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Auch
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Auch | |
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| Cathedral in the town centre | |
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| Coat of arms | |
  Auch | |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Midi-Pyrénées |
| Department | Gers |
| Arrondissement | Auch |
| Canton | Chief town of 4 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Grand Auch |
| Mayor | Franck Montaugé (PS) (2008-2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 115–281 m (377–922 ft) (avg. 166 m/545 ft) |
| Land area1 | 72.48 km2 (27.98 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 21,871 (2011) |
| - Density | 302/km2 (780/sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 32013/ 32000 |
| Website | www.mairie-auch.fr |
| 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. | |
Auch (Gascon: Aush or Aux) is a commune in southwestern France, in the region of Midi-Pyrénées. It is the prefecture (capital) of the Gers department. It is also the capital of 4 cantons: Auch-Nord-Est, Auch-Nord-Ouest, Auch-Sud-Est-Seissan and Auch-Sud-Ouest.
Auch is the historical capital of Gascony and the people of this city are known, in French, as auscitain (women: auscitaines).[1]
Contents
History
Auch is an ancient town. The name of Auch comes from the people that inhabited the area at the time of the Roman conquest. The name of this tribe was Ausci, singular Auscus.
The Romans named the town where that tribe lived as Augusta Auscorum (or Augusta Ausciorum), which means "Augusta of the Ausci". Eventually, Augusta was dropped, and the name changed into modern Gascon Aush, and modern French Auch.
Geography
Auch is in the southwest of France, in Armagnac (Gascony), in the valley of the Gers river. It extends along the sides of the river that gives its name to the department.
The river splits the city in two parts:
- The Upper Town (French: Haute-Ville), on a small hill on the right side of the river. It is a medieval city with narrow streets with stairs and where most of the old monuments are found.
- The Lower Town (French: Basse-Ville), on a plain on the left side of the river.
The commune is, in straight line, at 75 km (47 mi) from the Pyrenees, 150 km (93 mi) from the Bay of Biscay, 160 km (99 mi) from Bordeaux, 70 km (43 mi) from Toulouse and 85 km (53 mi) from Pau.
It has an area of 72.48 km2 (27.98 sq mi) and its average altitude is 166 m (545 ft). With a population of 21,871;[2] its population density is of 301.8 inhabitants/km2.
Climate
The climate of the department is an oceanic climate with template summers, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.[3]
The average temperature for the year in Auch is 13.4 °C (56.1 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 21.6 °C (70.9 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 5.9 °C (42.6 °F).
The highest recorded temperature in Auch is 40.9 °C (105.6 °F), which was recorded in August. The lowest recorded temperature in Auch is −20 °C (−4 °F), which was recorded in January.
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Auch is 690.9 mm (27.2 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is May with 83.8 mm (3.3 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of 30.5 mm (1.2 in).[3]
| Climate data for Auch, Gers, France | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
21.5 (70.7) |
25.3 (77.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.9 (82.2) |
24.9 (76.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
13.7 (56.7) |
10.4 (50.7) |
18.85 (65.93) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
11.9 (53.4) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.4 (66.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.5 (58.1) |
9.3 (48.7) |
6.3 (43.3) |
13.41 (56.14) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) |
1.7 (35.1) |
3.9 (39) |
6.2 (43.2) |
10 (50) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.2 (59.4) |
14.9 (58.8) |
12 (54) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.8 (40.6) |
2.1 (35.8) |
7.9 (46.22) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 40.3 (1.587) |
31.6 (1.244) |
37.8 (1.488) |
61.4 (2.417) |
84.6 (3.331) |
68.4 (2.693) |
58.8 (2.315) |
64.3 (2.531) |
75 (2.95) |
72.1 (2.839) |
54.6 (2.15) |
43.1 (1.697) |
692 (27.244) |
| Source: Weatherbase.com [1] | |||||||||||||
Places of interest
A city founded by the Romans, Auch had its period of power during the Middle Ages, when it was the capital of the old province of Gascony. The high quality of the limestone is an important component of its monuments and buildings, such as its cathedral.
Some of these places of interest are:
- Cathédrale Sainte-Marie d'Auch (St Mary's Cathedral). This cathedral took 200 years to build; from the 15th – 17th centuries.
- Hôtel de ville (City hall).
- Tour d'Armagnac (Tower of Armagnac). An ancient prison from the 14th century
- Escalier monumental (Monumental Staircase). 370 steps built in 1863
- Musée des Jacobins
- Pont de la Treille
Gallery
Hôtel de ville (City hall)
Tour d'Armagnac
Escalier monumental
Pont de la Treille
The Basse-Ville from the monumental staircase
.JPG)
Sister cities
Auch is twinned with:
References
- ↑ "Auch" (in French). habitants.fr. http://www.habitants.fr/habitants_auch_32013.html. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ↑ "Populations légales 2011 de la commune - 32013-Auch" (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/commune.asp?annee=2011&depcom=32013. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Auch, France - Köppen Climate Classification". Weatherbase. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=598817&cityname=Auch%2C+Midi-Pyr%E9n%E9es%2C+France&units=. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
Related pages
Arrondissements of the Gers department
Other websites
- (French) Ville d'Auch - Official website
- (French) Office de Tourisme de Grand Auch
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