Mont-Louis

Mont-Louis

An aerial view of Mont-Louis

Coat of arms
Mont-Louis

Coordinates: 42°30′33″N 2°07′15″E / 42.5092°N 2.1208°E / 42.5092; 2.1208Coordinates: 42°30′33″N 2°07′15″E / 42.5092°N 2.1208°E / 42.5092; 2.1208
Country France
Region Occitanie
Department Pyrénées-Orientales
Arrondissement Prades
Canton Mont-Louis
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Christian Pecout
Area1 0.39 km2 (0.15 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 297
 • Density 760/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 66117 / 66210
Elevation 1,516–1,608 m (4,974–5,276 ft)
(avg. 1,600 m or 5,200 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.

Mont-Louis (Catalan: Montlluís or el Vilar d'Ovansa) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

Geography

Mont-Louis is located in the canton of Mont-Louis and in the arrondissement of Prades.

Map of Mont-Louis and its surrounding communes

Government and politics

Mayors

Signature of mayor Michel Aldebert in 1815
Mayor Term start Term end
Michel Aldebert[1] c. 1815 ?
Christian Pécout 2001 2002
Jean-Michel Larmet 2002 2010
Pierrette Cordelette 2010

Population

Population 1962-2008

Sites of interest

Solar furnace of Mont-Louis

In 2008, the citadel and the city walls of Mont-Louis were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as part of the "Fortifications of Vauban" group.

The Mont-Louis Solar Furnace, is the world's first solar furnace, built in 1949, by engineer Felix Trombe. It is open to visit for practical education on solar energy uses and technologies.

The citadel has been hosting for more than half a century the Centre national d'entraînement commando (French Army) which trains elite French troops and some foreign ones in the usage of commando techniques and for enduring heavy physical and mental stress in combat situations. Nevertheless, some places of the citadel, like the "Puits de Forçats",[2] can also be visited, being accompanied by a local guide.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ (French) Fabricio Cardenas, Vieux papiers des Pyrénées-Orientales, Mont-Louis, le 15 juin 1815, 16 january 2014
  2. ↑ See § Lieux et monuments in the French page.
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