Le Vigan is a 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...

 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...

. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.

Geography

Le Vigan is located at the south of the Massif Central

Massif Central

The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....

 and near the Mont Aigoual

Mont Aigoual

Mont Aigoual is the highest point of the Gard département, France. It is part of the Massif Central, and it is located within the Cévennes National Park....

, in the Arre valley.

Population

Economy

As with many towns in the Cévennes

Cévennes

The Cévennes are a range of mountains in south-central France, covering parts of the départements of Gard, Lozère, Ardèche, and Haute-Loire.The word Cévennes comes from the Gaulish Cebenna, which was Latinized by Julius Caesar to Cevenna...

, there were many textile industries there in the past. Several quarries

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

 south of town above Montdardier

Montdardier

Montdardier is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-Sights:*The castle in neo-gothic style*La Tude massif*The churchSeveral quarries above Montdardier were formerly important sources of lithographic limestone...

 were formerly important sources of lithographic limestone

Lithographic Limestone

Lithographic limestone is hard limestone that is sufficiently fine-grained, homogeneous and defect free to be used for lithography. Geologists use the term lithographic texture to refer to a grain size under 1/250 mm...

. Stone from these quarries earned an honorable mention in the Great Exhibition

The Great Exhibition

The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...

 of 1851.

Le Vigan is a tourist destination during summer time.

Personalities

• Chevalier d'Assas (1733–1760)
• Sergeant Triaire (1772?-1799)
• Constituant Quatrefages de la Roquette

Sights

• The musée cévenol shows the life in the Cévennes during the past centuries
• The Vieux Pont is an old bridge built during the 11th century
• The old hotel Faventines called Château d'Assas from 18th century
• The Arboretum de la Foux
  Arboretum de la Foux
  The Arboretum de la Foux , also known as the Arboretum de Saint-Sauveur-des-Pourcils, is an arboretum located within the Forêt de l'Aigoual near Saint-Sauveur-Camprieu, northwest of Le Vigan, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. It is open daily without charge.The arboretum was created 1900-1910 for...
  
   and Arboretum de l'Hort de Dieu
  Arboretum de l'Hort de Dieu
  The Arboretum de l'Hort de Dieu is an arboretum located on the southern flank of Mont Aigoual about 39 km north of Le Vigan, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, at the border of Gard and Lozère...
  
   are mature arboretum
  Arboretum
  An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
  
  s

External links

• Patrimoine du Vigan