Castelnau-d'Auzan (; Gascon: ''Castèthnau d'Eusan'') is a former

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 ...

. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune

Castelnau-d'Auzan-Labarrère Castelnau-d'Auzan-Labarrère (; oc, Castèthnau d'Eusan e La Barrèra) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department of southwestern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the fo ...

.Arrêté préfectoral
8 December 2015

Geography

A picturesque little village on the river

Gélise The Gélise () is a tributary of the river Baïse in Gascony, southwestern France. It is long. Etymology The name Gélise comes from the Aquitanian hydronymic root ''Jel'', meaning "watercourse." Geography The Gélise originates in the G ...

on a crossing of roads, east of the city of

Condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...

in the Gers bounding the departments

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word '' ...

. It benefits of a privileged situation on the fringe the

Landes forest The Landes forest (; La forêt des Landes in French) in the Landes de Gascogne (las Lanas de Gasconha in the Gascon language), in the historic Gascony natural region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest man-made woodlan ...

in the middle of an agreeable and fertile region. The village lies on the water parting between the Gélise and the

Izaute The Izaute is a river in south-western France, a right tributary of the Gélise. It is long. Geography It has its origin in the commune Dému in the Gers (32) it joins the Gélise on the border of Lot-et-Garonne close to Saint-Pé-Saint-Si ...

and occupies the emplacement of an ancient castle. The geographical situation is agreeable: the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast on one side and on the other side the ski resorts of the south of France are by car only a distance of 145 km (2 h 15 min).

History

The name ''Castelnau d'Auzan'' means: "Château Neuf in the land of Éauzan". The castle disappeared, but here and there in the village some remains are still visible.

Sights

* Town hall. * The arena for the

course Landaise The ''course landaise'' is an ancient form of bullfighting and bull-leaping held in oval or rectangular arenas covered in sand, that involves no bloodshed. Experienced cows, with large horns, aged generally from 2 to 14 years old, are used inste ...

. * Leisure area and its lake. * Old Armagnac caves. * Église Sainte Marie-Madeleine: ** In the centre of Castelnau, a neo Gothic church from the nineteenth century. * Église Saint Jean de Béziey: ** A country side church from the eleventh century, well known by its miraculous source believed to cure illnesses of the eyes. * Église Saint Martin d'Arèch: ** From the fifteenth century with a particular cylindrical bell-tower. * Église de Rieupeyroux: ** A church in the countryside in the centre of Houeillères with a particular forged iron cross. * Notre-Dame de Pibèque: ** A regional pilgrimage centre with a miraculous source. The splendid little church is a jewel and dates from the fifteenth century.

Population

The inhabitants are called ''Auzanais''. Like in other

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

France the canton had a decrease of population. In 1962, the canton had 5938 citizens. In 1999, there were only 4741, which represents a decrease of 20%. This decrease is still continuing. This phenomenon started, as in many other rural areas during the War of 1914-1918. Many young men did not return home. Lack of manpower changed the once wealthy and healthy pastoral area in a region where the population and wealth both decreased. New immigrants from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

compensated partly the loss in population. After the independence of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, the French farmers and winemakers returning to France were encouraged to settle in the Gers. All these waves of immigrants now are completely integrated. Due to the changes in the

rural economics Rural economics is the study of rural economies. Rural economies include both agricultural and non-agricultural industries, so rural economics has broader concerns than agricultural economics which focus more on food systems. Rural development a ...

the last decade agricultural land and farms were put on the market and sold to newcomers from the north of Europe, looking for an active countryside way of life. Gradually immigration changed, nowadays retired people from the north European urban areas come to the Gers in search of idyllic homes for their retirement.

Features

Castelnau-d'Auzan is surrounded by

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

s, smoothly undulating hills and here and there a nice little village. The setting and ambiance are perfect for promenades by foot or by bicycle, or a little play of

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

on the splendid Golf de Guinlet, which is on five minutes distance of the village. Because of its landscapes the Gers is now and then called the "

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

of France". The summers are long and warm; the winters are warm and short. In the neighborhood are numerous old castles, little medieval walled villages, small cities built around castles and "sacred" places, because the

Way of St. James The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Twelve Apostle ...

of Compostela and the

Via Podiensis The Via Podiensis or the Le Puy Route is one of the four routes through France on the pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James the Great in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwest Spain. It leaves from Le-Puy-en-Velay and crosses the countryside ...

are going through the Gers and left their traces. Close to the "place de la Mairie" with the pretty town hall you will find the oldest street of Castelnau the "rue du Canon". This spot survived everything, invasions, wars and whatever it dates from the fifteenth century.

