Arudy (; Gascon: Arudi) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
The commune has been awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.Arudy in the Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom
Geography Arudy is located in the Ossau Valley on a bend on the Gave d'Ossau some 20 km south-east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and 16 km south of Gan. Access to the commune is by the D920 road from Buzy in the north passing through the commune just west of the town and continuing to Louvie-Juzon in the south. Access to the town is by the D53 connecting to the D920. The D287 also goes east from the town to join the D934 going north to Sévignacq-Meyracq. The D918 branches west from the D920 near the town and continues west through the north of the commune to Lurbe-Saint-Christau.Google Maps
The SNCF railway line from Buzy-en-Béarn - Laruns which passed through the commune was closed to traffic for passengers on 2 March 1969.Pau-Canfranc line A bus connection remained in place until 1 September 2009. Freight traffic between Buzy-en-Béarn and Arudy survived until 2003. The facilities have now been dismantled.
The western hills of the commune are heavily forested with farmland in the valleys. The east of the commune in the Ossau Valley is mainly residential with some farmland.
Hydrography Located in the Drainage basin of the Adour, the Gave d'Ossau forms the eastern border as it curves around the town and continues west, forming the northern border of the commune, to join the Gave d'Aspe to form the Gave d'Oloron at Oloron-Sainte-Marie. Many tributaries rise in the south of the commune and flow north to join the Gave d'Ossau including the Lamisou, the Arrec de Baycabe, the Ruisseau du Bois de Nougué, the Arrec de Lacerbelle, and the Ruisseau du Termy which forms the western border of the commune.
Places and Hamlets
L'Abat (Drinking trough) L'Abétat (Col de) Anglès Angous Arrabiot Arrouge (ruins) L'Aubisqué Bareilles Barguères Bélier Bérastou Bersaut (Ravine) Béteilles Blingou (Turoun - 433 metres) Bordedela (spring) Bourdeu Brousset Caillabère Caillou-Marrau Camanère Carrey Casajus Cabanes de Castillou Cazassus Cortès-Granges Crest (Lake) Cumarty Daré Bourdeu Etchaux Florence Garrail Cabane de Garrietche Gerbadure (Col de - 1198 metres) Goubert Habarra Heugacète (Col de) Hondaa Houn Barrade (Col de) Hourgolle Les Jardins d'Arudy Jugist Laborde (two places) Lacoste Lacrabère Ladebeze Granges Lafont Lanne Larroun Lascoungues Laüs Lissert Louraou (Drinking trough) Loustau Pouey Maou Malarode Manaut Mancesta (Ravine) Martouré Maysonnave Médalou Miégaville Mourlane Cité Notre-Dame Nougué L'Oustalot Pédestarrès (ruins) Pène de Plou (468 metres) Le Pic d'Ossau Pierris Pouts Saint-Cricq Saubiron Sépé (Spring) Séré Soubirou Soumabielles (ruins) Terranère Tilhou Tocortoure Trois-Auges (Fountain) Le Turon (530 mètres) Vignau Le Zoum
Neighbouring communes and villages
Toponymy The commune name in béarnais is Arudi.
According to Michel Grosclaude the name comes from the basque harr ("stone" or "rock") and uri ("town").
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description Arudy Eruri 1270 Raymond Ossau Village Aruri 1286 Grosclaude Arudy/Iseste spoiled deed Aruri 1328 Grosclaude Ossau-Val Treaty of Tena Aruri 1343 Raymond Pardies Arury 1368 Grosclaude Chéronnet Arudy 1375 Raymond Luntz Aruri 1386 Grosclaude Chéronnet Aruri 1399 Grosclaude Manumission of Serfdom Aruri 1442 Grosclaude Chéronnet Aruri 1466 Grosclaude Chéronnet Aruri 1486 Grosclaude Chéronnet Erudi 1487 Raymond Ossau Arudi 1538 Raymond Reformation Saint-Germain d'Arudy 1607 Raymond Insinuations Arudy 1750 Cassini Anglas Anglès 1538 Raymond Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn Anglès 1863 Raymond Baget Baget 1863 Raymond Hamlet Bareilles Barelhes 1385 Raymond Census Farm Caillabère la Caillabère 1863 Raymond Mountain Castet Castet 1096 Raymond Marca Castet had a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn. In 1385 it depended on the bailiwick of Ossau and had 45 fires. Castet took its name from the Chateau of Castetgelos which was built in its territory. Castellum 1154 Raymond Marca Casteg 1385 Raymond Census Sent Policarpe de Casteig 1621 Raymond Insinuations Caubios Caubios 1538 Raymond Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn Col de Houn-Barrade Le Col de la Houn-Barade 1863 Raymond Mountain pass between Arudy and Izeste Lanne Lane 1385 Raymond Census Farm Martouré Martouré 1675 Raymond Reformation Hillock where the old Château of Arudy stood and where the fires for the Festival of Saint-Jean were lit Mur Meur 1675 Raymond Reformation A Group of rocks which were the destination for processions and another place where fires for the Festival of Saint-Jean were lit. Pouts Potz 1385 Raymond Census Farm Sacase de Siot Sciot 1675 Raymond Reformation Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn
Sources: Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 Michel Grosclaude, Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750Cassini Map 1750 – Arudy
Origins: Ossau: Titles of the Ossau ValleyTitles of the Ossau Valley in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pardies: Notaries of Pardies (Monein)Notaries of Pardies (Monein) in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Chéronnet: Bernard ChéronnetBernard Chéronnet, Review of Pau and Bearn, No. 16, 1989 Luntz: Contracts retained by LuntzContracts retained by Luntz, Notary of Béarn, in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Reformation: Reformation of BéarnManuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Insinuations: Insinuations of the Diocese of OloronManuscripts from the 17th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Census: Census of BéarnManuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Marca: Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn.Pierre de Marca, Histoire de Bearn, La Veuve Jean Camusat, 1640, 850 pages
History
The first traces of civilisation in the commune date to Prehistory or more precisely to the Magdalenian period. Excavations in four caves in the commune (Maladore, Poeymaü, Saint-Michel, and Espalungue) uncovered bones, tools, and many snail shells.
