Massiac
Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Massiac (French pronunciation: [masjak] ⓘ; Occitan: Maciac) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.
Massiac | |
|---|---|
 Massiac seen from the Alagnonnette valley | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Massiac | |
  Massiac  Massiac | |
| Coordinates: 45°15′07″N 3°11′53″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Cantal |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Flour |
| Canton | Saint-Flour-1 |
| Intercommunality | Hautes Terres |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Didier Achalme[1] |
Area 1 | 34.78 km2 (13.43 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 1,796 |
| • Density | 51.64/km2 (133.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 15119 /15500 |
| Elevation | 511–1,005 m (1,677–3,297 ft) (avg. 540 m or 1,770 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 1,741 | — |
| 1968 | 1,756 | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 1,884 | +7.3% |
| 1982 | 1,838 | −2.4% |
| 1990 | 1,881 | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 1,857 | −1.3% |
| 2008 | 1,833 | −1.3% |
Local history
In the 17th century, Massiac was ruled by the feudal lord Gaspard d'Espinchal, a notorious murderer, kidnapper, and nobleman who was pursued and prosecuted by the Riom Court of Justice during the 1665-6 "Grands Jours", a national inquest into criminality in the Auvergne highlands.[3] Historians have described him as a "real-life Dracula."[4]
