Clermont-Ferrand is a French commune located in the Department of Puy-de-Dome in the Auvergne region of central France, and its inhabitants are known as Clermontois. Partly due to historic reasons the town is regularly known simply as Clermont. The town as we know it today is a union of two separate towns – Clermont and Montferrand. The name of Clermont was given to the town from "Clermont au Canada" in homage to Blaise Pascal, the famous philosopher, theologian, mathematician and physician.
Clermont is situated in the heart of the Massif Central, at 400m altitude. To the west, the town is overshadowed by the plateau which contains the Puys, amongst which is the most famous volcano, the Puy de Dome. In fact a large part of the town occupies a volcanic outcrop. The rest is built on the floodplains of the river Allier. Due to its location, the climate in the region is remarkably hot in summer, with many storms, whilst being very dry and cold in winter.
In 1832, Aristide Barbier and Edouard Daubree founded a factory to make rubber bullets and agricultural machinery. This was the origin of the Michelin group, whose first factory made break pads for bicycles! Birthplace and home of the world leader in tires, now resolutely looking to the future, Clermont-Ferrand is today undergoing a major image change with its new factories and garden cities. However it's the ancient city of Montferrand which still guards its strong identity.
Clermont is also home to 38,000 students who attend the town's two universities and six schools of engineering and management. However the town is also classified as a Town of Art and History and contains many beautiful monuments. The material of construction regularly employed is in fact Volvic stone, found in the Puys volcanoes. Foremost is the romanesque basilica of Notre-Dame du Port, constructed in the sixth century and now classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Clermont also possesses a lot of green space, including around 70 acres of parcs, gardens and squares.
From a culinary perspective, Clermont-Ferrand is typical of the Auvergne. Its aligot, for example, being one of the typical regional dishes. This is a dish originating from the Aubracs plateau. The word aligot is derived from "aliqu'ot", itself a derivative of the Latin "ali quod", meaning "something". It is prepared with pieces of bread and fresh tomme cheese. The monks of Aubrac used to serve it to pilgrims journeying across the massif, on the Via Podiensis, on their way to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. The dish is now made with potatoes in a form of puree with cream, cheese and garlic.
As for culture, Clermont provides many opportunities for encounters with art and music. The Quilliot gallery displays its permanent collections on six stories, embracing painting, sculpture, furniture, decorative art, graphic art and photography, dating from medieval times to the present. Indeed this is one of the major cultural institutions in the Auvergne. It is located in the historical quarter of the town, where you will also find the magnificent mansion of Henri Lecoq, where you can discover scientific history throughout its prestigious collections housed in exhibition rooms.
However, perhaps the most important discovery for art lovers, is the Emmanuel Chabrier music conservatory, which showcases the domains of music, classical dance and theatre. Here you can savour regular stunning spectacles – theatrical, dance and musical – across a packed season throughout the year.
So there you have it! Come and visit Clermont-Ferrand in the heart of the French countryside and discover a beautiful town brimming with history, culture... and life!
For further information on Clermont-Ferrand in French, you can visit Rencontres Clermont at Antonio Bonito's QuePourToi.com Rencontres par ville web site.
Source: www.articletrader.com
