Payrac

Payrac (French pronunciation: [pɛʁak]; Occitan: Pairac) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. The inhabitants of Payrac are called "Payraçois" and "Payraçoises" in French.

Payrac
Commune
A general view of Payrac
Location of Payrac
Payrac Payrac
Coordinates: 44°47′51″N 1°28′22″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Lot
Arrondissement	Gourdon
Canton	Souillac
Intercommunality	Causses et Vallée de la Dordogne
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	François Nadaud
Area 1	19.5 km2 (7.5 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	650
• Density	33/km2 (86/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	46215 /46350
Elevation	125–364 m (410–1,194 ft) (avg. 280 m or 920 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

Payrac was an important town in the times of ancient Rome, but because of military campaigns and pillages from the Hundred Years' War and the Bubonic Plague, the town's population plummeted to the point where it was nearly uninhabited. Under the influence of lords, peasants moved to and repopulated Payrac.

In 1589, the Huguenot army ravaged Payrac and killed 500 people.

After this period, Payrac underwent an economic revival due to its strategic placement with Paris and Toulouse. Payrac did not undergo change during the Industrial Revolution, and as a result lost half its population.

Population

Historical population of Payrac

Year Pop. ±% 1793 1,017 —     1800 909 −10.6% 1806 1,160 +27.6% 1821 1,786 +54.0% 1831 1,809 +1.3% 1836 1,911 +5.6% 1841 1,253 −34.4% 1846 1,267 +1.1% 1851 1,265 −0.2% 1856 1,290 +2.0% 1861 1,320 +2.3% 1866 1,255 −4.9% 1872 1,240 −1.2% 1876 1,222 −1.5% 1881 1,185 −3.0% 1886 1,179 −0.5% 1891 1,136 −3.6% 1896 1,069 −5.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1901 980 −8.3% 1906 960 −2.0% 1911 968 +0.8% 1921 846 −12.6% 1926 816 −3.5% 1931 719 −11.9% 1936 687 −4.5% 1946 646 −6.0% 1954 580 −10.2% 1962 523 −9.8% 1968 512 −2.1% 1975 456 −10.9% 1982 448 −1.8% 1990 492 +9.8% 1999 564 +14.6% 2007 672 +19.1% 2012 639 −4.9% 2017 620 −3.0%
Source: Cassini and INSEE

See also

• Communes of the Lot department