Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda
| Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commune | ||
|
The Mondony river and the parish church of Our Lady of Life, in Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | ||
| ||
  Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | ||
|
Location within Occitanie region  Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | ||
| Coordinates: 42°28′34″N 2°40′21″E / 42.4761°N 2.6725°ECoordinates: 42°28′34″N 2°40′21″E / 42.4761°N 2.6725°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Occitanie | |
| Department | Pyrénées-Orientales | |
| Arrondissement | Céret | |
| Canton | Le Canigou | |
| Intercommunality | Le Haut Vallespir | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014-2020) | Alexandre Reynal | |
| Area1 | 29.43 km2 (11.36 sq mi) | |
| Population (2014)2 | 3,554 | |
| • Density | 120/km2 (310/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| 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. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | ||
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Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda (Catalan: Els banys d'Arles) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.
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
Location
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.[1]
Climate
In the winter season the average temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius, and in the summer it is roughly 29 degrees Celsius. Thunderstorms are not infrequent in the area, and the telltale signs are small showers throughout the day.
Springs
The town has numerous sulphur springs (20-60C.). They have been used as baths by sufferers from 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.[1]
Toponymy
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.[2] She finally visited the town in 1848, and subsequently promoted it.[3] In Catalan it is still called Els banys d'Arles.
Government and politics
Mayors
François Mefler, mayor of Amélie-les-Bains since October 1941, becomes the new mayor of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda in October 1942, after Amélie-les-Bains and Palalda were united together.[4]
| 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 |
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1962 | 3,001 | — |
| 1968 | 3,662 | +22.0% |
| 1975 | 3,908 | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 3,713 | −5.0% |
| 1990 | 3,239 | −12.8% |
| 1999 | 3,475 | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 3,723 | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 3,695 | −0.8% |
Sites of interest
- Fort-les-Bains, fortress built in 1670 above Amélie-les-Bains.
Notable people
- Maximilien Chaudoir (1816–1881) : Russian entomologist, died in Amélie-les-Bains ;
- Pierre Restany (1930–2003) : art critic and philosopher, born in Amélie-les-Bains.
See also
References
- 1 2
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. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 804. - ↑ 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.
- ↑ MairesGenWeb
External links
- Tourist office website
-
Media related to Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda at Wikimedia Commons
| Adjacent places of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montbolo | ||||
| Arles-sur-Tech |  |
Reynès | ||
| ||||
 | ||||
| Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans | Maçanet de Cabrenys (Spain) | |||