The village of Eruri or Aruri was mentioned at the beginning of the 13th century. It was from the beginning of that time that the Ossau Union was created which permitted relative independence for the communes in the valley until the French Revolution.
Paul Raymond noted on page 14 of his 1863 dictionary that the commune had a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn, with 86 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Ossau.
It was in the 19th century that economic growth started in the commune. Sawmills and Marble quarries were created which provided a living to several hundred people. One quarry still operates today.
On 29 February 1980 Arudy was the epicentre of an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale and 7.5 on the MSK scale which damaged many buildings in the town. The college had to be rebuilt.
Heraldry
Administration
List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France From To Name Party 1995 2014 Gérard Cambot 2014 2026 Claude Aussant DVG
Inter-communality The commune is part of six inter-communal structures: the Communauté de communes de la Vallée d'Ossau; the local public management agency; the association for the perception of Arudy; the water association for the Ossau Valley; the electrification association for Bas-Ossau; the SIVU for sanitation for the Ossau Valley;
Demography The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arudyens or Arudyennes in French.Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
Economy Arudy has diverse economic activities: the commune has a large sheep breeding centre and strong activity related to hunting. Arudy forms part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone designation of Ossau-iraty; the commune conserves and operates marble (gray-black) and limestone quarry sites. The Church of St. Severus in Assat, for example, was built in 1873 with Arudy limestone; There are wood and marble working industries; the Messier industrial foundry, a subsidiary of Ventana Aerospace Group, employs approximately 200 people. The foundry produces alloys of magnesium-thorium intended for the aviation industry. The machining of these materials has resulted in the production of waste containing thorium. 13.3 tonnes of the residue of thorium-magnesium alloys (Grime from the foundry, shavings from machining, miscellaneous scrap, etc.) are stored in a special location with a radioactivity of 1.9 GBq from thorium-232.ANDRA page (Agence nationale de gestion des déchets radioactifs) The company faces economic difficulties and has been placed in a Judicial Recovery procedure by the Commercial Court on the 1 April 2010. The Commercial Court of Pau approved exit from the Judicial recovery safeguard procedure proposed by management and the court administrators of the Messier foundry in July 2011. Messier Foundry is a prime contractor in the CARAIBE collaborative project approved by the Aerospace Valley Pôle de compétitivité group and funded by the Fonds unique interministériel (Single inter-ministerial funds) programme.
Culture and heritage
Civil heritage The Hôtel Pouts (17th century) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée It is an ancient Lay Abbey which later became a police station. The building was renovated in 1971 to house a museum: the Maison d'Ossau.
The Maison d'Ossau museum in the Hôtel Pouts displays regional archaeological collections, specimens of flora and fauna of the Pyrenees, and local costumes.
Arudy has 16th and 17th century houses, a bridge said to be Roman, and Lavoirs (public laundries) from the 19th century.
Religious heritage
The Church of Saint-Germain (12th century, renovated in the 19th century) contains several items classified as historical objects: A Statue: Saint Germain (17th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Painting: Saint Germain the Auxerrois at prayer (17th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Retable on the main altar (17th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Processional cross: Saint Lucie (18th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Paschal Candlestick (17th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy
The interior of the chapel of Saint-Michel is decorated with paintings by Pierre Martinez.
Environmental heritage The Abétat peaks at 1204 metres, the Gerbadure at 1254m, the Soum Counée at 1361m, the Bersaut at 1368m, the Hourquettes de Baygrand at 1386m, the Senzouens (or the Breque) at 1392m, and the Pic d'Escurets at 1440m.Géoportail, IGN, consulted on 12 March 2012
Amenities
Education
The town has a public college,College website and one primary school. Another private primary school has been closed since the beginning of September 2011.
Sports and sports facilities ES ArudyES Arudy website is a Rugby club which plays in Fédérale 3; TCO tennis club provides coaching by a qualified instructor. They have three tennis courts: one clay court and two fast courts; The Arudy rock-climbing school is one of the busiest in the region. It consists of three main areas with over a hundred climbing routes fitted out.
Notable people linked to the commune