Orgon

Orgon

Church of the Assumption and castle of the Duke of Guise
Orgon
Administration
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-CĂ´te d'Azur
Department Bouches-du-RhĂ´ne
Arrondissement Arles
Canton Orgon
Mayor Guy Robert
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 62–298 m (203–978 ft)
Land area1 34.78 km2 (13.43 sq mi)
Population2 3,030  (2008)
 - Density 87 /km2 (230 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 13067/ 13660
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.

Orgon (ancient Urgonum, Castrum de Urgone) is a commune in the Bouches-du-RhĂ´ne department in southern France.

Contents

[hide]

Geography

Neighbouring villages and small towns include Les Baux-de-Provence, Saint-RĂ©my-de-Provence and Cavaillon. Orgon is one of the twelve communes of the Alpilles area, a small mountain chain made famous through paintings of Vincent van Gogh and novels of the French author Alphonse Daudet. The river Durance runs through it.

Population

Historical population of Orgon
Year 1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851 1856
Population 1900 1829 2100 2036 2584 2641 2748 2932 3089 3060
Year 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896 1901 1906
Population 3174 2984 3160 2789 2816 2818 2637 2616 2624 2610
Year 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954 1962 1968 1975
Population 2703 2439 1315 1421 1461 1383 1512 1874 2049 2285
Year 1982 1990 1999 2008
Population 2339 2453 2642 3030

Sights

The village of Orgon harbours a 19th century monastery overlooking the Durance valley (Notre Dame du Beauregard) and the ruins of a Templar castle.

History

In history, Orgon is known through the attempted lynching of Napoleon Bonaparte on his way to Saint Helena passing through the village. Orgon was also the birth place of the French poet Antoine Pomme (1620) and the painter Louis Espérandieu (1787-1857).

Ecology

Having given its name to a specific type of limestone found only in this area, the recent plans of extension of the mining activities of the company OMYA in Orgon have led to protest actions by French intellectuals throughout the country, worried about the risks to the preservation of the natural and historic specificities of Alpilles hills. The dispute regarding the extension plans of the multi-national mining company OMYA have to an extent come to an end through the announced nomination of the territory as a protected Regional Parc as of January 1, 2007.

See also

References

External links