The Gergovie plateau is a plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

 of the Massif Central

Massif Central

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

 located 10km to the south of Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...

, Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...

, 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...

, 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...

 and is named after the nearby village of Gergovie

Gergovie

Gergovie is a French village in the commune of La Roche-Blanche in the Puy-de-Dôme département, a few kilometres south of Clermont-Ferrand....

. It is the official (but disputed) site of the Battle of Gergovia

Battle of Gergovia

The Battle of Gergovia took place in 52 BC in Gaul at Gergovia, the chief town of the Arverni. The battle was fought between a Roman Republic army, led by proconsul Julius Caesar, and Gallic forces led by Vercingetorix...

 between Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix was the chieftain of the Arverni tribe, who united the Gauls in an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars....

 and Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....

 in 52 BC

52 BC

Year 52 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pompeius and Scipio...

.

Location

The plateau is located at 744 meters above sea level, and from it can be seen Chaîne des Puys

Chaîne des Puys

The Chaîne des Puys is a north-south oriented chain of cinder cones, lava domes, and maars in the Massif Central of France. The chain is about 40 km long, and the identified volcanic features include 48 cinder cones, eight lava domes, and 15 maars and explosion craters. Its highest point is...

, Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...

, and the Plaine des Sarlièves (Plain of Sarlièves), along with the Zénith d'Auvergne and the Puy de Sancy

Puy de Sancy

Puy de Sancy is the highest mountain in the Massif Central and therefore the highest mountain in central France ....

 which dominates the Auvergne from it position 1886m above sea level.

Attractions

A reconstructed "Gallic hut", with an accompanying permanent exhibition ("La Maison de Gergovie") can be seen on the plateau.

Cervolix

"Cervolix" - an association of kite fliers and kite surfers on the plateau. It is also used, since 1995, by remote-controlled aircraft fliers.

Les Arverniales

"Les Arverniales" is an archaeological festival held on the plateau, consisting of two days' of reconstructions, experimental archeology and living history displays.

Exhibitions

Sculptures by Yves Guérin have also been displayed on the plateau since January 2007.

External links

• Tourist office of Gergovie Val d'Allier
• Summary of the plateau's history
• "Les Arverniales", 2006
• Cervolix

45°43′13"N 3°7′5"E