Accous

Accous
Accous

Coordinates: 42°58′30″N 0°35′55″W / 42.975°N 0.5986°WCoordinates: 42°58′30″N 0°35′55″W / 42.975°N 0.5986°W
Country France
Region Aquitaine
Department Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Canton Accous
Intercommunality Vallée d'Aspe
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Paule Bergés
Area1 60.68 km2 (23.43 sq mi)
Population (2009)2 431
 • Density 7.1/km2 (18/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 64006 / 64490
Elevation 420–2,458 m (1,378–8,064 ft)

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.

Accous is a Béarnais French commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Aquitaine region of south-western France.

La Berthe stream at Accous
The plateau of Lhers
Waterfall down to the Bois d'Arapoup from the Esquir bridge
The Town Hall.
The School

Geography

Location

Accous is located some 30 km south of Oloron-Sainte-Marie in the Aspe Valley, one of the three valleys of the High-Béarn, the other valleys being the Ossau Valley in the east and Barétous Valley in the west. From the Spanish border on its southern edge it stretches along Le Labadie river to the point where it joins the Gave d'Aspe. From this river junction the Gave d'Aspe forms the western border of the rest of the commune which extends a further 10 kilometres to the east with the Lac du Montagnon at the north-eastern edge.[1]

Access

The commune is accessed from the north by the E7 motorway. This highway follows the western border of the commune along the Gave d'Aspe then crosses the narrow neck of the commune before continuing to the Spanish border near Candanchu. To access Accous village it is necessary to follow one of a number of country roads - the Daban Athas road probably being the most direct. Apart from country roads within the commune there is no other road access.[1]

Hydrography

The commune is traversed by some tributaries of the Gave d'Oloron, the Besse stream and the Gave d'Aspe, as well as tributaries of the latter such as the Gave Lescun (itself joined in the commune by the Labadie creek) and the Berthe[2] (Accous is fed by the torrent of Araille).

The Cotcharas stream and its tributary, the Congaets stream also flow in the territory of Accous, as tributaries of the Gave d'Aydius, the Gave de Bouren and the Sahun stream.

Localities and hamlets[3]

  • Borde Apiou
  • Appatie[4]
  • Arapoup (Bois d')[5]
  • Aulet[6] [7] north
  • Aumet
  • Balet
  • Castet de Bergout
  • Borde Boudrux
  • Bouhaben
  • Cabane de Cambou
  • Campagnet
  • Camy
  • Camy Lapassatet
  • Candarrameigt
  • Casala
  • Borde de Casteigbou
  • Borde Castillou
  • Chapelet
  • Borde de Couyepetrou
  • Cabanes de la Cuarde
  • Colonne Despourins[8]
  • Embielle
  • l’Estanguet
  • Fontaine de l’Espugna
  • Gouaillard
  • Guiraute
  • Jouers[9] [10]
  • Borde Laborde
  • Labourdette
  • Lagahe
  • Lalheve
  • Cabane du Lapassa
  • Borde Laplacette
  • Borde Larraux
  • Borde Larré
  • Lauda
  • Lhers[11]
  • Lourtica (Col de)[12]
  • Borde Lousteau
  • Borde Maria
  • Mariet
  • Moulia Jean-Baptiste
  • Borde Mirassou
  • Nouque
  • la Palue
  • Pelet
  • Cabane de Pourcibo
  • Borde de Soudious
  • Borde Soule
  • Borde Souperbie
  • Cabanes de Souperret
  • Borde Suza

Neighbouring Communes and Villages[1]

 Osse-en-Aspe Bedous Gère-Bélesten
Lees-Athas Laruns
   Accous  
Lescun Cette-Eygun Urdos

Toponymy

The name Accous appears in the following forms:

The name of the commune in Gascon is Acós.

Brigitte Jobbé-Duval[20] hypothesises that Accous originated from Acca or Acco, a woman's name mentioned in the inscriptions of Spain.

The name Appatie (cf. Basque Aphatea) came from the Lay Abbey of Jouers throygh corruption of the word Abbadie (Abadie in standard Gascon). Note that in the Aspe Valley the voiceless consonants of Latin are preserved. This fief was a vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn.[4]

Le Bois d'Arapoup is attested in 1863 in the Topographical Dictionary.[5]

Aület is mentioned in the form Aulet in 1863 by the Topographical Dictionary.[6]

Lhers is also cited in the dictionary.[21]

The name La Berthe, a tributary of the Gave d'Aspe, is cited in the dictionary of 1863.[22]

Despourrins (The Hill of) is also mentioned in 1863 in the Topographical Dictionary as a name taken from the poet Cyprien Despourrins who was buried there.[8]

Izaure was a farm mentioned by Paul Raymond with the spellings:[23]

Jouers /juèrs/ was formerly Joertz (1345,[9] Homages of Béarn[24]), probably a metathesis of a Basque word Oïhartz a derivative of Oihan meaning 'forest'. It is found in the spelling Joers (1345) then Jouers (in 1712), and again Joers (1863[9]).

