Aimargues

Aimargues

Town hall

Coat of arms
Aimargues

Coordinates: 43°41′09″N 4°12′33″E / 43.6858°N 4.2092°E / 43.6858; 4.2092Coordinates: 43°41′09″N 4°12′33″E / 43.6858°N 4.2092°E / 43.6858; 4.2092
Country France
Region Occitanie
Department Gard
Arrondissement Nîmes
Canton Rhôny-Vidourle
Intercommunality Petite-Camargue
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Jean-Paul Franc
Area1 26.48 km2 (10.22 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 4,226
 • Density 160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 30006 / 30470
Elevation 3–13 m (9.8–42.7 ft)
(avg. 7 m or 23 ft)

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.
Cocardier facing a bull at the Course camarguaise at Aimargues

Aimargues is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. The town of Aimargues may have Roman origins and is situated beside the Vidourle River on the floodplain of the River Rhône. Traditionally it has been an agricultural and wine-producing community but it now also has a number of new industries and employers who benefit from excellent road connections to the north of France as well as to Spain and Italy.

Geography

Located some 26 km (16 mi) to the southwest of Nîmes, close to the border with the Hérault department, Aimargues can be easily accessed from the nearby Autoroute A9.[1] Aimargues also has a railway station on the line from Saint-Césaire to Le Grau-du-Roi.[2]

The Petite Camargue is an area of wetlands on the west side of the delta of the Rhône River in southern France. Aimargues is a small town in the Petite Camargue beside the River Vidourle which rises in the Cévennes Mountains to the northwest. Some 6,000 years BC much of the interior of the Petite Carmargue was occupied by a lagoon, l’étang de l’or, which was separated from the sea by a sandy bar. Since then the lake has become progressively silted up. The countryside around Aimargues is flat and the soil is rich, being accumulated sediment brought down the River Rhône and deposited in its delta and surrounding area during flooding. As well as agricultural land there are levees, creeks, marshes, brackish ponds, lagoons and dunes in the area.[3]

History

The suffix "argues" suggests that the town of Aimargues has been in existence since antiquity. It was probably named after the Roman military commander Flavius Armatus.[4] It is unclear when exactly Aimargues castle was built but it was in existence before 1185.[3] King Louis IX is said to have set out for the Crusades from the town.[4] In the 13th century, a census showed that the town had become a bustling community with 522 homes, indicating a population of over 2,000 people. In 1565, the area came under the rule of the house of Crussol and Viscount d'Uzès made it one of the main strongholds of the Lower Vistrenque. Louis XIII ordered the destruction of the city walls.[4] In the early 18th century, Jean Charles de Crussol included Baron d'Aymargues among his titles.[5] After the French Revolution the town was no longer controlled by the Uzès and in 1790, with the establishment of the department of Gard, it became the capital of the Canton Aimargues, now the Canton Rhôny-Vidourle, in the district of Nîmes.[4]

The town has developed from an initial central core. This is self-contained and not traversed by routes extending from one side of the town to the other. It was originally surrounded by the city wall, has the château in its northwest corner and the church, reconstructed in the nineteenth century, in its centre. This ancient part is surrounded by another zone that also has tightly packed houses and narrow streets. The outer suburbs are modern.[3]

Landmarks

The Commune of Aimargues has several buildings of historic interest:[1]

The village also has schools, nurseries, a library, a youth centre and an adult leisure centre.[7] There is a bullfighting arena where the "course camarguaise" takes place. In the traditional fights held here, the bull is not killed but an unarmed raseteur attempts to snatch a rosette from between its horns.[8]

Economy

While agriculture and wine production are still important contributors to the local economy, more recent players such as Royal Canin, the dog and cat food producer, Itesoft, a software company, and the underwear company Éminence are also important employers, benefitting from easy access to the motorway with connections to Italy and Spain as well as to the north of France.[9]

Mayors

to complete

Sport

The commune's football team is the Stade Olympique of Aimargues (SOA).

The local rugby team is Aimargues Rugby Club also named the Raouba-vesso.

There are in Aimargues two stadiums : Baptistin Guigue's Stadium and René Dupont's Stadium (former Bella Vista's Stadium); to equestrial centres; and the arena Léopold Dupont.

Medias

Aimargues has its own newspaper: « Aimargues le journal », created in 2008.

Aimargues is also covered by the daily newspaper Midi Libre, by the local television TV SUD Camargue Cévennes[16] et by France 3 Sud's programs.

Cult and religious practice

There are Catholic and Protestant cult places in Aimargues.

The catholic parish is a part of the deanery of Vauvert and diocese of Nîmes.[17] The mass is assumed by deanery's desservants priests.

Protestant parish depends of the Reformed Church of France.[18]

Notable residents

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Aimargues is twinned with no other cities.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
17931,763—    
18001,720−2.4%
18512,651+54.1%
19012,813+6.1%
19542,544−9.6%
19902,988+17.5%
19993,440+15.1%
20084,226+22.8%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tourisme", Aimargues.fr. (French) Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "Garede Aimargues", SNCF. (French) Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "Aimargues: Bref historique et présentation du patrimoine architectural". Archéologie en Petite Carmargue (in French). Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Histoire d'Aimargues". Voilà tout! (in French). Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  5. ↑ Theroff, Paul. "Crussol d'Uzès". Online Gotha. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  6. ↑ "Château de Teillan: Languedoc-Roussillon; Gard; Aimargues", Monuments historiques: base Merimee. (French) Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Enseignement et culture", Aimargues.fr. (French) Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Aliaga, Martine (13 July 2013). "Les cent taureaux". Bouvine en ligne (in French). Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  9. ↑ "Aimargues", PetiteCamargue.fr. (French) Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  10. ↑ Dismissed by the govt.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Give his demission.
  12. ↑ Refuse his nomination.
  13. 1 2 Deceased during his term of office.
  14. ↑ Temporary mayor, then confirmed in September 1838.
  15. ↑ Revocated by the Minister of Interior Aristide Briand.
  16. ↑ "Zone de diffusion de la télévision locale TV Sud".
  17. ↑ "Plaine maritime - District paroissial de Vauvert". diocese of Nîmes's website.
  18. ↑ "Ensemble paroissial de Aimargues". Reformed Church of France's website. Retrieved 18 February 2012.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aimargues.


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