Chaudes-Aigues

Chaudes-Aigues

Source of the Par and museum

Coat of arms
Chaudes-Aigues

Coordinates: 44°51′19″N 3°00′17″E / 44.8553°N 3.0047°E / 44.8553; 3.0047Coordinates: 44°51′19″N 3°00′17″E / 44.8553°N 3.0047°E / 44.8553; 3.0047
Country France
Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Cantal
Arrondissement Saint-Flour
Canton Chaudes-Aigues
Intercommunality Caldaguès-Aubrac
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Madeleine Baumgartner
Area1 53.16 km2 (20.53 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 954
 • Density 18/km2 (46/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 15045 / 15110
Elevation 637–1,280 m (2,090–4,199 ft)
(avg. 750 m or 2,460 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.

Chaudes-Aigues (French: [ʃodzɛɡ]; Occitan: Chaudas Aigas) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. It is a spa town, famous for its hot spring waters.

Geography

The commune is situated in the Massif Central in Aubrac. Its inhabitants are called the Caldaguès, from the Latin meaning 'hot waters', or in French, eaux chaudes; hence the name of the commune, Chaudes-Aigues

As its name suggests, there are thirty natural hot water sources with temperatures ranging from 45° to more than 80°. The most famous is the source of the Par river with a water temperature of 82° - the hottest in Europe - with a flow in the region of 450,000 litres a day. The odds are that the source so-named because a pig was dressed (paré) or jointed thanks to the hot water. The waters are used all year round. In winter, they have provided heat for houses and the church as district heating since the 14th Century;[1][2] from spring the waters are channeled to the spa for the treatment of rheumatics.

The Remontalou crosses the commune.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19621,218—    
19681,114−8.5%
19751,187+6.6%
19821,186−0.1%
19901,110−6.4%
1999986−11.2%
2008954−3.2%

Sights

The Château de Couffour is a ruined castle, dating back to the 15th century, situated in the commune.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bloomquist, R. Gordon (2001). Geothermal District Energy System Analysis, Design, and Development (PDF). International Summer School. International Geothermal Association. p. 213(1). Retrieved November 28, 2015. Lay summary – Stanford University. During Roman times, warm water was circulated through open trenches to provide heating for buildings and baths in Pompeii.
  2. ↑ Lund, John W. (June 2007), "Characteristics, Development and utilization of geothermal resources" (PDF), Geo-Heat Centre Quarterly Bulletin, Klamath Falls, Oregon: Oregon Institute of Technology, 28 (2), pp. 1–9, ISSN 0276-1084, retrieved 2009-04-16
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