Castellane

Sister cities

• Pescasseroli

History

The inhabitants of Castellane are known back to a very early date. Neolithic nomads came through the area; the oldest traces date back to 6000 BC. A grotto with cave paintings exists in the commune but its location is kept confidential to protect the artwork; Bronze Age tombs have also been discovered in a cave in Castillon. Ligurian tribes occupied the territory. The Suetrii or Suètres later created an oppidum named Ducelia, near the Roc. They mined salt in the area and sold it. Most of the communes attached to Castellane today were peopled by the Suetrii. Taulanne was the exception, inhabited by the people who had their capital in Senez. (Their name is uncertain and Roman historians differ on the subject.) The region was conquered by Augustus in 14 BC. Castellane was attached to the Roman province of Alpes-Maritimes and began to grow. Homes were established in the plain, and the city was named Civitas Saliniensum (city of salt merchants). The name of the town later became Salinae. Several roads left from or passed through the town: * Via Salinaria, going west towards Durance and the current Château-Arnoux * Via Ventiana, from Cimiez to Sisteron by way of Vence; a carved milestone from the beginning of the third century was found on this road in the Saint-Pierre pass six miles from Castellane * a fork towards Via Aurelia and Via Domitia * a road towards Entrevaux (Glandèves) by way of Briançonnet Residents first settled on the bank of the Verdon to mine the saline sources which are still visible today. A treasure of antiquity, 34 gold coins issued by Arcadius and Honorius, were discovered in 1797 in Taloire. A limestone funerary stele for one Julius Trofimus, dating back to Roman times, was discovered near the old chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Plan. Until 1942 it was…

Geography

Castellane is a very old city located upstream of the Gorges du Verdon. The city is above sea level. The Roc, or the Roc of Notre-Dame, overlooks the city from above. It has been occupied since the High Middle Ages and is a registered historical site. It can be accessed from the centre of town behind the old Church of St. Andrew. The walk takes about 25 minutes. Two reservoirs are located in the territory of Castellane: * Lake Castillon * Lake Chaudanne, created by the dam of the same name, the . The area has two water gaps: * the clue de Taulanne containing the Asse de Blieux river and the Route Napoléon along its banks. * the clue de Chasteuil, which contains the Verdon valley. The GR 4 hiking trail crosses through the town. The neighboring municipalities are: Castellane features a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb), bordering on a mediterraneran continental climate (Köppen: Dsb). Summers are warm to hot and dry, while winters are cold and snowy. The commune is part of the Jurassic limestone area of the French Prealps in Provence, formed by the tectonic upheaval of the Alps during the Tertiary. Limestone deposits run the length of the Verdon river, giving rise to spectacular gorges formed through karst erosion. Around Castellane older formations surface, such as gypsum and Triassic black marl. Neighboring mountains and passes *Castellard () *Pré Chauvin () *, the route taken by Napoleon *Blaches Pass, on the road to Saint-André-les-Alpes The commune contains of wood and forests (about 59% of its surface area). The extends over the western part of the commune (former communes of Taulanne, Chasteuil and Villars-Brandis). Castellane's name appeared in texts for the first time circa 965–977 as Petra Castellana. The name breaks down into three…