Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda
Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | |
|---|---|
 The Mondony river and the parish church of Our Lady of Life, in Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda  | |
  Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda  Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | |
| Coordinates: 42°28′34″N 2°40′21″E / 42.4761°N 2.6725°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Pyrénées-Orientales |
| Arrondissement | Céret |
| Canton | Le Canigou |
| Intercommunality | Le Haut Vallespir |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Marie Costa[1] |
Area 1 | 29.43 km2 (11.36 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 3,565 |
| • Density | 120/km2 (310/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 66003 /66110 |
| Elevation | 176–1,424 m (577–4,672 ft) (avg. 240 m or 790 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda (French pronunciation: [ameli le bɛ̃ palalda] ⓘ; Catalan: Els Banys i Palaldà) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.[3]
It is situated in the Tech valley, and combines the old and the new with a mix of narrow cobbled streets and modern accommodation. It has become a 'station verte' meaning that it must strive at all times to ensure that tourists benefit from a calm and natural environment.
Geography
[edit]Location
[edit]Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda is located in the canton of Le Canigou and in the arrondissement of Céret. It sits at the confluence of the Mondony with the Tech, 28.5 miles (46 km) SSW of Perpignan by road. The town is situated at a height of 770 feet (230 m) and has both a winter and summer season.[4]
Climate
[edit]In the winter season the average temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius, and in the summer it is roughly 29 degrees Celsius with the occasional thunderstorm late afternoon.[5]
Springs
[edit]The town has numerous sulphur springs (20-60C.). They have been used as baths by those with rheumatism and illnesses of the lungs. By the end of the 19th century there were two bathing establishments, one of which preserved remains of Roman baths, and a large military thermal hospital.[4]
Toponymy
[edit]The town, formerly called Les-Bains-d'Arles, became Fort-les-Bains in 1670 after the construction of the new castle. It was renamed Amélie-les-Bains in 1840 after Queen Amelia wife of Louis Philippe.[6] She finally visited the town in 1848, and subsequently promoted it.[7] In Catalan it is still called Els banys d'Arles.
History
[edit]In 1942, the former communes of Amélie-les-Bains and Palalda were merged to form the new commune Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda.[8]
Government and politics
[edit]François Mefler, mayor of Amélie-les-Bains since October 1941, became the new mayor of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda in October 1942, after Amélie-les-Bains and Palalda were united together.[9]
| Mayor | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|
| François Mefler | October 1942 | August 1944 |
| Gaudérique Parent | August 1944 | March 1945 |
| Georges Bosch | March 1945 | December 1950 |
| Jean Trescases | December 1950 | January 1951 |
| Gustave Pouzens | February 1951 | February 1952 |
| Paul Alduy | February 1952 | March 1959 |
| Jean Aspar | March 1959 | April 1959 |
| Jacqueline Alduy | April 1959 | March 2001 |
| Alexandre Reynal | March 2001 | July 2020 |
| Marie Costa | July 2020[10] |
Population
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 3,662 | — |
| 1975 | 3,908 | +0.93% |
| 1982 | 3,713 | −0.73% |
| 1990 | 3,239 | −1.69% |
| 1999 | 3,475 | +0.78% |
| 2007 | 3,683 | +0.73% |
| 2012 | 3,680 | −0.02% |
| 2017 | 3,460 | −1.23% |
| Source: INSEE[11] | ||
Sites of interest
[edit]- Fort-les-Bains, fortress built in 1670 above Amélie-les-Bains.
Notable people
[edit]- Maximilien Chaudoir (1816–1881), Russian entomologist, died in Amélie-les-Bains;
- Pierre Restany (1930–2003), art critic and philosopher, born in Amélie-les-Bains.
- Jean Trescases, a French military officer was born in Palalda
See also
[edit]References
[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.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ a b One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Amélie-Les-Bains". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 804.
- ^ "Fiche Climatologique" (PDF). meteofrance.fr. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Cárdenas, Fabricio (2014). 66 petites histoires du Pays Catalan [66 Little Stories of Catalan Country] (in French). Perpignan: Ultima Necat. ISBN 978-2-36771-006-8. OCLC 893847466.
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda, EHESS (in French).
- ^ MairesGenWeb
- ^ "Municipales - P.-O. : Marie Costa a été élue maire à Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda". L'Indépendant. 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
External links
[edit]- Tourist office website
Media related to Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda at Wikimedia Commons
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