Tarn (Department, France): Intermunicipal Authorities

Last modified: 2021-07-04 by ivan sache
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• France
• Tarn (Department, France)
• France: Intermunicipal Authorities

Communautés d'agglomération

Gaillac Graulhet Agglomération

Flag of Gaillac Graulhet Agglomération - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 27 March 2021

Gaillac Graulhet Agglomération (61 municipalities; 74,203 inhabitants in 2018; 118,030 ha) was created in 2017 as the merger of the former Communauté de communes du Pays rabastinois, Communauté de communes Tarn et Dadou, and Communauté de communes Vère-Grésigne-Pays Salvagnacois.

The flag of Gaillac Graulhet Agglomération (photo) is white with the authority's logo, which features three main elements:
- a tanned skin, representing Graulhet;
- architectural elements from a bastide;
- grapes representing Gaillac.

Tannery has been shaping the development of the town of Graulhet on the banks of river Dadou since the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, wool production thrived in the neighboring town of Mazamet, The by-product known as "cuirot" (raw skin) was tanned in Graulhet with plant extracts to product highly-prized "basane". Industrialization of the production fostered the development of the town; in the 1950s, 116 factories were registered, employing 3,200 workers. The tanneries were progressively relocated from the downtown to peripheral business parks. Just before the outbreak of the First World War, Clément de Pémille pushed the development of fine leather work, mostly employing women.
Tannery, which had declined in the second half of the 20th century, mostly because of international competition, re-emerged, combining the revival of historical local skills and innovations, such as the production of stretch leather. There are now 80 registered companies employing 650 workers. Most of them are members of the Cuir de Graulhet network established in 2017 and owner of the Graulhet Le Cuir brand (website). Six of them have been granted the official EPV (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant - Living Heritage Enterprise)label by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The tanned animal skin is also the emblem of Sporting Club graulhetois, the local rugby club. The club was semifinalist of the French championship in 1957, 1966, 1967 and 1986, and was undefeated at home for 48 matches in a row (November 1978 - September 1984).

Bastides are towns established in the South-West of France between the end of the Albigensian Crusade (1222) and the onset of the Hundred Years' War (1373). Some 500 bastides were established with a grid layout of intersecting streets arranged around a central, market square surrounded by arcades. Established in peace time, the bastides were not protected but most of them were subsequently surrounded by walls.
Among the 61 municipalities forming Gaillac Graulhet Agglomération, Beauvais-sur-Tescou, Brens, Briatexte, Castelnau-de-Montmiral, Florentin, Labastide-de-Lévis, Labessière-Candeil, Lisle-sur-Tarn, Saint-Gauzens, Saint-Urcisse, and Técou were founded as bastides.

Gaillac is self-styled the capital of the oldest vineyard (6,800 ha) in the South-West of France (website). Two-thirds of this area are dedicated to the production of red (174,350 hl per year, ~ 23 million bottles) and rosé (45,078 hl per year, ~ 6 million bottles) wines, mostly from Braucol / Fer Servadou (22%), Duras (17%), Syrah (17%) and Gamay (17%) types of grapevines. The remaining third is dedicated to the production of white wines (68,039 hl per year, ~ 9 million bottles), mostly from Loin de l'Œil / Len de l'El (30%) , Mauzac (31%) and Sauvignon (22%) types of grapevines.
Slightly less than 50% of the production is sold under two protected designations of origin (AOP): Gaillac (white, sweet white, sparkling, rosé and red wines) and Gaillac Premières Côtes (white wines); the other half is sold under the protected geographic designation (IGP) Côtes du Tarn (white, sweet white, rosé and red wines). This represents 300 wine-growing farms, 120 private cellars and two cooperative cellars. Organic wine-growing represents 16% of the vineyard, that is, 80 farms.
The production area is divided into six "terroirs" forming three adjacent big patches: Plateau cordais and Right bank (located north of river Tarn), and Left bank (located south of river Tarn), and three isolated smaller patches, Cunac nucleus, Cabanès zone and Lavaur zone.

Olivier Touzeau & Ivan Sache, 28 March 2021

Communautés de communes

Communauté de commune du Sor et de l'Agout

Flag of the Communauté de commune du Sor et de l'Agout - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 4 January 2020

The Communauté de communes du Sor et de l'Agout (22,728 inhabitants in 2015; 27,240 ha) was created in 1999, succeeding the District de communes Sor et Agout formed by Saïx, Cambounet-sur-le-Sor, Escoussens, Lescout, Saint-Affrique-les-Montagnes, Sémalens, Soual, Verdalle, and Viviers-lès-Montagnes.
On 31 December 2010 the Communauté de communes du Pays de Dourgne was dissolved and 4 of its former members (Dourgne, Lagardiolle, Massaguel and Saint-Avit) joined the Communauté de communes du Sor et de l'Agout.
On 31 December 2012 the Communauté de communes du Pays de Cocagne was dissolved and its 13 members (Puylaurens, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Cuq-Toulza, Cambon-lès-Lavaur, Algans, Aguts, Maurens-Scopont, Péchaudier, Lacroisille, Saint-Sernin-lès-Lavaur, Appelle, Bertre and Mouzens) joined the Communauté de communes du Sor et de l'Agout.

Olivier Touzeau, 4 January 2020

Former intermunicipal authorities

Communautés de communes Tarn et Dadou

Flag of Tarn et Dadou, two siccessive versions - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 27 March 2021

Tarn et Dadou (51,326 inhabitants in 2013; 58,290 ha) included the towns of Gaillac and Graullhet. The flag of Tarn et Dadou (photo, video) was white with eelemtns derived from the authority's logo adopted in 2011. A former flag (photo, photo) was white with the authrotiy's former logo.

Olivier Touzeau, 27 March 2021