Arudy (French pronunciation: [aʁydi]; Gascon: Arudi) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Arudy
A street in Arudy
A street in Arudy
Coat of arms of Arudy
Location of Arudy
Map
Arudy is located in France
Arudy
Arudy
Arudy is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Arudy
Arudy
Coordinates: 43°06′25″N 0°25′37″W / 43.1069°N 0.4269°W / 43.1069; -0.4269
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementOloron-Sainte-Marie
CantonOloron-Sainte-Marie-2
IntercommunalityCC Vallée Ossau
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Claude Aussant[1]
Area
1
28.23 km2 (10.90 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,248
 • Density80/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64062 /64260
Elevation310–1,446 m (1,017–4,744 ft)
(avg. 400 m or 1,300 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The commune has been awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.[3]

Geography

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Arudy is located in the Ossau Valley on a bend on the Gave d'Ossau some 20 km south-east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and 16 km south of Gan. Access to the commune is by the D920 road from Buzy in the north passing through the commune just west of the town and continuing to Louvie-Juzon in the south. Access to the town is by the D53 connecting to the D920. The D287 also goes east from the town to join the D934 going north to Sévignacq-Meyracq. The D918 branches west from the D920 near the town and continues west through the north of the commune to Lurbe-Saint-Christau.[4]

The SNCF railway line from Buzy-en-Béarn - Laruns which passed through the commune was closed to traffic for passengers on 2 March 1969.[5] A bus connection remained in place until 1 September 2009. Freight traffic between Buzy-en-Béarn and Arudy survived until 2003. The facilities have now been dismantled.

The western hills of the commune are heavily forested with farmland in the valleys. The east of the commune in the Ossau Valley is mainly residential with some farmland.

Hydrography

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Located in the Drainage basin of the Adour, the Gave d'Ossau forms the eastern border as it curves around the town and continues west, forming the northern border of the commune, to join the Gave d'Aspe to form the Gave d'Oloron at Oloron-Sainte-Marie. Many tributaries rise in the south of the commune and flow north to join the Gave d'Ossau including the Lamisou, the Arrec de Baycabe, the Ruisseau du Bois de Nougué, the Arrec de Lacerbelle, and the Ruisseau du Termy which forms the western border of the commune.[4]

Places and Hamlets

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Arudy in 1829
 
The Ossau Valley
 
Old railway viaduct in Arudy
  • L'Abat (Drinking trough)
  • L'Abétat (Col de)
  • Anglès[6]
  • Angous
  • Arrabiot
  • Arrouge (ruins)
  • L'Aubisqué
  • Bareilles[6]
  • Barguères
  • Bélier
  • Bérastou
  • Bersaut (Ravine)
  • Béteilles
  • Blingou (Turoun - 433 metres)
  • Bordedela (spring)
  • Bourdeu
  • Brousset
  • Caillabère[6]
  • Caillou-Marrau
  • Camanère
  • Carrey
  • Casajus
  • Cabanes de Castillou
  • Cazassus
  • Cortès-Granges
  • Crest (Lake)
  • Cumarty
  • Daré Bourdeu
  • Etchaux
  • Florence
  • Garrail
  • Cabane de Garrietche
  • Gerbadure (Col de - 1198 metres)
  • Goubert
  • Habarra
  • Heugacète (Col de)
  • Hondaa
  • Houn Barrade (Col de)[6]
  • Hourgolle
  • Les Jardins d'Arudy
  • Jugist
  • Laborde (two places)
  • Lacoste
  • Lacrabère
  • Ladebeze
  • Granges Lafont
  • Lanne[6]
  • Larroun
  • Lascoungues
  • Laüs
  • Lissert
  • Louraou (Drinking trough)
  • Loustau
  • Pouey Maou
  • Malarode
  • Manaut
  • Mancesta (Ravine)
  • Martouré[6]
  • Maysonnave
  • Médalou
  • Miégaville
  • Mourlane
  • Cité Notre-Dame
  • Nougué
  • L'Oustalot
  • Pédestarrès (ruins)
  • Pène de Plou (468 metres)
  • Le Pic d'Ossau
  • Pierris
  • Pouts[6]
  • Saint-Cricq
  • Saubiron
  • Sépé (Spring)
  • Séré
  • Soubirou
  • Soumabielles (ruins)
  • Terranère
  • Tilhou
  • Tocortoure
  • Trois-Auges (Fountain)
  • Le Turon (530 mètres)
  • Vignau
  • Le Zoum

Neighbouring communes and villages

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Toponymy

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The commune name in béarnais is Arudi.

