Pamiers

Pamiers
Pamiers
Administration
Country	France
Region	Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Ariège
Arrondissement	Pamiers
Canton	Pamiers Est and Pamiers Ouest
Intercommunality	Pays de Pamiers
Mayor	André Trigano (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	256–473 m (840–1,552 ft) (avg. 298 m or 978 ft)
Land area1	45.85 km2 (17.70 sq mi)
Population2	15,857  (2008)
- Density	346 /km2 (900 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	09225/ 09100
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.

Pamiers is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Although Pamiers is the largest city in Ariège, the capital is the smaller town of Foix. The seat of the Bishop of Pamiers is at the Pamiers Cathedral,

Geography

Pamiers is located on the Ariège River.

The town of Pamiers is famous for its three bell towers and for being the birthplace of Gabriel Fauré, one of the greatest late 19th beginning 20th century French musicians and composers. It also boasts awards for Ville fleurie, the equivalent of "town in bloom". Local facilities include good restaurants, bars, supermarkets, large public indoor and outdoor swimming pools (one of which is 50m).

Commercial road

Pamiers lies in an ancient alluvial plain of the Ariège River in the area called La Basse Ariège, noted for its rich fertile soil ideal for agriculture. Pamiers has 17,000 inhabitants, the Appaméens, and is the economical capital of the Ariège, being the most important town in the department.

The town itself dates back to the 5th century. The origin of its name is subject to debate. A certain school of linguists tends to believe that it was derived from the fact that, when Pamiers was founded, its new inhabitants were given land parcels measured in pams', from empan (from the Latin "pannus" meaning "piece of cloth"). Originally it was called Ville de Pams. Another explanation is one involving Roger II de Foix, who had gone to a crusade in the region of Apamea in Syria and who, upon his return to France, gave his castle and domain the name of one of his battles: Castrum Appamiae, name later on given to the town. The fact that Pamiers' inhabitants are called Appaméens would seem to favour this hypothesis. In the 18th century a plural stance on the word was introduced making the name "Apamias" derived from ecclesiastical language and also similar to the Occitan language. The Occitan name "Pamias" can be seen on the town sign, alongside the French name Pamiers, as one enters the town via the old route from Toulouse, RN20.

The main square of Pamiers, Place de la République, is paved in red marble. Every week, three large open-air farmers' markets are held, plus a flea market every Sunday morning. Nearby are the old Tour des Cordeliers and the large Church of Notre-Dame-du-Camp.

Population

Historical population of Pamiers

Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	4954	6174	5646	5919	6048	6905	6485	7667	7770	7631

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901
Population	7910	7877	8690	8967	11,726	11,944	11,143	10,657	10,886

Year	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
Population	10,449	10,017	12,012	12,131	13,164	14,035	12,026	12,822

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	13,297	14,564	14,325	13,345	12,965	13,417	15,857

Personalities

Pamiers was the birthplace or hometown of:

• Marc-Guillaume Alexis Vadier (1736-1828), politician at the time of the French Revolution
• Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), composer
• Théophile Delcassé (1852-1923), statesman
• Pope Benedict XII, (ca. 1280-1342), bishop of Pamiers in the 1320s
• Swanne Gauthier, basketball player

Transportation

• Gare de Pamiers

See also

• 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, a regiment based in the commune
• Communes of the Ariège department
• County of Foix
• List of medieval bridges in France

References

• INSEE

External links

• Official website (French)
• Tourist office website (French)
• Car hire website