Tourist guide

Puy de dome department (63)

Prefecture: Clermont-Ferrand
Subprefectures : Ambert, Issoire, Riom, Thiers
Population: 604,000
Website: www.puy-de-dome.fr


Like most of the Auvergne region, Puy de Dome suffered a severe loss in population and has the same population of 604,000 today as in 1850. Disparities are important as 43 pc of the population concentrates around prefecture Clermont-Ferrand, the main economic and urban centre. Clermont-Ferrand is renowned as the French capital of tyres with Michelin and is also a major base for the food processing industry. The department takes increasing interest in its natural heritage and its two natural parks, Parc regional des Volcans d’Auvergne and Parc du Livradois-Foez attract more and more tourists seeking authenticity and wildlife.

KM 7: SAINT-GERMAIN-LEMBRON (Pop 1,700)

PLACE TO SEE

Villeneuve Lembron castle
Stronghold of the Dauphins of Auvergne until the 15th century, Villeneuve later went to the Aureille family. The castel was built by Rigaut d’Aureille at the time. Born circa 1450, Rigaud became butler for Kings Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I. A diplomat and a soldier, he held a strong political position. The construction of the castle was intended to reflect his success and social status. The building was hardly altered and is now a rare instance of an early Renaissance manor-house. The square building, cornered by four towers, was originally decorated by wall paintings only parts of which are preserved. Some of them dealt with moral subjects and reveal Rigaud d‘Aureille’s misogyny.
In 1937, the State bought the castle and restored it. The stables were only acquired in the 1960s and narrowly saved from demolition.
The castle is said to be haunted by the “baraille” or “yellow woman” who wanders in the corridors at night and puts her ice-cold hands on the people sleeping in the house.

Haute-Loire department (43)

Prefecture: Le Puy-en-Velay
Subprefectures: Issoire, Yssingeaux
Population: 217,300
Site web : www.auvergnevacances.com

The Haute Loire department belongs to the Auvergne region and has a population of 217,300 spread over 260 towns and communes.
The exceptional site of Le Puy en Velay with its cathedral a listed World Heritage site nest in the green setting of volcanic mountains sculpted by water and fire. Sometimes dubbed the inland Mont St Michel, Le Puy is also the starting point of one of the main routes on the Way of St James. The ancient Benedictine abbey of La Chaise-Dieu, a real cathedral in the middle of a forest, welcomes every year a famous festival of spiritual and sacred music.
The Puy en Velay has been long renowned as an importance centre for handmade lace. Haute Loire is still widely seen a s a rural department while agriculture accounts for only 10 pc of its workforce. One of the best known speciality is the green lentil of Le Puy. Sometimes called the poor man’s caviar, it stands out for its sweet and fine taste and its green colour. Another local favourite is the Verveine du Velay liquor.
Industry is based around Yssingeaux while Le Puy is the main administrative centre.

KM 25: LEOTOING (Pop: 200)

PLACES TO SEE

North of Massiac stand the important remains of a 14th century castle. The building overlooking the river Alagnon belonged to the Dauphins of Auvergne, who had it built in 1261 on a site fortified as early as the 11th century. The view from the hilltop is spectacular and a small picturesque road leads to the hamlet of Lanau with views on the Alagnon valley and the Torsiac castle.

KM 32: BLESLE (Pop: 650)

Blesle developed around the St Pierre Abbey founded in the 9th century by Ermengarde of Auvergne, the mother of Guillaume the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine and founder of the Cluny Abbey. In the late 10th century, the powerful barons of Mercoeur decided to settle in Blesle spurring a conflict with the abbesses. They had to wait for the 13th century to obtain the jurisdiction by royal support. They built a huge tower, the Tower with 20 edges, in spite of protest by the nuns. In the same period, the abbatial is rebuilt and enlarged. A prosperous town in the 17th century thanks to several local industries like tanning and breeding, Blesle was depleted by the departure of its inhabitants for big cities in the late 19th century. The extraction of antimony maintained some activity but it stopped in 1958. The towers, walls and timber frame houses remind the rich past of the village while the abbatial church attracts many tourists.

