Auvergne province called Haute-Auvergne and is only 20 km (12 mi) away from the heart of the Auvergne Volcano Park.

Aurillac is often thought to be one of the coldest cities in France. However, this is untrue, as it is simply the city at the highest altitude shown on the TV weather forecasts.

Aurillac stands on the Jordanne River.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	10,470	—
1800	10,357	−1.1%
1806	10,523	+1.6%
1821	9,190	−12.7%
1831	9,766	+6.3%
1836	10,889	+11.5%
1841	9,753	−10.4%
1846	9,609	−1.5%
1851	10,917	+13.6%
1856	9,846	−9.8%
1861	9,831	−0.2%
1866	10,998	+11.9%
1872	11,098	+0.9%
1876	11,211	+1.0%
1881	13,727	+22.4%
1886	14,613	+6.5%
1891	15,824	+8.3%
1896	6,886	−56.5%
1901	17,459	+153.5%
1906	17,772	+1.8%
1911	18,036	+1.5%
1921	16,389	−9.1%
1926	17,153	+4.7%
1931	17,643	+2.9%
1936	19,041	+7.9%
1946	22,174	+16.5%
1954	22,224	+0.2%
1962	24,563	+10.5%
1968	28,226	+14.9%
1975	30,863	+9.3%
1982	30,963	+0.3%
1990	30,773	−0.6%
1999	30,551	−0.7%
2008	28,641	−6.3%

Economy

Umbrellas

The historical capital of the umbrella, Aurillac makes more than half the umbrellas produced in France. In 1999, Aurillac produced around 250,000 umbrellas, generating around 100 jobs.^{[citation needed]}

After declining for several decades at the end of the 20th century, Aurillac umbrella producers decided to join their forces and created the Economic Interest Group, or GIE in 1997. They then launched their products under a single label, L'aurillac Parapluie.^{[citation needed]}

Sights

Some of the better known churches of Aurillac are:

• Église Saint Géraud
• Église Notre Dame aux Neiges
• Église Sacré Cœur
• Église Saint-Joseph Ouvrier

Culture

Museums

• Musée des volcans(Museum of the Volcanos), at the château Saint-Étienne
• Musée d'art et d'archéologie d'Aurillac (Museum of Art and Archaeology), 37 rue des Carmes

Universities

• Société de la Haute-Auvergne (Science and Arts "La Haute-Auvergne")
• Université interâge de la Haute-Auvergne
• Cercle généalogique et héraldique de l'Auvergne et du Velay (CGHAV)
• Cantalpassion
• Comité de la Haute-Auvergne

Places of Worship

• Église évangélique de Pentecôte - 6 Avenue des Pupilles de la Nation (ADD) (CNEF)

Sport

Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne is a Pro D2 rugby team based in Aurillac.

Personalities

Aurillac was the birthplace of:

• General Alexis Joseph Delzons (1775-1812)
• Gerbert of Aurillac, Pope Sylvester II
• The Revolutionary Jean-Baptiste Carrier was born in a nearby village.
• Paul Doumer (1857–1932), President of France
• Marie Marvingt (1875–1963), an athlete, mountaineer, aviator, and the most decorated woman in the history of France.
• Georges Monnet French socialist politician.

See also

• Communes of the Cantal department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Official website (in French)
• 36 heures Festival