Pamiers

Pamiers
A general view of Pamiers A general view of Pamiers
Coat of arms of Pamiers Coat of arms
Pamiers
Location within Midi-Pyrénées region Pamiers
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Ariège
Arrondissement	Pamiers
Canton	Pamiers Est and Pamiers Ouest
Intercommunality	Pays de Pamiers
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	André Trigano
Area1	45.85 km2 (17.70 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	15,857
• Density	350/km2 (900/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	09225 / 09100
Elevation	256–473 m (840–1,552 ft) (avg. 298 m or 978 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.

Pamiers (French: [pa.mje]) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Although Pamiers is the largest city in Ariège, the capital is the smaller town of Foix. The seat of the Bishop of Pamiers is at the Pamiers Cathedral.

Geography

Pamiers is located on the Ariège River.

The town of Pamiers is famous for its three bell towers and for being the birthplace of Gabriel Fauré, one of the greatest French musicians and composers of the late 19th and early 20th century. It also boasts awards for Ville fleurie, the equivalent of "town in bloom". Local facilities include good restaurants, bars, supermarkets, large public indoor and outdoor swimming pools (one of which is 50m).

File:Pamiers rue commerçante.jpg

Commercial road

Pamiers lies in an ancient alluvial plain of the Ariège River in the area called La Basse Ariège, noted for its rich fertile soil ideal for agriculture. Pamiers has 17,000 inhabitants, the Appaméens, and is the economical capital of the Ariège, being the most important town in the department.

The town itself dates back to the 5th century. The origin of its name is subject to debate. A certain school of linguists tends to believe that it was derived from the fact that, when Pamiers was founded, its new inhabitants were given land parcels measured in pams', from empan (from the Latin "pannus" meaning "piece of cloth"). Originally it was called Ville de Pams. Another explanation is one involving Roger II de Foix, who had gone to a crusade in the region of Apamea in Syria and who, upon his return to France, gave his castle and domain the name of one of his battles: Castrum Appamiae, name later on given to the town. The fact that Pamiers' inhabitants are called Appaméens would seem to favour this hypothesis. In the 18th century a plural stance on the word was introduced making the name "Apamias" derived from ecclesiastical language and also similar to the Occitan language. The Occitan name "Pamias" can be seen on the town sign, alongside the French name Pamiers, as one enters the town via the old route from Toulouse, RN20.

The main square of Pamiers, Place de la République, is paved in red marble. Every week, three large open-air farmers' markets are held, plus a flea market every Sunday morning. Nearby are the old Tour des Cordeliers and the large Church of Notre-Dame-du-Camp.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	4,954	—
1800	6,174	+24.6%
1806	5,646	−8.6%
1821	5,919	+4.8%
1831	6,048	+2.2%
1836	6,905	+14.2%
1841	6,485	−6.1%
1846	7,667	+18.2%
1851	7,770	+1.3%
1856	7,631	−1.8%
1861	7,910	+3.7%
1866	7,877	−0.4%
1872	8,690	+10.3%
1876	8,967	+3.2%
1881	11,726	+30.8%
1886	11,944	+1.9%
1891	11,143	−6.7%
1896	10,657	−4.4%
1901	10,886	+2.1%
1906	10,449	−4.0%
1911	10,017	−4.1%
1921	12,012	+19.9%
1926	12,131	+1.0%
1931	13,164	+8.5%
1936	14,035	+6.6%
1946	12,026	−14.3%
1954	12,822	+6.6%
1962	13,297	+3.7%
1968	14,564	+9.5%
1975	14,325	−1.6%
1982	13,345	−6.8%
1990	12,965	−2.8%
1999	13,417	+3.5%
2008	15,857	+18.2%

Personalities

Pamiers was the birthplace or hometown of:

• Marc-Guillaume Alexis Vadier (1736-1828), politician at the time of the French Revolution
• Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), composer
• Théophile Delcassé (1852-1923), statesman
• Pope Benedict XII, (ca. 1280-1342), bishop of Pamiers in the 1320s
• Swanne Gauthier, basketball player
• Yoann Huget, rugby player

Transportation

• Gare de Pamiers

See also

• 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, a regiment based in the commune
• Communes of the Ariège department
• County of Foix
• List of medieval bridges in France

References

• INSEE

External links

• Official website (French)
• Tourist office website (French)
•