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Ganges, Hérault
Ganges is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.
Location
Ganges is situated at the confuence of the Hérault and Rieutord rivers.
History
The castle, of which only ruins remain, was the scene of a murder in the 17th century. The beautiful Dianne de Roussan was killed by her husband's brothers, who wanted her large fortune. They were caught and subsequently executed.
Ganges became prosperous from the manufacture of fine silk stockings during the reign of Louis XIV. Natural silk was replaced by artificial, and later by nylon, and cottage industry gave way to factories; half a dozen or so still produce high quality stockings.
In August 1944, German forces unsuccessfully tried to force a way down the Hérault River valley through Ganges; they were repelled by the defence of the Aigoual-Cévennes maquis.
Population
Tourism
The area around Ganges offers extensive activities, including kayaking, gliding and go-karting.
The mobilette was created by a resident of Ganges and a plaque near the old town commemorates this fact.
Hérault
Hérault (French: [eʁo]; Occitan: Erau [eˈɾaw]) is a department in southern France named after the Hérault river. It is part of the Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées region of the country.
History
Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.
At the beginning of the 20th century, viticulture in the region was devastated by a slump in sales combined with disease affecting the vines, and thousands of small scale producers revolted. This revolt was suppressed very harshly by the government of Georges Clemenceau.
The catastrophic frost of the winter of 1956 damaged the olive trees, and the olive-growing regions did not recover until the late 1980s. Many of the olive-industry co-ops closed.
During the second half of the twentieth century the Montpellier basin underwent one of the most rapid population increases experienced anywhere in France.
Geography
Hérault is part of the current region of Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées and is surrounded by the departments of Aude, Tarn, Aveyron, Gard, and the Mediterranean (Gulf of Lion) on the south. The department is very geographically diverse, with beaches in the south, the Cévennes mountains in the north, and agricultural land in between.
Hérault (river)
The Hérault (French pronunciation: [eʁo]; Occitan: Erau) is a river of southern France. Its length is 148 kilometres (92 mi). Its source is on the slopes of Mont Aigoual in the Cévennes mountains. It reaches the Mediterranean Sea near Agde.
Towns
The Hérault flows through the following départements and towns:
Tributaries
Navigation
The lower reaches of the Hérault, from Bessan to the sea at Agde, are navigable. The lowest 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) are tidal, whilst the next 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) forms part of the Canal du Midi. These two sections of the river are linked to each other, and to the Canal du Midi to the west, by short junction canals and the famous Agde Round Lock.
At the upper end of the section of the Hérault used by the Canal du Midi, the Prades Lock provides access to the Canal du Midi to the east. Above this lock, the river is navigable for a further 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) or so.
Hérault (disambiguation)
Hérault may refer to:
