Durban () (''Durban'' in Gascon) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

Region. Historically and culturally, the town is in the country of

Astarac Astarac is a region in Gascony, a county in the Middle Ages. Astarac was formed as a county out of the partition of the Duchy of Gascony: following the death of García II Sánchez of Gascony, the duchy was partitioned between his sons, with Arno ...

, a territory in the very hilly south of Gers, with clay soil, which runs along the

Plateau de Lannemezan The plateau de Lannemezan () is a plateau in Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, département, in Pyrenees foothills, not far from Spain, southwestern France, with about 10,000 inhabitants. Its name is due to the city Lannemezan, which lies in ...

. Exposed to an altered oceanic climate, it is drained by the Sousson, the Cédon and various other small rivers. The town has a remarkable natural heritage made up of three natural areas of ecological, faunal and floristic interest. Durban is a rural commune with 138 inhabitants en 2019, after experiencing a population peak of 531 inhabitants in 1831. It is located near

Auch Auch (; oc, label= Gascon, Aush ) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony. Geography Localization Hydrography The Riv ...

. Its inhabitants are called Durbannais or Durbannaises.

Buildings and monuments

The

Moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

and ruins of the chateau of the Counts of Astarac. The remains include 14 m long room, in which are four open arches, two of which are in good condition, all located behind a curtain wall 2 m thick. The very short west curtain wall was dominated by a dungeon of which only the base remains. Centerpiece of the county possessions of Astarac, the fortress is mentioned in 1244, with

Castelnau-Barbarens Castelnau-Barbarens ( Gascon: ''Castèthnau Barbarens'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Geography Population See also *Communes of the Gers department The following is a list of the 461 communes of the Gers ...

Lasseube-Propre Lasseube-Propre (; oc, La Seuva Pròpra) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Geography Population See also *Communes of the Gers department The following is a list of the 461 communes of the Gers department of F ...

Moncassin Moncassin (; oc, Montcassin) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Geography The Petite Baïse The Petite Baïse (, literally ''Little Baïse''; oc, Petita Baïsa) is a long river in the Hautes-Pyrénées and Gers ...

and Simorre, in the tribute paid by Count Centulle II and his mother Segnis de Lomagne to the Count of Toulouse for the entire county. The Castle of Marteret. The manor house visible on the

Cassini map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Ca ...

is now only a quadrangular building partly ruined to the west. Private property, cannot be visited. The Castle of Montagnan. The main habitat and the agricultural annexes are organized around a quadrangular central courtyard. The complex, which looks more like a farm than a real stately home, was in place in the middle of the 18th^th century because the Sieur de Luppé , marquis de Garrané, “holds the house of Montaignan, barnyard, barns, dovecote, garden, stables” in 1767. Private property, cannot be visited. A Windmill at the eastern entrance to the village, it was associated with housing for the miller. It was rebuilt on the original location from 2017 to 2018. A bakehouse was also built.

Geography