Nontron

Nontron (French: [nɔ̃.tʁɔ̃] ; Occitan: Nontronh) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.

History

According to the historian Ribault de Laugardière, the name Nontron derives from the Tyrian language, from Nata (valley) and Dun (mountain). Over time, the placename has been spelt Natadun, Nattun, Nantrun and Nontroun, before the current Nontron.

The town has probably existed for around 1100 years and has been invaded or sacked several times, including by Saracens in the seventh century and by Normans in the ninth century. In the eighth century, a Gallo-Roman castrum was built for the counts of Limoges and the Poitevin abbey of Charroux.

Over the course of the centuries, the town changed hands several time until, after the French Revolution it became a subprefecture of the department of the Dordogne. The town's railway station served passengers between 1891 and 1946, continuing to handle freight until 1970.

Population

See also

Canton of Nontron

The Canton of Nontron is a former canton of the Dordogne département, in France. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. It consisted of 8 communes, which joined the canton of Périgord Vert Nontronnais in 2015.

The lowest point is 115 m in the commune of Javerlhac-et-la-Chapelle-Saint-Robert, the highest point is in Abjat-sur-Bandiat at 355 m, the average elevation is 197 m. The least populated commune is Connezac with 82 and the most populated commune is Nontron with 3,500.

Communes of Nontron

Population history

References

See also

External links

Coordinates: 45°33′N 0°39′E / 45.550°N 0.650°E / 45.550; 0.650