Circulade
Encyclopedia
In the Languedoc-Roussillon
region of the south of France, a circulade is a traditional village that has been built in concentric circles. The center, which one might expect to be the site of a château-fort or a parish church, is as often as not, empty, as air photography demonstrates. Though the highly structured circulade plans were not identified as a unique urbanistic phenomenon
until 1992, are medieval in origin, dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, two centuries earlier than the planned bastides of the region. The Larousse
does not list this neologism for an ancient form of urbanisation, which has been adopted by an association formed to promote these "circular villages"; Jacques Heers included it in this handbook La ville au Moyen Age (Hachette Pluriel, 1992),
Krzysztof Pawlowski, an architect of Polish extraction working for the UNESCO
patrimony section, first studied this phenomenon, which proffered a prototype at the rebirth of European traditions of urbanisation, in Circulades languedociennes de l'an mille: naissance de l'urbanisation européenne (Montpellier 1992). Pawlowski identified more than fifty circular cities and villages of Languedoc-Roussillon
, the birthplace of this concept at the rebirth of European town planning.
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
region of the south of France, a circulade is a traditional village that has been built in concentric circles. The center, which one might expect to be the site of a château-fort or a parish church, is as often as not, empty, as air photography demonstrates. Though the highly structured circulade plans were not identified as a unique urbanistic phenomenon
Urbanism
Broadly, urbanism is a focus on cities and urban areas, their geography, economies, politics, social characteristics, as well as the effects on, and caused by, the built environment.-Philosophy:...
until 1992, are medieval in origin, dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, two centuries earlier than the planned bastides of the region. The Larousse
Larousse
Larousse can refer to:*Éditions Larousse, a French publishing house founded by Pierre Larousse**some of its publications***Grand Larousse encyclopédique***Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology***Larousse Gastronomique***Petit Larousse...
does not list this neologism for an ancient form of urbanisation, which has been adopted by an association formed to promote these "circular villages"; Jacques Heers included it in this handbook La ville au Moyen Age (Hachette Pluriel, 1992),
Krzysztof Pawlowski, an architect of Polish extraction working for the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
patrimony section, first studied this phenomenon, which proffered a prototype at the rebirth of European traditions of urbanisation, in Circulades languedociennes de l'an mille: naissance de l'urbanisation européenne (Montpellier 1992). Pawlowski identified more than fifty circular cities and villages of Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
, the birthplace of this concept at the rebirth of European town planning.
External links
Further reading
- Jean Favier Dictionnaire de la France médiévale (Fayard, 1993), s.v. "Circulade".