Barjac, Gard
Encyclopedia
Barjac is a commune
in the Gard
department in southern France
.
The valley of the river Cèze
lies to the south, and the river Ardèche
is 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north.
Barjac is a Renaissance
town. The old city centre retains ancient narrow streets, squares and houses of that time. The chateau of the Counts of the Roure
, with its stone courtyard,
once called the "Citadel", has been rebuilt several times from the twelfth century. This imposing edifice now features a library in the former stables, and a cinema in the old kitchens. The chateau is the venue for the festival "Chansons de Paroles" (Songs and Words) held annually in late July.
The contemporary German artist Anselm Kiefer
has had his studio, called the Ribaute, in Barjac since 1993 in a former industrial wasteland of 35 hectares.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The valley of the river Cèze
Cèze
The Cèze is a French river, a tributary of the Rhone. It runs through the departments of Lozère and Gard in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Its source is in the Cévennes mountains, near Saint-André-Capcèze...
lies to the south, and the river Ardèche
Ardèche River
The Ardèche is a 125 km long river in south-central France, a right-bank tributary of the Rhône River. Its source is in the Massif Central, near the village of Astet. It flows into the Rhône near Pont-Saint-Esprit, north-west of Orange...
is 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north.
Barjac is a Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
town. The old city centre retains ancient narrow streets, squares and houses of that time. The chateau of the Counts of the Roure
Roure
Roure is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, with its stone courtyard,
once called the "Citadel", has been rebuilt several times from the twelfth century. This imposing edifice now features a library in the former stables, and a cinema in the old kitchens. The chateau is the venue for the festival "Chansons de Paroles" (Songs and Words) held annually in late July.
The contemporary German artist Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Joseph Beuys and Peter Dreher during the 1970s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac...
has had his studio, called the Ribaute, in Barjac since 1993 in a former industrial wasteland of 35 hectares.