Goust
Encyclopedia
Goust is a hamlet in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
department
of southwestern France
. For centuries it was governed as an independent republic, and was never formally annexed by France. Noted for its centenarians, one pensioner was reported to have reached the age of 123.
of Laruns
. It occupies one square mile on a plateau at the southern (upper) end of the valley of the Gave d'Ossau
in the Western Pyrenees
, across the river from Eaux-Chaudes
. At an elevation
of 995 m/3264 ft, it is accessible only by a narrow mountain footpath across the Pont d'Enfer ("Bridge of Hell"). The nearest town is Laruns in the valley below.
The community is made up of 10-12 households, with a population fluctuating between 50 and 150 residents. The traditional economy was based on animal husbandry, wool, and silk production, augmented more recently by tourism. All baptisms, weddings, and burials are performed at the Catholic Church in Laruns.
Due to its isolated situation, the inhabitants of Goust have evolved a curious funeral custom: the deceased is placed in a coffin and sent down the mountainside via a specially-constructed chute, to be collected at the bottom for burial in the Laruns cemetery.
and Spain
only in 1648. The government consisted of a Council of Ancients composed of three to twelve citizens, who elected a President for a term of five years.
In 1896 the president proclaimed a ban on publication of any newspaper without executive authorization, which led to an uprising of the citizens.
Although never formally annexed, Goust has not recently asserted its claim to independence, so is generally considered a part of France.
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...
department
Départements of France
The departments of France are French administrative divisions. The 101 departments form one of the three levels of local government, together with the 22 metropolitan and 5 overseas regions above them and more than 36 000 communes beneath them...
of southwestern 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...
. For centuries it was governed as an independent republic, and was never formally annexed by France. Noted for its centenarians, one pensioner was reported to have reached the age of 123.
Geography
Goust is located on the territory of the communeCommunes 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...
of Laruns
Laruns
Laruns is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is situated at the confluence of two mountain streams, the Gave d'Ossau and its tributary, the Valentin....
. It occupies one square mile on a plateau at the southern (upper) end of the valley of the Gave d'Ossau
Gave d'Ossau
The Gave d'Ossau is the torrential river flowing through the Ossau Valley, one of the three main valleys of the High-Béarn , in the Southwest of France....
in the Western Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, across the river from Eaux-Chaudes
Eaux-Chaudes
Eaux-Chaudes is a spa in the valley of the Gave d'Ossau in the French Pyrenees. The village is located beside the river, at the southern entrance to the Gorge du Hourat. It is separated from the spa town of Eaux-Bonnes by the Massif du Gourzy....
. At an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 995 m/3264 ft, it is accessible only by a narrow mountain footpath across the Pont d'Enfer ("Bridge of Hell"). The nearest town is Laruns in the valley below.
The community is made up of 10-12 households, with a population fluctuating between 50 and 150 residents. The traditional economy was based on animal husbandry, wool, and silk production, augmented more recently by tourism. All baptisms, weddings, and burials are performed at the Catholic Church in Laruns.
Due to its isolated situation, the inhabitants of Goust have evolved a curious funeral custom: the deceased is placed in a coffin and sent down the mountainside via a specially-constructed chute, to be collected at the bottom for burial in the Laruns cemetery.
History
Although self-governing for centuries, Goust's independence was recognized by FranceEarly Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
only in 1648. The government consisted of a Council of Ancients composed of three to twelve citizens, who elected a President for a term of five years.
In 1896 the president proclaimed a ban on publication of any newspaper without executive authorization, which led to an uprising of the citizens.
Although never formally annexed, Goust has not recently asserted its claim to independence, so is generally considered a part of France.
See also
- List of extinct states
- List of historical unrecognized countries
- Former countries in Europe after 1815Former countries in Europe after 1815This article gives a detailed listing of all the countries, , that have existed in Europe since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the present day...
- Longevity claimsLongevity claimsLongevity claims assert extreme human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarian. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence...
Further reading
- Despourrins, Cyprien (1844), Itinéraire de Pau aux Eaux-Bonnes et aux Eaux-Chaudes. Imprimerie de È. Vignancour.
- Moreau, Adolphe (1863), Pau, Eaux-Bonnes, Eaux-Chaudes: bains, séjour, excursions, pp. 300–304.
- Palassou, Pierre Bernard (1815), Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire naturelle des Pyrénées et des pays adjacents, p. 22.
- Perret, Paul (1882), Les Pyrénées françaises, vol. 2: Le Pays Basque et la Basse-Navarre, pp. 390–391.
- Robb, GrahamGraham RobbGraham Macdonald Robb FRSL is a British author.Robb was born in Manchester and educated at the Royal Grammar School Worcester and Exeter College, Oxford, where he studied Modern Languages...
(2007), The Discovery of FranceThe Discovery of FranceThe Discovery of France: A Historical Geography, from the Revolution to the First World War is a book by Graham Robb. It was published in the United Kingdom by Picador in September 2007 and in the United States by W. W. Norton and Company in October 2007...
, pp. 19–21. - Vivien de Saint-Martin, Louis (1875 ff), Nouveau Dictionnaire de Géographie Universelle, vol 2, p. 511.
- Walsh, William S. (1913) A Handy Book of Curious Information, J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. pp. 732–733.