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Millau
General view of Millau
Millau
Administration
Country	France
Region	Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Aveyron
Arrondissement	Millau
Canton	Millau-Est and Millau-Ouest
Mayor	Guy Durand (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	340–888 m (1,120–2,913 ft) (avg. 379 m or 1,243 ft)
Land area1	168.23 km2 (64.95 sq mi)
Population2	21,943  (2008)
- Density	130 /km2 (340 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	12145/ 12100
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.

Coordinates: 44°05′55″N 3°04′42″E / 44.0986°N 3.0783°E / 44.0986; 3.0783

Millau (Occitan: Milhau, primarily spelled Milhaud in French) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers.

History [link]

By the 1st century AD there was a settlement on the spot, identified by Dieudonne du Rey late in the 19th century as Condatomagus, which was the major earthenware centre in the Roman Empire, La Graufesenque.

This major Roman site supplied most of the best pottery right across the Roman Empire for 150 years. It was not in the centre of the town but sat on the right bank of the River Tarn 800 metres (2,600 ft) away.

Yet even today, with much major new development, the centre of the old Roman and medieval town on the opposite (left) bank of the Tarn remains poorly excavated, and the newly renovated Maison du Peuple, almost on the site of the old Roman forum, saw no archaeology before major mechanical excavation for recent new very deep foundations.

Surprisingly, the local museum sits almost adjacent to this site.

In the Middle Ages the town had one of the major mediaeval bridges across the River Tarn. With 17 spans, if it were still standing it would be a major monument; but one poorly maintained span fell in the 18th century, and so the bridge was mostly demolished.

Just one span remains, with a mill, now an art gallery, as testament to this significant trading route from north to south across pre-Renaissance France.

In 1999, José Bové, a local Larzac anti-globalisation activist demolished the Millau McDonalds as it was being built, in symbolic protest of the spread of fast food, Americanization, and the spread of 'Genetically Modified Organisms/crops' (GMO).

The McDonalds was later rebuilt, and Bové received a Presidential pardon from then French President Jacques Chirac.

In the 21st century, clear of traffic jams, the town is a tourist centre with one of the largest touring campsites in central France, and it is a major centre for sporting activity.

Administration [link]

Millau is a sub-prefecture of the Aveyron department in the Midi-Pyrénées region.

Transportation [link]

The Millau Viaduct, the tallest cable-stayed road bridge in the world, which carries the A75 autoroute across the valley of the River Tarn near Millau, relieves the town of much traffic, especially during the summer months.

Necklace from the Bronze Age - Dolmens de Peyrolevado, Millau – Muséum de Toulouse

Economy [link]

The town is best known for its sheepskin gloves, for which it led the French fashion industry for two centuries.

Tourism [link]

• The glove museum
• The Jardin botanique des Causses, a botanical garden
• The Place du Maréchal Foch, a square with 12th century arcades, one of which carries the inscription Gara qué faras or Watch what you are doing
• Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Espinasse. This church allegedly once possessed a part of the Crown of Thorns, making it an important pilgrimage centre in the Middle Ages. The church was destroyed in 1582 but rebuilt in the 17th century. The frescoes from 1939 are by Jean Bernard, the stained-glass windows from 1984 by Claude Baillon.
• The Passage du Pozous is a 13th century fortified gateway
• The Belfry, a 12th century square tower topped by an octagonal 17th century tower on the place Emma Calvé
• Millau is the main centre in France for paragliding
• Micropolis; the city of insects, is at nearby Saint-Léons
• The medieval walled Knights Templar town of La Couvertoirade is nearby
• The nearby underground caves for Roquefort cheese production

Population [link]

International relations [link]

Millau is twinned with Bridlington in England.

In fiction [link]

Part of Ian McEwan's award-winning novel "Atonement" (2001) centers on Briony Tallis, a nurse in a London hospital in June 1940, to which wounded British and French soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk were brought. In a poignant passage, she is comforting Luc Cornet, a young soldier from Millau who is dying of severe head wounds. In his delirium he talks of the town, of his family and his father's boulangerie where he worked, and mistakes Tallis for his own fiancee.

After he dies, Tallis for a moment imagines the life she might have had if Luc had survived and if she had married him and come to live with him in Millau:

"She imagined the unavailable future - the boulangerie in a narrow shady street swarming with skinny cats, piano music from an upstairs window, her giggling sisters-in-law teasing her about her accent, and Luc Cornet loving her in his eager way. She wanted to cry for him, and for his family in Millau who would be waiting to hear news from him. But she couldn't feel a thing. She was empty."

