Roussillon, Vaucluse

Coordinates: 43°54′11″N 5°17′37″E / 43.9030555556°N 5.29361111111°E / 43.9030555556; 5.29361111111

Commune of Roussillon Former ochre quarry in Roussillon
Location
Roussillon, Vaucluse
Administration
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Vaucluse
Arrondissement	Apt
Canton	Gordes
Statistics
Elevation	159–365 m (520–1,200 ft) (avg. 343 m/1,130 ft)
Land area1	29.77 km2 (11.49 sq mi)
Population2	1,161  (1999)
- Density	39 /km² (100 /sq mi)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	84102/ 84220
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Roussillon is a village in the region Provence in the south of France. The commune belongs to the district of Apt and is situated in the department Vaucluse. Roussillon lies within the borders of the Parc Naturel Régional de Luberon. In the French natural regional parcs new economic activities can only be developed if they are sustainable.^[1]

It is noted for its large ochre deposits, found in the clay surrounding the village. Ochres are pigments ranging from yellow and orange to red. One of the former ochre quarries can be visited and is known as the Colorado Provençal.

Geography

The village is situated in the northern valley of the mountains of Luberon. Its area is 29,9 km², the density of its population is 38,8 inhabitant/km². The nearest railway station is in Cavaillon; the nearest TGV station is in Avignon.

The river Calavon forms part of the commune's southern border.

Geology

Roussillon is famous for the rich deposits of ochre pigments found in the clay near the village. The large quarries of Roussillon were mined from the end of the 18th century until 1930. Thousands of people found work in the quarries and factories. Nowadays the mining of ochre is prohibited here, in order to protect the sites from degradation or even complete destruction.

Mining ochre

Because during the XVIII century the demand rose for pigments to be used in the textile industry, the mining of ochres in Roussillon intensified. Numerous quarries and ochre factories, some of which can still be seen today, were situated near the village. An example of an ochre factory, named Mathieu, has been formed into a 'Conservatoire': a workshop serving as a museum. The quarries and factories were established in the villages of Roussillon, Villars, Gargas, Rustrel (with its Colorado provençal) and Gignac.

Roussillon in 1993

Street in the village of Roussillon, photographer: Adelei vd Velden)

During the XX century mining techniques were modernized which meant that more profitable ochre mines became exploitable. This resulted in a gradually closing down of ochre mines in and around Roussillon. From the eighties tourism has replaced ochre industry as a source of income. ^[2]

Literary and other cultural references

The writer Samuel Beckett went into hiding from the Germans in Roussillon during the years 1942-1945. His novel Watt was written there, and Beckett mentioned the village in his famous theatreplay Waiting for Godot (En attendant Godot) (1955).

Film director Henri Colpi shot this movie Heureux qui comme Ulysse (1970) with Fernandel as the leading character in Roussillon; George Brassens wrote a chanson for the film.

Under the name of Peyrane, Roussillon is the subject of Laurence Wylie, Village in the Vaucluse (first edition 1957.)

Demography

(bron: INSEE ).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roussillon, Vaucluse

• Tourist office website (and alternate URL: [1])
• Locatie van de gemeente (kaart met schaal 1:100.000) op Mapquest
• More statistics can be found on www.insee.fr
• Website of the Parc naturel régional du Luberon
• Conservatoire des Ocres

References