According to Michel Grosclaude the name comes from the basque harr ("stone" or "rock") and uri ("town").[7]

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description
Arudy Eruri 1270 Raymond
14
Ossau Village
Aruri 1286 Grosclaude Arudy/Iseste spoiled deed
Aruri 1328 Grosclaude Ossau-Val Treaty of Tena
Aruri 1343 Raymond
14
Pardies
Arury 1368 Grosclaude Chéronnet
Arudy 1375 Raymond
14
Luntz
Aruri 1386 Grosclaude Chéronnet
Aruri 1399 Grosclaude Manumission of Serfdom
Aruri 1442 Grosclaude Chéronnet
Aruri 1466 Grosclaude Chéronnet
Aruri 1486 Grosclaude Chéronnet
Erudi 1487 Raymond
14
Ossau
Arudi 1538 Raymond
14
Reformation
Saint-Germain d'Arudy 1607 Raymond
14
Insinuations
Arudy 1750 Cassini
Anglas Anglès 1538 Raymond
6
Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
Anglès 1863 Raymond
6
Baget Baget 1863 Raymond
19
Hamlet
Bareilles Barelhes 1385 Raymond
21
Census Farm
Caillabère la Caillabère 1863 Raymond
39
Mountain
Castet Castet 1096 Raymond
45
Marca Castet had a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn. In 1385 it depended on the bailiwick of Ossau and had 45 fires. Castet took its name from the Chateau of Castetgelos which was built in its territory.
Castellum 1154 Raymond
45
Marca
Casteg 1385 Raymond
45
Census
Sent Policarpe de Casteig 1621 Raymond
45
Insinuations
Caubios Caubios 1538 Raymond
47
Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
Col de Houn-Barrade Le Col de la Houn-Barade 1863 Raymond
79
Mountain pass between Arudy and Izeste
Lanne Lane 1385 Raymond
92
Census Farm
Martouré Martouré 1675 Raymond
109
Reformation Hillock where the old Château of Arudy stood and where the fires for the Festival of Saint-Jean were lit
Mur Meur 1675 Raymond
120
Reformation A Group of rocks which were the destination for processions and another place where fires for the Festival of Saint-Jean were lit.
Pouts Potz 1385 Raymond
139
Census Farm
Sacase de Siot Sciot 1675 Raymond
145
Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn

Sources:

Origins:

History

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View of Arudy from Bescat

The first traces of civilisation in the commune date to Prehistory or more precisely to the Magdalenian period. Excavations in four caves in the commune (Maladore, Poeymaü, Saint-Michel, and Espalungue) uncovered bones, tools, and many snail shells.

The village of Eruri or Aruri was mentioned at the beginning of the 13th century. It was from the beginning of that time that the Ossau Union was created which permitted relative independence for the communes in the valley until the French Revolution.

Paul Raymond noted on page 14 of his 1863 dictionary that the commune had a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn, with 86 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Ossau.[6]

It was in the 19th century that economic growth started in the commune. Sawmills and Marble quarries were created which provided a living to several hundred people. One quarry still operates today.

On 29 February 1980 Arudy was the epicentre of an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale and 7.5 on the MSK scale which damaged many buildings in the town.[citation needed] The college had to be rebuilt.[citation needed]

Heraldry

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Arms of Arudy
Blazon:

Azure, a castle Argent of 3 towers turreted, masoned in sable and surmounted by a cow of Or horned.



Administration

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View towards Bescat from the Saint-Michel hill in Arudy

List of Successive Mayors[17]

From To Name Party
1995 2014 Gérard Cambot
2014 2026 Claude Aussant DVG

Inter-communality

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The commune is part of six inter-communal structures:

  • the Communauté de communes de la Vallée d'Ossau;
  • the local public management agency;
  • the association for the perception of Arudy;
  • the water association for the Ossau Valley;
  • the electrification association for Bas-Ossau;
  • the SIVU for sanitation for the Ossau Valley;

Demography

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The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arudyens or Arudyennes in French.[18]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,767—    
1800 1,635−1.10%
1806 1,745+1.09%
1821 1,774+0.11%
1831 1,863+0.49%
1836 1,745−1.30%
1841 1,971+2.47%
1846 1,973+0.02%
1851 2,026+0.53%
1856 1,878−1.51%
1861 1,930+0.55%
1866 1,995+0.66%
1872 1,978−0.14%
1876 1,801−2.32%
1881 2,027+2.39%
1886 1,843−1.89%
1891 1,816−0.29%
1896 1,731−0.95%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 1,710−0.24%
1906 1,868+1.78%
1911 1,897+0.31%
1921 1,723−0.96%
1926 1,786+0.72%
1931 2,032+2.61%
1936 1,930−1.02%
1946 2,130+0.99%
1954 2,112−0.11%
1962 2,444+1.84%
1968 2,874+2.74%
1975 2,892+0.09%
1982 2,705−0.95%
1990 2,537−0.80%
1999 2,234−1.40%
2007 2,248+0.08%
2012 2,185−0.57%
2017 2,229+0.40%
Source: EHESS[19] and INSEE[20]

