Mazamet

Mazamet (Languedocien: Masamet) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.

Mazamet
Commune
Panorama of Mazamet
Coat of arms
Location of Mazamet
Mazamet
Mazamet
Coordinates: 43°29′34″N 2°22′27″E
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentTarn
ArrondissementCastres
CantonMazamet-1 and Mazamet-2 Vallée du Thoré
IntercommunalityCastres–Mazamet
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Olivier Fabre
Area
1
72.08 km2 (27.83 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
10,013
 • Density140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
81163 /81200
Elevation213–1,176 m (699–3,858 ft)
(avg. 241 m or 791 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolitan area.

Location

Mazamet is situated on the northern slope of the Montagne Noire and on the Arnette, a small tributary of the Thoré, which forms the commune's northern border.

Economy

The town made its wealth during the 18th & 19th century when it was the world centre of the wool industry. At its height, the town imported more than 100,000 tonnes of wool annual from the Southern Hemisphere. After processing, numerous establishments were involved in wool-spinning and in the manufacture of leather goods, gloves, blankets, hosiery and clothing for troops. While the vast majority of Mazamet's wool industry ended in the early 1990s, the town still has a residual high-end leather industry with leather being purchased by a number of Paris & London fashion houses.

Today, Mazamet is known for tourism, thanks to its natural setting at the foothills of the Montagne Noire mountain range and being close to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Albi, Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi.

The town has a 65 km (40 mi) cycle path, plus numerous other cycling + walking routes.

Notable people

Tour de France

Mazamet was the start for Stage 14 in the 2007 Tour de France, finishing on the top of Plateau de Beille. The stage was won by Alberto Contador, who later went on to win the Tour. In 2018, Mazamet welcomed the race once again as it passed through on route to Carcassonne.

Twin towns

Mazamet is twinned with:

See also

References
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mazamet". Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 939.

Notes
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. "Rybnik Official Website - Twin Towns". Urząd Miasta Rybnika. 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
Map of Mazamet and its surrounding communes
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