See also [link]

• List of medieval bridges in France
• Communes of the Aveyron department

References [link]

• INSEE

External links [link]

• Millau city council website (in French)
• Tourist office website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Millau

v t e Communes of the Aveyron department Agen-d'Aveyron Aguessac Les Albres Almont-les-Junies Alpuech Alrance Ambeyrac Anglars-Saint-Félix Arnac-sur-Dourdou Arques Arvieu Asprières Aubin Aurelle-Verlac Auriac-Lagast Auzits Ayssènes Balaguier-d'Olt Balaguier-sur-Rance Balsac Baraqueville La Bastide-l'Évêque La Bastide-Pradines La Bastide-Solages Belcastel Belmont-sur-Rance Bertholène Bessuéjouls Boisse-Penchot Bor-et-Bar Bouillac Bournazel Boussac Bozouls Brandonnet Brasc Brommat Broquiès Brousse-le-Château Brusque Buzeins Cabanès Calmels-et-le-Viala Calmont Camarès Camboulazet Camjac Campagnac Campouriez Campuac Canet-de-Salars Cantoin Capdenac-Gare La Capelle-Balaguier La Capelle-Bleys La Capelle-Bonance Cassagnes-Bégonhès Cassuéjouls Castanet Castelmary Castelnau-de-Mandailles Castelnau-Pégayrols Causse-et-Diège La Cavalerie Le Cayrol Centrès Clairvaux-d'Aveyron Le Clapier Colombiès Combret Compeyre Compolibat Comprégnac Comps-la-Grand-Ville Condom-d'Aubrac Connac Conques Cornus Les Costes-Gozon Coubisou Coupiac Coussergues La Couvertoirade Cransac Creissels Crespin La Cresse Cruéjouls Curan Curières Decazeville Druelle Drulhe Durenque Entraygues-sur-Truyère Escandolières Espalion Espeyrac Estaing Fayet Le Fel Firmi Flagnac Flavin Florentin-la-Capelle Foissac Fondamente La Fouillade Gabriac Gaillac-d'Aveyron Galgan Gissac Golinhac Goutrens Graissac Gramond Grand-Vabre L'Hospitalet-du-Larzac Huparlac Lacalm Lacroix-Barrez Laguiole Laissac Lanuéjouls Lapanouse Lapanouse-de-Cernon Lassouts Laval-Roquecezière Lavernhe Lédergues Lescure-Jaoul Lestrade-et-Thouels Livinhac-le-Haut La Loubière Luc-la-Primaube Lugan Lunac Maleville Manhac Marcillac-Vallon Marnhagues-et-Latour Martiel Martrin Mayran Mélagues Meljac Millau Le Monastère Montagnol Montbazens Montclar Monteils Montézic Montfranc Montjaux Montlaur Montpeyroux Montrozier Montsalès Morlhon-le-Haut Mostuéjouls Mounes-Prohencoux Mouret Moyrazès Murasson Mur-de-Barrez Muret-le-Château Murols Najac Nant Naucelle Naussac Nauviale Le Nayrac Noailhac Olemps Ols-et-Rinhodes Onet-le-Château Palmas Paulhe Peux-et-Couffouleux Peyreleau Peyrusse-le-Roc Pierrefiche Plaisance Pomayrols Pont-de-Salars Pousthomy Prades-d'Aubrac Prades-Salars Pradinas Prévinquières Privezac Pruines Quins Rebourguil Recoules-Prévinquières Réquista Rieupeyroux Rignac Rivière-sur-Tarn Rodelle Rodez Roquefort-sur-Soulzon La Roque-Sainte-Marguerite La Rouquette Roussennac Rullac-Saint-Cirq Saint-Affrique Saint-Amans-des-Cots Saint-André-de-Najac Saint-André-de-Vézines Saint-Beaulize Saint-Beauzély Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac Saint-Christophe-Vallon Saint-Côme-d'Olt Saint-Cyprien-sur-Dourdou Sainte-Croix Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt Sainte-Geneviève-sur-Argence Sainte-Juliette-sur-Viaur Sainte-Radegonde Saint-Félix-de-Lunel Saint-Félix-de-Sorgues Saint-Geniez-d'Olt Saint-Georges-de-Luzençon Saint-Hippolyte Saint-Igest Saint-Izaire Saint-Jean-d'Alcapiès Saint-Jean-Delnous Saint-Jean-du-Bruel Saint-Jean-et-Saint-Paul Saint-Juéry Saint-Just-sur-Viaur Saint-Laurent-de-Lévézou Saint-Laurent-d'Olt Saint-Léons Saint-Martin-de-Lenne Saint-Parthem Saint-Rémy Saint-Rome-de-Cernon Saint-Rome-de-Tarn Saint-Salvadou Saint-Santin Saint-Saturnin-de-Lenne Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance Saint-Sever-du-Moustier Saint-Symphorien-de-Thénières Saint-Victor-et-Melvieu Salles-Courbatiès Salles-Curan Salles-la-Source Salmiech Salvagnac-Cajarc La Salvetat-Peyralès Sanvensa Sauclières Saujac Sauveterre-de-Rouergue Savignac Sébazac-Concourès Sébrazac Ségur La Selve Sénergues La Serre Sévérac-le-Château Sévérac-l'Église Sonnac Soulages-Bonneval Sylvanès Tauriac-de-Camarès Tauriac-de-Naucelle Taussac Tayrac La Terrisse Thérondels Toulonjac Tournemire Trémouilles Le Truel Vabres-l'Abbaye Vabre-Tizac Vailhourles Valady Valzergues Vaureilles Verrières Versols-et-Lapeyre Veyreau Vézins-de-Lévézou Viala-du-Pas-de-Jaux Viala-du-Tarn Le Vibal Villecomtal Villefranche-de-Panat Villefranche-de-Rouergue Villeneuve Vimenet Vitrac-en-Viadène Viviez