Najac
Encyclopedia
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 Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
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...
.
Najac is a picturesque village set along a ridge above a bend in the Aveyron River
Aveyron River
The Aveyron is a 291 km long river in southern France, right tributary of the Tarn River. It rises in the southern Massif Central, near Sévérac-le-Château....
. In the earlier part of the last century the village had around 2000 people but it suffered marked population decline as workers migrated to towns and cities. Several films concern the village and its surrounds, for example, La Vie Comme Elle Va.
The village, once famous for ham, relies on tourism. Most land in the commune is still and there are a significant number of long-term inhabitants. During the summer, the population increases significantly due to second home
Pied a terre
A pied-à-terre is a small living unit usually located in a large city some distance away from an individual's primary residence. It may be an apartment or condominium....
owners and holiday-makers. Most holiday home owners are British, Canadian, Dutch or from the north of France.
The village is known for historic buildings and apparent medieval character. A partly ruined château
Château de Najac
Château de Najac or the royal fortress of Najac is located in Najac, in the Aveyron département, in southern France.The castle was built in 1253 by the villagers on the orders of Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of Saint Louis, on the site of an older castle built in 1100 by Bertrand of St Gilles,...
dominates; it was built by villagers in 1253 on the orders of Alphonse de Poitiers. The 13th century Eglise Saint-Jean, built by villagers as a punishment for Cathar beliefs, overlooks the lower village, while at the other end, the faubourg has the typical architecture of many bastide villages with timber-framed houses and commercial arcades around an open area.
Najac is also one of the 140 or so Plus Beaux Villages de France
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is an independent association, created in 1982, which aims to promote assets of small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage...
(most beautiful villages of France), which in addition to ensuring its tourism status, brings money to maintain the village.