Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via
Commune in Occitania, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃ ʁɔmø ɔdɛjo vja] ⓘ; Catalan: Font-romeu, Odelló i Vià), or simply Odeillo, is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales and Cerdagne near the Spanish border in the south of France.[3] It comprises the villages of Odeillo and Via, as well as Font-Romeu, one of the oldest ski resorts in France and the oldest in the Pyrenees.
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via | |
|---|---|
Church of St. Martin in Odeillo | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via | |
  Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via  Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via | |
| Coordinates: 42°29′54″N 2°02′05″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Pyrénées-Orientales |
| Arrondissement | Prades |
| Canton | Les Pyrénées catalanes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Alain Luneau[1] |
Area 1 | 29.60 km2 (11.43 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 1,762 |
| • Density | 59.53/km2 (154.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 66124 /66120 |
| Elevation | 1,312–2,212 m (4,304–7,257 ft) (avg. 1,800 m or 5,900 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Geography
Localization
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via is located in the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes and in the arrondissement of Prades. It is bordered by the communes of Angoustrine-Villeneuve-des-Escaldes, Targasonne, Égat, Estavar, Saillagouse, Eyne and Bolquère.
Transportation
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via station is served by the Yellow Train line, a railway which runs from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol.
Toponymy
History
Odeillo and Via were both mentioned for the first time in 839 among the places paying a fee to La Seu d'Urgell church. Nevertheless, Odeillo was at the time part of the County of Cerdanya, while Via was a property of the Urg family.[4]
On 15 July 1035, Wifred II, Count of Cerdanya, gave Odeillo to the Abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou, where he retired himself a short time before his death. The Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa also owned a few allods in Odeillo, as recognized by a papal bull from Sergius IV in 1011.[4]
Via remained a property of the Urg family until the 13th century. It was then bought by Peter of Fenouillet, viscount of Fenouillet and then viscount of Ille.[4]
A chapel was mentioned for the first time in Font-Romeu in 1525, on the territory of Odeillo. It already hosted a statue of the Virgin Mary from the 13th century, and a hermitage was built from 1693 to receive the pilgrims.[4]
Odeillo and Via both became communes in 1790. The commune of Via was abolished and included into Odeillo on 10 July 1822.[5]
In 1881, a wildfire caused by arson spread throughout 267 hectares of the forest of La Calme in the north of the commune.[6]
Demography
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1,857 | — |
| 1975 | 2,098 | +1.76% |
| 1982 | 2,150 | +0.35% |
| 1990 | 1,857 | −1.81% |
| 1999 | 2,003 | +0.84% |
| 2007 | 1,992 | −0.07% |
| 2012 | 1,843 | −1.54% |
| 2017 | 1,928 | +0.91% |
| Source: INSEE[7] | ||
Solar power
- The world's largest solar furnace in Odeillo can reach temperatures of 3,500 °C (6,330 °F).
- THEMIS Solar Power R&D center is 3 km (1.9 mi) away in the village of Targasonne.