The Col de Lourtica is the name of a hill between the communes of Accous and Aydius.[12]

Saint-Christau was a chapel, mentioned by the dictionary of 1863.[25]

Tillabé was a place in Accous reported by the dictionary in 1863 and also mentioned in the 18th century 2 in the form Le Tillaber (record of the proceedings of Accous). Paul Raymond said that Tillabé "was the place of meeting of the aldermen of the Aspe valley".[26]

History

Paul Raymond noted that the commune had a Lay Abbey, a vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn. In 1385, there were 74 "fires". Accous was the capital of the Aspe valley.[2]

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Accous[27]

From To Name Party Position
1977 1983 Gaston Larrensou
1983 1995 Louis Moulia
1995 2001 Gaston Larrensou
2001 2010 Jean-Pierre Casaux
2010 2014 Éric Bergez[28]
2014 2020 Paule Bergés

(Not all data is known)

Inter-communality

The town is part of five inter-communal organisations:[29]

Twinning

Accous has twinning associations with:[30]

Demographics

In 2010, the commune had 426 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the town since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1] [Note 2]

Evolution of the Population (See database)
1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
1,053 1,509 1,573 1,651 1,606 1,627 1,586 1,530 1,531
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
1,591 1,508 1,440 1,429 1,369 1,302 1,274 1,102 1,072
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
1,033 1,024 1,050 1,025 849 888 803 649 612
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2007 2008
499 443 440 372 396 434 432 431 431
2009 2010 - - - - - - -
431 426 - - - - - - -

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Economy

The economy of the town is primarily oriented toward agriculture and animal husbandry. The cheese-making farms are also one of the resources of the commune, which is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone designation of Ossau-iraty.

The Toyal plant (a subsidiary of Toyo Aluminium, which produces aluminum powders and pigments, and anti-corrosive coatings), located at the edge of the commune, provides income to Accous through business tax, making of it the richest communes in the valley. This activity has created hundreds of jobs in the valley.

The 2006 INSEE classification, indicated that the median household incomes for each municipality with more than 50 households (30,687 communes out of the 36,681 communes identified)[31] ranked Accous at 24495, for an average income per household of €14,199.

Culture and Heritage

Civil heritage

Accous has a number of old houses and farms registered as historical monuments. These are:

The Accous railway station on the Pau to Canfranc line has been closed to traffic since 1970.

The eco-museum of the Aspe valley is located in an old cheese factory. The manufacturing techniques of making mountain cheese and local culinary traditions are highlighted in the displays.

Religious Heritage

Several churches in the commune have been listed as historical monuments. These are:

Gallery

Church of Saint Martin
The chapel of Saint-Saturnin at Jouers

The Chapel of Saint-Christau at Aület was rebuilt in the 17th century near three miraculous fountains. Only the first remains, on the east side, consisting of a medieval stone basin and cover. Bathing there permits the casting away of evil spells and to cure fevers, sciatica and epilepsy. It has been renovated.

There is also an Abbey of the order of Norbertine in Accous.

Accous is on the route of the "via Tolosane": Latin name of one of the four trails in France for pilgrimage to St-Jacques-de-Compostolla. The via Tolosane starts in Arles via Toulouse (hence the name) to the Spanish border at Col du Somport.

Environmental heritage

Some peaks in the commune are:[3]

Facilities

Education

The town has a primary school, the école du bourg.

Sport and sports structures

Accous is a famous spot for paragliding in the Pyrenees. There are two paragliding schools in the commune:

Accommodations

Accous also has communal lodgings.[42]

Notable People linked to the common

Monument to Cyprien Despourrins, blazened with three swords representing the arms of his family and his father who won three duels

Other pictures

See also

External Links

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 , the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For municipalities with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these municipalities is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force in 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.
  2. ↑ In the census table, by convention in Wikipedia, and to allow a fair comparison between five yearly censuses, the principle has been retained for subsequent legal populations since 1999 displayed in the census table that shows populations for the years 2006, 2011, 2016, etc., as well as the latest legal population published by INSEE

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Google Maps
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011, p. 2 (French)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Géoportail, IGN (French)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 7 (French)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 8 (French)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 17 (French)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000978 Church of Saint-Christophe (French)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 55 (French)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 85 (French)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000973 Chapel of Saint-Saturnin (French)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64001073 Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste (French)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 104 (French)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Michel Grosclaude, Toponymical Dictionary of Communes, Béarn, Ed. Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, ISBN 2-35068-005-3, page 36 (French)
  14. ↑ Archaeological Promenade in the Aspe Valley (French)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Manuscript of the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (French)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Manuscript from 1376 - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (French)
  17. ↑ Manuscript of the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (French)
  18. ↑ Manuscripts of the 17th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (French)
  19. ↑ Cassini Map 1750 - Accous
  20. ↑ Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, Dictionary of place names - Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 2009, Ed. Archives and Culture, ISBN 978-2-35077-151-9 (French)
  21. ↑ Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 101 (French)
  22. ↑ Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 29 (French)
  23. ↑ Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 84 (French)
  24. ↑ Homages of Béarn, Folio 39 - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (French)
  25. ↑ Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 146 (French)
  26. ↑ Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, p. 167 (French)
  27. ↑ List of Mayors of France (French)
  28. ↑ The death of Jean-Pierre Cazaux on 30 August 2010 resulted in a commune by-election on 19 September 2010. Reconstitution of the council lead to the election of a new mayor, Eric Bergez. The Republic of the Pyrenees, 15 September 2010 (French)
  29. ↑ Intercommunality of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Cellule informatique préfecture 64, consulted on 9 November 2011 (French)
  30. ↑ National Commission for Decentralised cooperation (French)
  31. ↑ Statistical Summary by commune, département, and employment category, INSEE website consulted on 9 September 2009
  32. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000995 House at Rue de Baix (French)
  33. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000994 House 1 at Rue de Haut (French)
  34. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000993 House 2 at Rue de Haut (French)
  35. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000996 House at Rue Madrih (French)
  36. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00084301 Chapel of Saint-Saturnin (French)
  37. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000974 Church of Saint-Martin (French)
  38. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000002 4 Candlesticks (French)
  39. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000001 Retable and Statuettes (French)
  40. ↑ Site de l'école de parapente Ascendance (French)
  41. ↑ Site de l'école de parapente Air-attitude (French)
  42. ↑ Aspe Valley tourism website (French)
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