Located at the heart of France’s hexagonal territory, Auvergne is a sparsely populated land of volcanic plateaus and large valleys. Unlike the Alps to the east or the Pyrénées to the southwest, its highest peaks reach only 6,000 feet above sea level and are free of snow in summer. The local authorities? efforts to safeguard the environment have made Auvergne one of the last protected zones in Europe.
Before going to Auvergne, familiarize yourself with its history and its gastronomy.
During the Middle Ages the fortress style of the romanesque buildings was refined and improved by French masons and architects. The first Gothic buildings appeared in the late 12th with the rebuilding of the Basilica Saint Denis…
0 Read MoreThe exuberance of the Absolute Monarchy preponderant in the 17th century led to enormous baroque edifices…
0 Read MoreThe First World War erupted in 1914 in northeast France and after two years of German victories, fell into the horrors of trench warfare. The United States entered the war in 1917 and helped France to victory…
0 Read MoreThe Renaissance style refers to the style of the historic period primarily marked by King Francois I…
0 Read MoreAfter the Revolution of 1789, architecture in France found inspiration in classic Greek and Roman models. Both the Arc de Triomphe and the Arc du Carrousel are examples of the Napoleonic inclination for Classicism…
0 Read MoreLoiseau’s apparent suicide Monday shocked France, plunged the gastronomic world into mourning and raised a storm of condemnation from fellow culinary masters, who blamed all-powerful food critics for pushing the celebrated chef toward despair….
0 Read More<!–^~^69|right|^~^–>Leading industrial sectors in France : Construction and civil engineering. Annual production : 797 billion francs ($159.4 billion). Four French groups (Bouygues, SGE, Eiffage and GTM-Entrepose) rank among the top ten in European construction, with an annual turnover of 158 billion francs ($31.6 billion). Agri-foodstuffs. Annual […]
0 Read More<!–^~^66|right|^~^–>SERVICE SECTOR Financial services Market capitalization of shares listed on the Paris stock exchange totals 2,400 billion francs ($480 billion), 31.5% of French GDP, ranking Paris fifth in the world. Four French banks are among the world’s top 25: CrÈdit Agricole (8th), Compagnie FinanciËre Paribas (20th), […]
0 Read More<!–^~^70|right|^~^–>National R & D expenditure amounts to 190 billion francs ($38 billion) i.e. 2.5% of GDP. The public sector finances 51% of it and is responsible for operating (building maintenance, salaries, laboratory equipment) the major national research centres, which include the CNRS (all fields), INSERM (medicine), […]
0 Read MoreShareholders in France Telecom have approved plans to raise up to 30bn euros to help the company deal with its crippling debt…
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