Rochechouart
Rochechouart
Rechoard (Occitan) | |
---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
![]() Rochechouart castle | |
Coordinates: 45°49′26″N 0°49′18″E / 45.8239°N 0.8217°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
Department | Haute-Vienne |
Arrondissement | Rochechouart |
Canton | Rochechouart |
Intercommunality | CC Porte Océane du Limousin |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Anne Marie Almoster-Rodrigues[1] |
Area 1 | 53.88 km2 (20.80 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 3,681 |
• Density | 68/km2 (180/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 87126 /87600 |
Elevation | 159–313 m (522–1,027 ft) (avg. 265 m or 869 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Rochechouart (French: [ʁɔʃ(ə)ʃwaʁ] , locally [ʁɔʃwaʁ]; Occitan: Rechoard, earlier La Ròcha Choard) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, west central France. It is a subprefecture of the department.[3]
The name of the town comes from Latin roca cavardi, which roughly translates as the rock of Cavardus, the lord who had the fortified place built at the beginning of the 11th century. More often than not, natives pronounce it [ʁoˈʃwaʁ], not *[ʁɔʃəˈʃwaʁ] as is its pronunciation in Standard French.[citation needed]
History
Aymeric I, who lived around 990, was the first viscount and established the Rochechouartais dynasty. Aymeric IV took part in the First Crusade at the end of the 11th century at the side of Godfrey of Bouillon, and it was Aymeric VI (1170–1230) who built the present castle, the Château de Rochechouart, the keep and gatehouse of which remain standing.[4]
At the end of the 13th century, Aimeric XI renounced a large part of his privileges and promulgated a
Geography
Rochechouart is situated at the confluence of the rivers Grêne and Vayres on the Plateau of Limousin, about 180 m (590 ft) above sea level. It is about 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Saint-Junien, the second largest town in the department of Haute-Vienne, and 45 km (28.0 mi) west of Limoges, the largest town and capital of the department. To the west lie the communes of Pressignac and Chassenon in the department of Charente, to the north lie the communes of Saillat-sur-Vienne and Chaillac-sur-Vienne, to the east lies Saint-Auvent and to the south Vayres.[7]
The walled town of Rochechouart is overlooked by the château and houses a museum, the "Espace Meteorite Paul Pellas" which commemorates the meteorite crater. The château was taken over by the community in 1832 and now houses the town hall as well as a modern art collection, the "Musée Départmental d'Art Contemporain".[8]
Rochechouart impact structure
Rochechouart is situated in the Rochechouart impact structure, an impact crater caused by an asteroid that crashed into the Earth's surface about 205 million years ago,[9][10] in the Rhaetian period, shortly before the Triassic Jurassic boundary characterized by a massive extinction event in which 80% of the world's species were obliterated.[11]
Population changes
Inhabitants are known as Rochechouartais.
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1968 | 4,059 | — |
1975 | 4,196 | +0.48% |
1982 | 4,053 | −0.49% |
1990 | 3,985 | −0.21% |
1999 | 3,667 | −0.92% |
2007 | 3,839 | +0.57% |
2012 | 3,794 | −0.24% |
2017 | 3,778 | −0.08% |
Source: INSEE[12] |
Gallery
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Commune de Rochechouart (87126), INSEE
- ^ Abbé Duléry (1855). Rochechouart: histoire, légendes, archéologie. Imprimerie Ducourtieux et Cie.
- ^ Docteur Adrien Grézillier (1977). Histoire de Rochechouart, des origines à la Révolution. Dupanier.
- ISBN 978-0-252-02614-0.
- ISBN 0-540-05278-7.
- ISBN 978-1-84353-056-5.
- S2CID 129154084.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - S2CID 3521507.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Steele, Diana (1998-03-19). "Crater chain points to impact of fragmented comet". University of Chicago Chronicle: 17, 12. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
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