Cantal department (15) .

Prefecture: Aurillac
Subprefectures : Mauriac, Saint-Flour
Population: 150,000
Website: www.cantal.fr

The Cantal, in the Auvergne region, is a rural, mountainous and volcanic department whose high point is the Plomb du Cantal at 1,855 metre high. With some 150,000 inhabitants, it is one of France’s least densely populated areas and a place where agriculture and green tourism dominate.
Cantal gave its name to a renowned cheese, symbolic of its agricultural vocation and its way of life. The meat and cheese from Salers are other specialities of international fame. Its climate is wrongly considered one of the coldest in France. If snow makes the department an unheralded destination for winter sports, Cantal remains a South-Western department with as much sun as its neighbours.

KM 65,5: ALLANCHE (Pop: 900)

The town of Alanche lies at the foot of the Cezalier mountains, on the hillsides of a narrow valley by the river Allanche. The name of Allanche comes either from Atlantia, the name given to a relic of St John the Baptis kept in town or from Albantia, meaning covered with snow.

PLACES TO SEE

St John the Baptist church
Listed since 2002, the church keeps a Romanesque chevet in a fine state of conservation. The building is particularly rich in furniture and statues. The most remarkable features are its baroque altar from the 17th century, the treasure chapel, and a 15th century pieta.

The Gentian Express
The Gentian express is a railway tour following part of the old line between Bort-les-Orgues and Neussargues. The train rides for 39 kilometres between Bort-les-Orgues (19) and Lugarde (15), though Cheyssac, Vebret, Antignac, the Salsignac viaduct, St Etienne-de-Chomeil, Menet, Riom-es-Montagnes, the viaducts of Barajol and Chassagny, Condat-en-Feniers and Saint-Amandin. The railway winds along the high valley of Dordogne, crosses the Cezalier plateau and climbs the Pierrefitte pass (1,052 metres), allowing a splendid view on the mountainous landscapes of the Auvergne Volcanos Park from Puy de Sancy to Puy Mary. The circuit can be continued to Neussargues and Moissac and stop in Allanche for the summer festival. The Gentian Express circuit is organised by association Chemins de Fer de la Haute-Auvergne (CFHA), who aim at preserving and promoting the rail heritage of the region.

KM 80: DIENNE (Pop: 270)

Dienne, which owes its name to a former temple of goddess Diane, is a member of the Auvergne Volcanos Natural Park.

PLACES TO SEE

St Cyr and St Juliette church
Listed as monument historique, the large Romanesque church, topped by an intriguing steeple was built in the late 12th century by Cistercian monks from the Obazine abbey in the Correze. A 13th century wooden Christ on the cross has made the reputation of the site.

La Cheyrelle castle
The manor and farmhouse was built in1866 in picturesque pseudo medieval style . From 1902 to 1905, the built is enlarged and refurbished by Aprisian architect Rene Dulong for the owner, banker Pierre Felgeres. The inside decoration is the work of Belgian architect Gustave Serrurier-Bovy. The original setting is intact to the exception of a few pieces of furniture kept in Paris Orsay museum. The castle was restored in 1996.

KM 99.5: PAS DE PEYROL PASS

The Pas de Peyrol (1 589 m) is the highest road pas in the Massif Central. From the top, the Puy Mary can be reached by a few concrete steps. The pass is at the crossing of there roads: Aurilac to the south-west, Mauriac to the north-west and Dienne to the east. The Tour de France climbed the pass eight times and saw the most famous climbers reach it in first position: after Louis Bergaud in 1959, Federico Bahamontes, Lucien Van Impe, Eduardo Chozas and Richard Virenque led the way on it. In 2008, the first man at the top was David de la Fuente.

KM 111: MANDAILLES SAINT-JULIEN (Pop 200)

Mandailles spreads over the massifs of Puy Mary, Griou and Chavaroche. In the heart of one of the most beautiful beech forest in the department, the Cirque de Mandailles is a famous hiking destination, multiplying the population by five in the tourist season. One of the main villages producing the Cantal cheese, the town saw many of its sons leave for Paris where they became bar owners and returned home their fortune made.

