Le Lioran
Encyclopedia
Le Lioran is a small mountain resort
in the heart of continental France
. It consists of the original settlement of Le Lioran in the valley
bottom as well as the settlements of Prairie de Sagnes, Font d'Alagon, Font de Cère, and Prat du Bouc, all of which are geared towards the mountain tourism
market. One of the few remaining resorts in central France
, it has grown to become one of the biggest and most advanced resorts in the Massif Central
. There is a wide range of sport
ing and leisure
activities on offer in addition to the more traditional winter sports and the wealth of lodging
and other services available. There is a heavy emphasis on the all year round nature of the resort, although, inevitably, the resort is busiest in the winter
season.
it is administratively located in the commune
of Laveissière
, the canton
of Murat
, the arrondissement
of Saint-Flour
, the département of Cantal
, and the région
of Auvergne
. However, the village of Prat du Bouc is located in the commune
of Albepierre-Bredons
, but shares the same upwards administrative chain as the other settlements.
, with skiing appearing in the area around the beginning of the 20th century, although the area became forgotten during World War II
. Afterwards interest in the sport in the area resurfaced, possibly owing to the influence of the British
. The first lift to be constructed at the resort was the Téléski Débrayable de Massebœuf, a single place detachable button lift built by one of the residents in 1947. This lift continued to operate until 1984 when it was replaced by a three place fixed chair lift. The next lift to be built was the Téléski Débrayable de la Gare, built in 1965, to provide a link between the railway station in the valley
bottom and Prairie de Sagnes further up the mountain
, it is still running today.
As the end of the 1950s approached, Hector Peschaud, the sénateur and président of the conseil général at the time proposed the idea of constructing a resort on the site of Prairie de Sagnes. The département of Cantal
put out a tender for architects and mountain developers to build a resort on the site. This prompted a major contributor to the development of the resort with the construction of the Téléphérique du Plomb du Cantal, an eighty place cable car
, completed in 1967 with the aid of, and inaugurated by, locally born Georges Pompidou
who would shortly succeed Charles de Gaulle
as President of France. From then on, development at the resort snowballed.
Mountain resort
A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in a mountainous area. The term includes ski resorts, where winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing and ice skating are practiced, as well as places where summer activities such as mountain biking, mountain boarding,...
in the heart of continental 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...
. It consists of the original settlement of Le Lioran in the valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
bottom as well as the settlements of Prairie de Sagnes, Font d'Alagon, Font de Cère, and Prat du Bouc, all of which are geared towards the mountain tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
market. One of the few remaining resorts in central 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...
, it has grown to become one of the biggest and most advanced resorts in the Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
. There is a wide range of sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
ing and leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
activities on offer in addition to the more traditional winter sports and the wealth of lodging
Lodging
Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no...
and other services available. There is a heavy emphasis on the all year round nature of the resort, although, inevitably, the resort is busiest in the winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
season.
Geography
Within FranceFrance
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...
it is administratively located in the commune
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...
of Laveissière
Laveissière
Laveissière is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.-Population:-References:*...
, the canton
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of Murat
Murat, Cantal
Murat is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south-central France.-Geography:Murat is situated in the valley of the Alagnon, a tributary of the Allier.-Population:-Administration:This is a list of mayors of Murat....
, the arrondissement
Arrondissements of France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts.The capital of an arrondissement/district is called a subprefecture...
of Saint-Flour
Saint-Flour, Cantal
Saint-Flour is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south-central France. Its inhabitants are called Sanflorains.-Geography:...
, the département of Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
, and the région
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
. However, the village of Prat du Bouc is located in the commune
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...
of Albepierre-Bredons
Albepierre-Bredons
Albepierre-Bredons is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.-Population:-References:*...
, but shares the same upwards administrative chain as the other settlements.
History
The resort is among the newest within the Massif CentralMassif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
, with skiing appearing in the area around the beginning of the 20th century, although the area became forgotten during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Afterwards interest in the sport in the area resurfaced, possibly owing to the influence of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The first lift to be constructed at the resort was the Téléski Débrayable de Massebœuf, a single place detachable button lift built by one of the residents in 1947. This lift continued to operate until 1984 when it was replaced by a three place fixed chair lift. The next lift to be built was the Téléski Débrayable de la Gare, built in 1965, to provide a link between the railway station in the valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
bottom and Prairie de Sagnes further up the mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
, it is still running today.
As the end of the 1950s approached, Hector Peschaud, the sénateur and président of the conseil général at the time proposed the idea of constructing a resort on the site of Prairie de Sagnes. The département of Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
put out a tender for architects and mountain developers to build a resort on the site. This prompted a major contributor to the development of the resort with the construction of the Téléphérique du Plomb du Cantal, an eighty place cable car
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
, completed in 1967 with the aid of, and inaugurated by, locally born Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
who would shortly succeed Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
as President of France. From then on, development at the resort snowballed.