Bugarach
Encyclopedia
Bugarach is a commune
in the Aude
department in southern France
.
, a 1230 metres (4,035.4 ft) mountain peak and the highest summit in the Corbières
mountains. The peak is also called the "upside down mountain" as the top layers of rock are older than the lower layers due to uplift of the Pyrenees.
It is also located on the Green Meridian
.
In the 1960s and 70s it became popular with the hippie
movement. Later in the 20th century it became popular with New Age
followers who believed the "upside down mountain" had mystical powers, spreading to the belief that the village would be spared in the 2012 apocalypse. In 2011, the number of visitors doubled to over 20,000 and France's sect watchdog, Miviludes
, placed the village under scrutiny due to concern over possible mass suicides.
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 Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
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...
.
Geography
Bugarach is at the foot of Pic de BugarachPic de Bugarach
The Pic de Bugarach or Pech de Bugarach is the highest summit in the Corbières mountains in the French Midi....
, a 1230 metres (4,035.4 ft) mountain peak and the highest summit in the Corbières
Corbières (mountains)
The Corbières is a mountain range in the Pre-Pyrenees.-Geography:The Corbières are a mountain region in the Languedoc-Roussillon in southwestern France, located in the departements of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales....
mountains. The peak is also called the "upside down mountain" as the top layers of rock are older than the lower layers due to uplift of the Pyrenees.
It is also located on the Green Meridian
Méridienne verte
The Méridienne verte is a project devised by the architect Paul Chemetov for the 2000 celebration in France. It involved marking on the ground the Paris Meridian crossing France from North to South by planting trees along the whole line.On 14 July 2000, a picnic...
.
History
There are records of permanent settlement at Bugarach dating back to the 13th century. In the 18th century the village became known for manufacturing wooden tools and hats.In the 1960s and 70s it became popular with the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
movement. Later in the 20th century it became popular with New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
followers who believed the "upside down mountain" had mystical powers, spreading to the belief that the village would be spared in the 2012 apocalypse. In 2011, the number of visitors doubled to over 20,000 and France's sect watchdog, Miviludes
MIVILUDES
MIVILUDES , a French government agency, has the task of:* observing and analyzing movements perceived as constituting a threat to public order or that violate French law*...
, placed the village under scrutiny due to concern over possible mass suicides.