Alès

Alès, formerly Alais, city (1990 pop. 42,296), Gard dept., S France, in Languedoc, at the foot of the Cévennes Mts., on the Gardon River. Once noted for cloth and silk, its industries now focus on making machinery, electrical equipment, and hosiery. Base metals and silver are mined nearby. In the 16th cent. Alais was one of the principal centers of French Protestantism (see Huguenots). The Peace of Alais, signed there (1629), stripped the Huguenots of their political power. Several buildings date from the 17th cent.

Alès is a commune in southern France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the Gard department. It was formerly known as Alais.

Geography

Alès lies 25 m. N.N.W. of Nîmes, on the left bank of the Gardon River, which half surrounds it. It is located at the foot of the Cévennes, near the Cévennes National Park.

History

In the 16th century Alès was an important Huguenot centre. In 1629 the town was taken by Louis XIII, and by the Peace of Alais the Huguenots gave up their right to places de sûreté (garrison towns) and other privileges. A bishopric was established there in 1694 but suppressed in 1790.

Historical population: 18,987 inhabitants in 1906.

Economy

Alès is the center of a mining district and hosts the École des mines d'Alès.

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911):

"The town is one of the most important markets for raw silk and cocoons in the south of France, and the Gardon supplies power to numerous silk-mills. It is also the centre of a mineral field, which yields large quantities of coal, iron, zinc and lead; its blast-furnaces, foundries, glass-works and engineering works afford employment to many workmen."

Sights

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911):

"The streets are wide and its promenades and fine plane-trees make the town attractive; but the public buildings, the chief of which are the Saint-Jean-Baptiste cathedral, a heavy building of the 18th century, and the citadel, which serves as barracks and prison, are of small interest."

Historical scientists

"Pasteur prosecuted his investigations into the silkworm disease (pébrine and flacherie) at Alès, and the town has dedicated a bust to his memory. There is also a statue of the chemist J.B. Dumas."

Miscellaneous

Births

Alès was the birthplace of:

• Rigord (c. 1150-c. 1209), chronicler (probable birthplace)
• Jean-Baptiste Dumas (1800-1884), chemist
• Louis Leprince-Ringuet (1901-2000), physicist
• Maurice André (born 1933), trumpeter, active in the classical music field
• Laurent Blanc (born 1965), football defender

Twin towns

Alès is twinned with:

• Bílina, Czech Republic
• Kilmarnock, Scotland

References

External links

• City council website (in French)
• The Regordane Way or St Gilles Trail, which starts in Alès