Economy

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Arudy has diverse economic activities:

  • the commune has a large sheep breeding centre and strong activity related to hunting. Arudy forms part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone designation of Ossau-iraty;
  • the commune conserves and operates marble (gray-black) and limestone quarry sites. The Church of St. Severus in Assat, for example, was built in 1873 with Arudy limestone;
  • There are wood and marble working industries;
  • the Messier industrial foundry, a subsidiary of Ventana Aerospace Group, employs approximately 200 people. The foundry produces alloys of magnesium-thorium intended for the aviation industry. The machining of these materials has resulted in the production of waste containing thorium. 13.3 tonnes of the residue of thorium-magnesium alloys (Grime from the foundry, shavings from machining, miscellaneous scrap, etc.) are stored in a special location with a radioactivity of 1.9 GBq from thorium-232.[21] The company faces economic difficulties and has been placed in a Judicial Recovery procedure by the Commercial Court on the 1 April 2010. The Commercial Court of Pau approved exit from the Judicial recovery safeguard procedure proposed by management and the court administrators of the Messier foundry in July 2011. Messier Foundry is a prime contractor in the CARAIBE collaborative project approved by the Aerospace Valley Pôle de compétitivité group and funded by the Fonds unique interministériel (Single inter-ministerial funds) programme.

Culture and heritage

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Civil heritage

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The Hôtel Pouts (17th century)  is registered as an historical monument.[22] It is an ancient Lay Abbey which later became a police station. The building was renovated in 1971 to house a museum: the Maison d'Ossau.

The Maison d'Ossau museum in the Hôtel Pouts displays regional archaeological collections, specimens of flora and fauna of the Pyrenees, and local costumes.

Arudy has 16th and 17th century houses, a bridge said to be Roman, and Lavoirs (public laundries) from the 19th century.

Religious heritage

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The Church of Saint-Germain (12th century, renovated in the 19th century) contains several items classified as historical objects:

The interior of the chapel of Saint-Michel is decorated with paintings by Pierre Martinez.

Environmental heritage

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The Abétat peaks at 1204 metres, the Gerbadure at 1254m, the Soum Counée at 1361m, the Bersaut at 1368m, the Hourquettes de Baygrand at 1386m, the Senzouens (or the Breque) at 1392m, and the Pic d'Escurets at 1440m.[28]

Amenities

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Education

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The old primary school

The town has a public college,[29] and one primary school. Another private primary school has been closed since the beginning of September 2011.

Sports and sports facilities

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  • ES Arudy[30] is a Rugby club which plays in Fédérale 3;
  • TCO tennis club provides coaching by a qualified instructor. They have three tennis courts: one clay court and two fast courts;
  • The Arudy rock-climbing school is one of the busiest in the region. It consists of three main areas with over a hundred climbing routes fitted out.

Notable people linked to the commune

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Bibliography

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  • René Arripe, Ossau 1900: The Canton of Arudy, Loubatières, Toulouse, 1990 (in French)
  • René Arripe, Ossau Valley 2000: The Canton of Arudy, R. Arripe, 2004, 782 pages

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Arudy in the Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom Archived December 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  4. ^ a b Google Maps
  5. ^ Pau-Canfranc line (in French)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 (in French)
  7. ^ a b Michel Grosclaude, Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, ISBN 2-35068-005-3 (in French)
  8. ^ Cassini Map 1750 – Arudy
  9. ^ Titles of the Ossau Valley in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  10. ^ Notaries of Pardies (Monein) in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  11. ^ Bernard Chéronnet, Review of Pau and Bearn, No. 16, 1989 (in French)
  12. ^ Contracts retained by Luntz, Notary of Béarn, in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  13. ^ Manuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  14. ^ Manuscripts from the 17th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  15. ^ Manuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  16. ^ Pierre de Marca, Histoire de Bearn, La Veuve Jean Camusat, 1640, 850 pages (in French)
  17. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  18. ^ Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
  19. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Arudy, EHESS (in French).
  20. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  21. ^ ANDRA page Archived 2014-05-02 at the Wayback Machine (Agence nationale de gestion des déchets radioactifs) (in French)
  22. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00084320 Hôtel Pouts (in French)
  23. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000548 Statue: Saint Germain (in French)
  24. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000547 Painting: Saint Germain the Auxerrois at prayer (in French)
  25. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000039 Retable (in French)
  26. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000041 Processional Cross (in French)
  27. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000040 Paschal Candlestick (in French)
  28. ^ Géoportail, IGN, consulted on 12 March 2012 (in French)
  29. ^ College website Archived 2011-08-14 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  30. ^ ES Arudy website (in French)
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