Mazamet (;

Languedocien Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian or Lengadocian (), is an Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and Southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Languedocien-Guyennai ...

: ''Masamet'') 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 Tarn

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 southern

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 ...

. It is the second-largest component of the

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect, Languedocian dialect of Occitan language, Occitan) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administ ...

-Mazamet

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

Geography

Mazamet is situated on the northern slope of the

Montagne Noire The Montagne Noire ( oc, Montanha Negra, known as the 'Black Mountain' in English) is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central at the juncture of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departm ...

and on the Arnette, a small tributary of the

Thoré The Thoré () is a river in the Hérault and Tarn departments in southern France. Its source is in the northern part of Rieussec. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Agout, into which it flows between Navès and Castr ...

, which forms the commune's northern border.

Population

Economy

The town made its wealth during the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was the world center of the wool industry. At its height, the town imported more than 100,000 tonnes of wool annually from the Southern Hemisphere. After processing, numerous establishments were involved in wool-spinning and in the manufacture of leather goods, gloves, blankets, hosiery and clothing for the troops. Mazamet was the biggest center of the wool pulling industry in Europe. In 1906, 95% of French workers in the industry were employed in Tarn. While the vast majority of Mazamet's wool industry ended in the early 1990's, the town still has a residual high-end leather industry with leather being purchased by a number of Paris & London fashion houses. Today, Mazamet is known for tourism, thanks to its natural setting at the foothills of the

mountain range and being close to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s of

Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig� ...

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...

and the

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...

. The town has a cycle path, plus numerous other cycling + walking routes.

Notable people

Pierre Capretz Pierre Jean Capretz (30 January 1925 – 2 April 2014) was a French educator and writer, noted for his audio-visual methods for teaching French. A graduate of the University of Paris, he began teaching French in 1949 at the University of Florida ...

, developer of the

French in Action ''French in Action'' is a French language course, developed by Professor Pierre Capretz of Yale University. The course includes workbooks, textbooks, and a 52-episode television series. The television series — the best-known aspect of the cours ...

series for teaching French, was born in Mazamet in 1925. *

Maurice Euzennat Maurice Euzennat (15 Novembre 1926 – 25 July 2004) was a French historian and archaeologist. Career After he passed his agrégation in history and resided at the école française de Rome between 1951 and 1954, Maurice Euzennat made a par ...

(1926–2004), historian and archaeologist, died in Mazamet *

Laurent Jalabert Laurent Jalabert (born 30 November 1968) is a French former professional road racing cyclist, from 1989 to 2002. Affectionately known as ''"Jaja"'' (slang for a glass of wine; when he continued drinking wine as a professional, the nickname stuck ...

Road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and ...

professional was born here. *

Nicolas Jalabert Nicolas Jalabert (born 13 April 1973) is a French former road racing cyclist. In 1997 he turned professional with the French team Cofidis. He is the younger brother of Laurent Jalabert, and followed him to ONCE in 2000 and Team CSC in 2001. In ...

professional was born here. *

Pierre Sancan Pierre Sancan (24 October 1916 – 20 October 2008) was a French composer, pianist, teacher and conductor. Along with Olivier Messiaen and Henri Dutilleux, he was a major figure among French musicians in the mid-twentieth-century transition betwee ...

, pianist and composer, was born in Mazamet in 1916. *

Jean-Michel Vernhes Jean-Michel Vernhes (born in 1950 at Mazamet) is a French public servant. He is the current President of French Airports (''Union des aéroports français'') and of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. Biography Graduate from ''classes préparatoires ...

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, was born in Mazamet in 1950.

Tour de France

Mazamet was the start for Stage 14 in the

2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain. It was ...

, finishing on the top of

Plateau de Beille Plateau de Beille (Occitan language, Occitan: ''Plan de Belha'') is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Ariège (department), Ariège Departments of France, department, and in the Regions of France, region of the Occitania (administ ...

. The stage was won by

Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...

, who later went on to win the Tour. In 2018, Mazamet welcomed the race once again as it passed through on route to Carcassonne.

Twin towns

Mazamet is twinned with: *

Rybnik Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; szl, Rybńik) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 miles) from the Czech border. It is on ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

References

Notes

External links

Official website

Espace Apollo website of Mazamet Cultural centreofficial website of the Greater Castres-Mazamet Council

Gallery

Communes of Tarn (department) Languedoc {{Tarn-geo-stub