Mazamet (French pronunciation: [mazamɛ]; Languedocien: Masamet) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.
Mazamet | |
|---|---|
 Panorama of Mazamet | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Mazamet  | |
  Mazamet  Mazamet | |
| Coordinates: 43°29′34″N 2°22′27″E / 43.4928°N 2.3742°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Tarn |
| Arrondissement | Castres |
| Canton | Mazamet-1 and Mazamet-2 Vallée du Thoré |
| Intercommunality | CA Castres Mazamet |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Olivier Fabre[1] |
Area 1 | 72.08 km2 (27.83 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 10,064 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (360/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 81163 /81200 |
| Elevation | 213–1,176 m (699–3,858 ft) (avg. 241 m or 791 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolitan area.
Geography
editMazamet is situated on the northern slope of the Montagne Noire and on the Arnette, a small tributary of the Thoré, which forms the commune's northern border.
Population
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 16,171 | — |
| 1975 | 14,440 | −1.60% |
| 1982 | 12,840 | −1.66% |
| 1990 | 11,481 | −1.39% |
| 1999 | 10,544 | −0.94% |
| 2007 | 10,055 | −0.59% |
| 2012 | 10,093 | +0.08% |
| 2017 | 10,013 | −0.16% |
| Source: INSEE[3] | ||
Economy
editThe town made its wealth during the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was the world center of the wool industry. At its height, the town imported more than 100,000 tonnes of wool annually from the Southern Hemisphere. After processing, numerous establishments were involved in wool-spinning and in the manufacture of leather goods, gloves, blankets, hosiery and clothing for the troops. Mazamet was the biggest center of the wool pulling industry in Europe.[4][5] In 1906, 95% of French workers in the industry were employed in Tarn.[6][7] While the vast majority of Mazamet's wool industry ended in the early 1990s, the town still has a residual high-end leather industry with leather being purchased by a number of Paris & London fashion houses.[citation needed]
Today, Mazamet is known for tourism, thanks to its natural setting at the foothills of the Montagne Noire mountain range and being close to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Albi, Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi.[citation needed]
The town has a 65 km (40 mi) cycle path, plus numerous other cycling + walking routes.[citation needed]
Notable people
edit- Pierre Capretz, developer of the French in Action series for teaching French, was born in Mazamet in 1925.
- Maurice Euzennat (1926–2004), historian and archaeologist, died in Mazamet
- Laurent Jalabert, Road bicycle racing professional was born here.
- Nicolas Jalabert, Road bicycle racing professional was born here.
- Thomas Ramos, French rugby union professional, was born in Mazamet in 1995.
- Pierre Sancan, pianist and composer, was born in Mazamet in 1916.
- Jean-Michel Vernhes, public servant, was born in Mazamet in 1950.
Tour de France
editMazamet was the start for Stage 14 in the 2007 Tour de France, finishing on the top of Plateau de Beille. The stage was won by Alberto Contador, who later went on to win the Tour. In 2018, Mazamet welcomed the race once again as it passed through on route to Carcassonne.
Twin towns
editMazamet is twinned with:
See also
editReferences
edit- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mazamet". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 939.
Notes
edit- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ The Wool Digest. International Wool Secretariat in the United States. 1949. p. 9.
MAZAMET, FRANCE Development of Mazamet, France, as a world center for handling and treating sheepskins
- ^ World Wool Prospects. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Agricultural Economics. 1934. p. 18.
France is the world's most important center for the wooleå sheepskin trade. Exports of wool ... The wool pulling industry is located chiefly at Mazamet.
- ^ Board, United States Tariff (1912). Wool and Manufactures of Wool: Message of the President of the United States, Transmitting a Report of the Tariff Board on Schedule K of the Tariff Law. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 60.
- ^ Jenkins, D. T.; Jenkins, David Trevor (2003). The Cambridge History of Western Textiles. Cambridge University Press. p. 768. ISBN 978-0-521-34107-3.
- ^ "Rybnik Official Website - Twin Towns". Urząd Miasta Rybnika. 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
External links
edit
- Official website (in French)
- Espace Apollo website of Mazamet Cultural centre
- official website of the Greater Castres-Mazamet Council (in French)
- personal site (in English and French)
Gallery
edit
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