La Voulte sur Rhône
- Height: 95 meters.
- Population: 5077 inhabitants
- Name of the inhabitants: Voultain (e)
La Voulte sur Rhône is the administrative center of the territorial division country, located at the entrance to the Eyrieux valley. The town is built the last rocky foothills of les Boutières’ massif on the right border of the Rhône. Its name comes from the “Voltas”, the meanderings generated by the Rhône at the feet of the rock.
- Sunrise on the bridge of Marc Seguin
- (C. Fougeirol)
The history from La Voulte sur Rhône goes back to the mists of time. Its old village characteristic of the gothic era is built around the rock, like a snail. Tangled little streets and little fitted out places lead to the church and the castle staying at the top of the rock from where you will admire the whole valley.
The strong and massive castle keeps looking over the town and the valley. Built from the 13th to the 17th century, it was one of the biggest castles in Ardèche who served the kingdom, especially when the family of Levis de Ventadour in the 16th and 17th century. The castle was burnt in 1944 by the Germans as they bate in retreat.
The history of La Voulte sur Rhône is also tied to the smelting works run by the big company “La Voulte-Terre Noire-Bessèges” in the 19th century which converted the inn’s ore extracted on the heights of the town. The high stoves found in the Baboin park recall that glorious industrial past which came to an end in 1880 with the closing of the factory. In the 20th century, companies working the textile such as weaver and Rhône Poulenc Textile (RPT, which had 1200 employees in 1960) took over from the smelting works here. Since the closing of RPT in 1981, some new companies invested the old workshops and the others set up in the newly built activities’ areas.
La Voulte sur Rhône has also a rare paleontological site called La Boissine which was classed sensible natural space and listed among the 20 essential sites of the world. The rugby team of La Voulte sur Rhône is famous well beyond the departmental borders as it won France’s championship in 1970.
Events
- Easter Monday: Jardissimo, garden’s party
- At the beginning of June: fair of the paleontology
- At the beginning of July: fair of the smelting works
- July 14th: fair and fireworks
- Wednesdays and Fridays in July and August: bandstands
- Summer: two nightly markets
- November: pig’s fair
- Friday morning: market
- Fourth Sunday of the month: flea market
The castle
- the castle by night
- (C. Fougeirol)
The Bermond d’Anduze family began to build the castle in the 14th century and Anne de Levis finished it in the 17th century. The mighty Levis family turned it into a luxurious residence. The castle became a house for beggars under Napoleon, and then it was bought later in the 19th century by the company of the smelting works and forges of Terrenoire, La Voulte, Bessèges and sheltered the headquarters of the company. The castle went through the centuries without being too much damaged until it was burnt at the end of the Second World War by the Germans and lost the last traces of its splendor. Nevertheless you’ll discover inside it a magnificent gate built along the Toscan style, the Gilbert III de Levis gate with its motto “Duris Duras Frango”, which means “I break hard things with harder ones” and of course its Chapelle des Princes listed as a historical monument of Renaissance style.
Guided tours are organized by the tourist office.
Domaine départemental de nature de « La Boissine » Site paléontologique de référence internationale (site ENS)
- Proteroctopus ribeti, octopode du Jurassique
- discovered at La Boissine in La Voulte (B. Riou)
Ce domaine, situé sur les communes de La Voulte-sur-Rhône et de Rompon a été acquis par le département de l’Ardèche en 2005 dans le cadre de sa politique en faveur des Espaces naturels sensibles. Le site de 30 ha abrite une ancienne exploitation minière d’où fut extrait durant le XIXe siècle un minerai exceptionnellement riche en fer et un gisement fossilifère qui constitue une référence sur le plan international. Les affleurements fossilifères se localisent dans les marnes argileuses qui s’intercalent entre les couches de fer le long d’une faille géologique. Une étude a permis de mettre en évidence la présence de 16 habitats différents sur le site fossilifère et ses environs. Parmi eux, les faciès à Genevrier oxycèdre du Fourré à Viorne thym et Buis relèvent de la directive « Habitats » au titre des Matorrals arborescents à Juniperus SP. La faune est également riche : le nombre d’espèces relevant de mesures de protections est important, par exemple 39 espèces relèvent de protections internationales.
Un ensemble d’études naturalistes et géologiques pour faire un état des lieux précis du Domaine départemental de nature de La Boissine est en cours. Sur le plan paléontologique, le gisement de La Boissine est probablement un des rares sites au niveau international sinon le seul, à renfermer une faune jurassique de milieu marin profond apportant ainsi des informations clés et inédites sur la biodiversité des grandes profondeurs à l’époque Jurassique. Le Conseil général de l’Ardèche s’est donné comme objectifs de protéger ce patrimoine géologique unique, d’améliorer sa connaissance scientifique, et de l’ouvrir de façon maîtrisée au public, visites encadrées, ateliers pédagogiques… Des animations pédagogiques et un sentier géologique sont prévus dès 2011, puis une « maison du site » pour mettre en valeur ces richesses exceptionnelles. Actuellement le site est ouvert au public seulement dans le cadre de journées particulières : journées de la paléontologie (premier dimanche du mois de juin), journées du patrimoine (en septembre), fête de la science.