Tourism and culture

Local associations develop numerous activities which make it possible to share the local passion for: the nature, good walking bicycling routes, traditional skittle and ball games ''quilles au maillet'') and ''palet gascon''; courses Landaises a daring and innocent game with wild cows; old fashioned battue hunting; local feasts; and gastronomy. The leisure area offers during the summer holidays the children collective and individual games, trips in to the nature and theme days. The leisure area offers a wide range of amusement in a splendid green neighbourhood with swimming pool, children's pool and game zone, two tennis courts, a beach volleyball court, a fitness circuit, a fishing lake of 3 hectares, pick-nick places and perfect walking and bicycle routes. Castelnau d'Auzan is today a perfect place to be for a short or longer time. A lot of healthy occupations are possible, cultural and gastronomic trips and you simply can take a rest. The visit card of the region: a fine glass of

Côtes de Gascogne Côtes de Gascogne is a wine-growing district in Gascony producing principally white wine. It is mainly located in the département of the Gers in the former Midi-Pyrénées region (now part of the Occitanie region), and it belongs to the wine r ...

Saint-Mont Saint-Mont (; oc-gsc, Sent Mont) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Geography Population Saint-Mont wine Wines are produced under the VDQS designation Saint-Mont and the area's vineyards are part of the South W ...

Madiran Madiran () is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. It is the centre of a wine-producing area. Madiran wine Wine is produced around Madiran under three '' Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées'' (AOCs): Madiran ...

or if you like a

Floc de Gascogne The Floc de Gascogne is a regional apéritif from the Côtes de Gascogne and Armagnac regions of Sud-Ouest wine region of France. It is a '' vin de liqueur'' fortified with armagnac, the local brandy. It has had ''Appellation d'origine contr� ...

and a good conversation. With measure it also nice to consume a glass

Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...

, a good

cassoulet Cassoulet (, also , ; ; from Occitan and cognates with Spanish: ''cazoleta'' and Catalan: ''cassolet'') is a rich, slow-cooked stew containing meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin () and white beans (), ...

, a typical ''confit de canard'' or a small piece of

foie gras Foie gras (, ; ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a duck or goose. According to French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage (force feeding). Foie gras is a popular and well-known delicacy ...

. There are 2 campsites - the small, quie
Domaine Le Poteau
which won French campsite of the year in 2021 and a municipal site.

Events

* Easter Monday: attic, antique and garage sale with course Landaise. * The before last weekend of July: local feasts with village dinners in the open air, attic sales and time-honoured skittle and ball games * First weekend of August: feast in Arèch with open air dinner and ball and numerous attractions. * Third weekend of August: feast in Houeillères with open air dinner and ball and numerous attractions.

Personalities

* Joseph Nicolas Barbeau Barran was a delegate in the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...

and the Chambre des Cent Jours, born in Castelnau-d'Auzan in 1761, he died in 1816 in Switzerland. At the trial of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

he voted guilty and for the death penalty. He was President of the

Jacobin Club , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

and an antagonist of

Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

. At the second Restoration in 1816 he was, because of the assassination of the king, condemned to exile and he went to Switzerland. * General Henri de Mibielle was born in Castelnau d'Auzan in 1841, died in 1910; his tomb is on the cemetery of Béziey.

Transportation

The village can easily be reached by car or train. Nearby rail stations are:

Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a commune and capital of the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Military installations The French Air and Space Force operates the ''Constantin Rozan ...

(55 km - 1h00m),

Agen The communes of France, commune of Agen (, ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. ...

(65 km - 1h05m) and

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 ...

(70 km - 1h05m). Three airports are in the neighbourhood:

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

(140 km - 2h10m),

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

(150 km -1h50m) and Pau (100 km - 1h40m).