PLACE TO SEE

Burons
Over 1,200 metres in altitude, on the La Planeze plateau, dozens of small cabins of stone covered by slates can be found. They are called burons and were the places where the Cantal cheese was made in the past. They were also the homes of farmers watching over their cows during the summer season.

KM 121.5: SAINT-JACQUES-DES-BLATS (Pop 325)

The locality draws its names from its presence on one of the routes of the Way of St James, the Via Arvenha, which starts in Clermont-Ferrand, goes through Rocamadaour and crosses the border at the Ronceveaux pass. On the commune’s territory are most of the mounts of Cantal like the 1,690 metres Puy Griou ,which is not a volcano like it was previously believed.

KM 128: SUPER-LIORAN

Le Lioran is one of the oldest ski resorts in Auvergne as skiing was practised here as early as 1906. Its ski domain is one of the largest in Auvergne. The village developed thanks to the arrival of the train in what was at the time the highest railway station in Europe. The first hotel opened in 1898. But the real start of the resort was the inauguration in 1967 of the Plomb du Cantal lift by then Prime minister Georges Pompidou. The lift was replaced in 1989. Super Lioran is above all a family resort but will please Nordic and alpine skiers, as well as hikers of all levels. Its patron is downhill Olympic champion Carole Montilllet.
In 1975, a Tour de France stage finished in town and was won by Belgium’s Michel Pollentier.

KM 144: MURAT (Pop: 2,409)

The town’s name means steep rock and it is surrounded by three basaltic pikes. To the north, the Bonnevie Rock holds the finest columnar basalt in Europe. To the South, the Bredons Rock is topped by a lovely 11th century church. To the North-East stands the Chastel Rock.
The diatomite site in Auxillac-Foufouilloux is another remarkable spot. A few million years ago, the sea reached as far as here and left tiny plankton fossils in think layers of silicon. The fossils are used to filter beer.
In the 14th century, the fortified town was leaning on the Murat rock. Within its walls, it was a busy city with fairs, markets, inns and craftsmen. The town was fortified several times as three rows of walls are still visible. The powerful Bonnevie castle on the eponymous rock was demolished by Richelieu in 1643.
In 1944, Murat was one of the strongholds of the local Resistance. In the summer, Murat hosts classical music master classes with concerts by both teachers and pupils as well as a popular festival of world music.
Among the personalities inked to Murat are the parents of French president Georges Pompidou, who were schoolteachers in town, an former rugby union international Olivier Magne.

PLACE TO SEE

Maison de la faune (Wildlife house)
A cosy 17th century townhouse is host to a fascinating museum of wildlife showing a range of animals from the tinest flies to the biggest Cantal deer. The insect collection is especially impressive with some 6,000 items.

KM 154: PRAT DE BOUC PASS (PLOMB DU CANTAL)

The Prat de Bouc pass, topping at 1,392 metres, is on the East flank of the Plomb du Cantal (1,835 metres) and is well known locally as the starting point of the ski slopes of the Super-Lioran resort. In 1975, in a stage leading to Super-Lioran, Eddy Merckx was first at the top.
Plomb du Cantal is the highest point in Auvergne at 1,855 metres. Its almost as high as the Massif Central highest summit, the Puy de Sancy (1,866 metres).

KM 183.5: LAVASTRIE (Pop: 220)

The Grandval dam is located over the river Truyere, an affluent of the Lot. It was the site of a scene in 1965 movie La Grande Vadrouille.

ALLEUZE

KM 193: ALLEUZE (Pop: 200)

PLACES TO SEE

It is a ruined medieval castle, flanked by the 15th century St Illide chapel. Owned in later the 12th century by Beraud VIII of Mercoeur, constable of Auvergne, the castle became the property of the bishops of Clermont. It was an outpost of the St Flour citadel. In the Hundre Years War, Bernard de Garlan (who had sized with the English), took it over. He ravaged the land and his memory was so painful that St Flour inhabitants burnt the place down in 1405. The lord of La Tour, who owned the castle, forced them to rebuilt it anew.