Guide to Auvergne

Auvergne

Region embracing a large part of the Massif Central, comprising:
Allier (03)
Cantal (15)
Haute-Loire (43)
Puy-de-Dome (63).

Population: 1.3 million
Principal city: Clermont-Ferrand.
Tourist board

The Auvergne is an area of enormous natural beauty, particularly the area of the volcans in Puy-de-Dôme. The geography has also bestowed many thermal and mineral springs on the region; over the years, millions upon millions have come to the region to take the waters, and even more people around the world are now able to drink bottled Vichy and Volvic water.

However, life has always been hard in the Auvergne, which may account for its 1.3 million inhabitants having the reputation of being économes. Traditionally the Auvergnats have described France as "the Auvergne with a bit of land around it": they are proud of their Celtic roots; the region takes its name from the Arverni tribe that put up such a fierce defence against Julius Caesar during the conquest of Gaul. And the Auvergnat fondness for music and dancing is legendary: the hurdy-gurdy and the accordion are still an integral part of the culture, and the Auvergnat never tires of telling tales, both long and tall, about every facet of life in this natural fastness. The culinary specialities of the region are good, honest peasant fare: charcuterie and cheeses in particular.

Allier (03)

Population: 358,000
Principal city: Moulins
Tourist board

The Allier is a département that straddles the ancient boundaries of the langue d'oc and the langue d'oïl, and it is rich in picturesque, carefully preserved old buildings. In every valley, the long saga of the dukes of Bourbon has left its mark in the form of castles and churches.

Unlike the more mountainous, once-volcanic areas of the Auvergne, the Bourbonnais region of the Allier is a landscape of bocages, rivers and ponds teeming with fish. The Tronçais, the largest oak forest in Europe, was developed in the 17th century as a source of oak beams for the king's navy, and its oak is still used to make brandy barrels in Cognac.

The natural hot springs of Vichy, Néris-les-Bains and Bourbon-l'Archambault are an important source of revenue for the département. Vichy is the most famous of these spas, and the town receives thousands of visitors a year. Bourbon-l'Archambault has received equally illustrious curistes in the past, and its waters are particularly effective against rheumatism.

Near Vichy, above the plains of the Allier, stand la Montagne bourbonnaise, a spot popular with outdoors people.

Moulins is a peaceful old town, renowned for the automata in the town centre, its cathedral and its archeological museum.

Cantal (15)

Population: 159,000
Principal city: Aurillac
Tourist board

This département in the Auvergne is best known as a cheese-producing area. This is the foremost producer of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée cheese in France — principally the cow's milk cheeses of Cantal, Salers, Saint-Nectaire, bleu d'Auvergne and fourme d'Ambert.

The vulcanism in the region is very apparent: at 82° C, the springs of Chaudes-Aigues are the hottest in Europe; in dark basalt was used for building the medieval houses in towns like Salers. The countryside is hilly to mountainous, and skiing is popular in winter at Super Lioran.

Although perhaps understated in the tourism stakes, Cantal's medieval towns and monuments are very memorable. In particular, the château de Val, with its six pepper-pot towers, is a perfect example of feudal military architecture. When the hydroelectric barrier at Bort-les-Orgues caused the Dordogne to back up, it formed a moat around the château, giving it a particularly romantic appeal.

Another edifice worthy of mention is the viaduc de Garabit, south-east of St-Flour. Constucted by Gustave Eiffel, it is 122 metres high and more than half a kilometre long.

Haute-Loire (43)

Population: 207,000
Principal city: Le Puy-en-Velay
Tourist board

This southern-Auvergne départment is not as famous in touristic terms as its neighbours to the south (the Ardèche and the Dröme). And unlike its northern neighbour, Loire, heavy industry never really grew up here, and the few metalworking sites were unable to mop up the 'rural exodus' of recent decades. The result is a highly peaceful area to visit.

Being part of the Auvergne, it is no surprise that the landscape is rude and grandiose: worth walking are the conical - and very extinct - volcanoes around Yssingeaux, and also the valley of the River Semène, one of those typical little backwaters that make for such a peaceful and pleasant day out in the country. The tourist authorities are not slow to point out the rural, often isolated, charm of some of the manor houses, hamlets and villages, built in rugged volcanic rock as if they had sprouted from the very earth. Yet some buildings are slowly and gracefully working their way back into the earth: of note for their romantic setting are the feudal ruins at Arlempdes, on the River Loire north of Pradelles.

The earliest organised visits to this area were pilgrimages: to the romanesque chapelle Sainte-Marie in the Allier Gorge; to the Gothic abbey of Chaise-Dieu, built by Pope Clement VI; and, most spectacularly, to the town of Le Puy-en-Velay, built on and around an ancient volcano. The sight of the chapelle St-Michel-d'Aiguilhe perched on top of its volcanic plug is unforgettable, almost miraculous in itself. Le Puy is also a centre for lace-making, and is fiercely proud of its regional speciality: lentils.

Marie Joseph Gilbert Motier de La Fayette was the most famous son of Chavaniac, 30km north-west of Le Puy-en-Velay: here he was born and here he died. La Fayette (or Lafayette, as he is invariably spelled) is chiefly remembered for lending his support to the insurgents in the American War of Independence. As a consequence, he is commemorated not only in his native town, now know as Chaviniac-Lafayette, but in scores, maybe hundreds, of similar place names across the States.

Puy-de-Dôme (63)

Population: 599,000
Principal city: Clermont-Ferrand
Tourist board
Regional Nature Park

To the north of the département stand the 80 young volcanoes, whose most famous and visited, the eponymous puy de Dôme, is 1,465 metres high. The Monts Dore to the south are also volcanic in origin, but older and more angular; the highest is the puy du Sancy (1,886 metres).

Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the Auvergne, is built on an extinct volcano, which gives the building stone in the town its characteristic black colour. This is most strikingly apparent in the cathedral, which dominates the town. To the west stand the puys range, which gives Clermont-Ferrand its enviable vista: this large, industrial town never seems more than a few steps from Nature in all its wild glory.

Historically, Clermont is probably best remembered as being the place that Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade in 1095. It was also the birthplace of Blaise Pascal, the 17th-century mathematician and philosopher. Today, Clermont-Ferrand is indivisible in the French national consciousness with the Michelin tyre company, which was founded here in the 19th century.

A compelling curiosity of the city is the grotte du Pérou - a petrifying spring that has been used to turn all sorts of objects to stone - including stuffed animals, which can be seen at the entrance to the spring. The development of different techniques of petrification are explored in the attached museum.

Thiers, in the east of the département, has been the capital of knife-making in France for 500 years. The cutlery museum combines a working environment with modern audio-visuals to delve into the social and technological history of knife-making. Knives are made here on both an artisanal and an industrial scale, and it is nigh-impossible to find a shop in the town that does not sell cutlery of some description! The old quarter of the town is delightfully winding and old-fashioned; the tourist information centre is found in the magnificent 15th-century half-timbered Maison du Pirou.

In the south-west, amidst the grandeur of the volcanic landscape, the spa town of La Bourboule and its neighbour Le Mont-Dore are two havens of tranquillity. There are numerous sightseeing destinations from here, including the 12th-century Romanesque basilica of Orcival; the village of St-Nectaire, home of a delicious cheese; and the rugged, imposing château fort of Murol.