Auvergne coat of arms

Auvergne (Occitan: Auvèrnhe/Auvèrnha) was the name of an historically independent county in the center of France, as well as later a province of France. It is the name of the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province. The traditional capital of the province of Auvergne was Riom. Image File history File links Blason_de_l'Auvergne. ... Image File history File links Blason_de_l'Auvergne. ... Occitan, or langue doc is a Romance language characterized by its richness, variability, and by the intelligibility of its dialects. ... The kingdom of France was organized into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. ... Riom is a historic city in the Auvergne région of France. ...

Today, the whole of the province of Auvergne is contained inside the administrative région of Auvergne, a région which also includes provinces and territories that were not part of Auvergne historically. The capital of the région of Auvergne is Clermont-Ferrand. France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... Capital Clermont-Ferrand Area 26,013 km² Regional President Pierre-Joël Bonté (PS) (since 2004) Population  - 2004 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density (Ranked 19th) 1,327,000 1,308,878 51/km² (2004) Arrondissements 14 Cantons 158 Communes 1,310 Départements Allier Cantal Haute-Loire Puy-de-Dôme... Clermont-Ferrand is a city of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of approximately 140,000. ...

History

Traditional costume in Auvergne around 1900

Auvergne was a province of France deriving its name from the Averni, a Gallic tribe who once occupied the area. In the 5th century the region was conquired by the Visigoths, but the inhabitants resisted strongly (recorded by Sidonius_Apollinaris). In the 6th century it was conquered by the Franks, again not without resistance (recorded by Gregory of Tours). In the year 1095, the historic Council of Clermont was held there, to rally support for the First Crusade. In 1790, the historical province was divided into the modern-day départements of Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Haute-Loire, and Allier, although Haute-Loire and Allier also include some land from the historical provinces of Bourbonnais, Lyonnais and Languedoc. Title: En Auvergne, 1900-1925 Author: Frères Séeberger, photogr. ... Title: En Auvergne, 1900-1925 Author: Frères Séeberger, photogr. ... The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. ... The Arverni were a Celtic tribe that inhabited the present-day region of Lyons, France. ... Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given,in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Migrations The Visigoths (Western Goths) were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe (the Ostrogoths being the other). ... Gaius Sollius Modestus Sidonius Apollinaris (c. ... The 6th century is the period from 501 - 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... This article is about the Frankish people and society. ... Saint Gregory of Tours (c. ... Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ... Building of the Conseil Général of the Puy-de-Dôme département, in Clermont-Ferrand Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme is a département. ... For the cheese, see Cantal. ... Haute-Loire is a département in south-central France named after the Loire River. ... Allier is a département in south-central France named after the Allier River. ... Bourbonnais was an historic province in the centre of France that corresponded to the modern département of Allier, along with part of the département of Cher. ... Flag of the Lyonnais Lyonnais is a former province of central-eastern France, located in the modern day Rhône département. ... For the language called Langue doc, see Occitan language. ...

See also Rulers of Auvergne This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne. ...

Geography

The largest city of Auvergne is Clermont-Ferrand (409,558 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 1999), having replaced Riom as the capital of Auvergne. A large part of the Auvergne region is covered by the volcanic Massif Central mountain range, which stretches over nearly one-sixth of France's total area. Clermont-Ferrand is a city of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of approximately 140,000. ... Riom is a historic city in the Auvergne région of France. ... This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... France, viewed from the NASA Shuttle Topography Radar Mission. ...

Economy

The region is famed for its cheeses, exports of mineral waters (Volvic among others), and tires (Michelin). It is also the site of a number of major hydroelectric projects, mainly located on the Dordogne, Cère, and Truyère rivers. Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals. ... In many places, mineral water is often colloquially used to mean carbonated water (which is usually carbonated mineral water, as opposed to tap water). ... Volvic is a commune of the Puy-de-Dôme département, in Auvergne, France. ... Firestone tire This article is about pneumatic tires. ... Michelin (full name: Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin) (Euronext: ML) based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France, is primarily a tyre manufacturer. ... Undershot water wheels on the Orontes River in Hama, Syria Saint Anthony Falls Hydropower is the capture of the energy of moving water for some useful purpose. ... The Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a river in south-central and southwest France. ... The Cère is a 90 km (about 56 miles) long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Dordogne River. ... The Truyère is a 170 km long river in south-western France, right tributary of the Lot River. ...

Culture

The Auvergnat, a dialect of the Occitan, was historically spoken in Auvergne. It is still spoken there. Auvergnat is a language spoken in Auvergne, which is a historical province in the northern part of Occitania. ...

Composer Joseph Canteloube based Songs of the Auvergne (1923-55), his well-known piece for voice and orchestra, on folk music and songs from Auvergne. A composer is a person who writes music. ... Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (1879 - November 4, 1957), was a French composer. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the...

Singer-songwriter Georges Brassens composed Chanson pour l'Auvergnat. The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Georges Brassens (French IPA: ) (October 22, 1921 - October 29, 1981) was a French acoustic singer and songwriter. ...

Clark Ashton Smith wrote a series of short stories based in the mythical region of Averoigne, a fictional counterpart to this region. Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893-August 14, 1961) was a poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Averoigne is a fictional counterpart of a historical province in France, detailed in a series of short stories by the American writer Clark Ashton Smith. ...

Novelist Anne Rice's fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt was born and raised in the Auvergne in the 1700s. Anne Rice (born on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American author of gothic and later religious themed books. ... Stuart Townsend as Lestat in the film Queen of the Damned Lestat de Lioncourt (pronounced les-tat with a rather French flair, according to Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle and page 151 in Memnoch the Devil) is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire...

Notable residents

• Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, (1757-1834), born in Auvergne, a national hero in both France and the United States for his roles in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolution.^[1]

Lieutenant General & National Guard Commander-in-Chief Lafayette in 1792 at ~35yrs. ... This article is about military actions only. ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

Notable Fictional Residents

Lestat de Lioncourt. Stuart Townsend as Lestat in the film Queen of the Damned Lestat de Lioncourt (pronounced les-tat with a rather French flair, according to Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle and page 151 in Memnoch the Devil) is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire...

References

• 1. ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.