Estang (; ) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Historically and culturally, the commune is in Bas-Armagnac, or black Armagnac, a region situated between the valleys of the Auzoue, the Gélise the Douze and the Midou.
Exposed to a modified oceanic climate, it is drained by the Loumné, the Estang, the Canal du Moulin, and several other small streams. The town boasts a remarkable natural heritage: a Natura 2000 site (the "Midou and Ludon hydrographic network") and four natural areas of ecological, faunal, and floral interest.
Estang is a rural town with 664 inhabitants in 2022, having reached a peak population of 1,426 in 1861. Its inhabitants are called Estanguois or Estanguoises.
The town's architectural heritage includes two buildings listed as historical monuments: the Jean Bartherotte bullring, listed in 1993, and the Notre-Dame church, listed in 1998.
Geography
Location Estang is a commune located in the northwest of the Gers department, a short distance from the Greenwich Meridian, in the heart of the ancient Roman province of Gaul, Novempopulania, whose capital was the ancient city of Elusa (Eauze). It lies within the Bas-Armagnac region, an area renowned for producing the brandies of this appellation. The surrounding forests lend the landscape a dark hue, which has earned it the name "Black Armagnac."
Neighboring communes The neighbouring communes are Castex-d'Armagnac, Lias-d'Armagnac, Mauléon-d'Armagnac, Maupas, Monclar and Panjas.
Geology and relief In the northwestern part of the Gers department, where Estang is located, and also in a portion of the eastern Landes department, the ocean left marine deposits during the Middle Miocene period known as "tawny sands." These sands contribute to the specific quality of the Armagnac produced in Bas-Armagnac. The sea has also left its mark in stones where fossilized pectens, among other things, are found. In the past, several sand quarries were in operation in the area, where such large, naturally decorated stones could sometimes be extracted. Estang is situated in a landscape that alternates between hillsides, wooded hills, and Armagnac vineyards.
Hydrography The town is crossed by a stream (the Arbout) which divides the village into two hamlets. It originates at a place called "La Houn Sante" (the Holy Fountain). This abundant spring is now tapped and provides drinking water to about ten surrounding villages.
L'Estang, a small stream with shaded banks thanks to limited riparian vegetation at its base, runs alongside the village. It rises in Lias-d'Armagnac and is a tributary of the Midour River. Its clarity is ideal for salmonids, a valuable fishing resource that has allowed part of its course to be classified as a first-category fishing area. Within the commune, its clear waters once powered the paddles of two mills (Lartigole and Ayrenx, the latter skillfully restored by its new owner). A third mill, now in ruins (Notre Dame), was fed by the Arbout stream, which springs from the Houn Sante. To the north flows the Douze River, which from the Middle Ages until the French Revolution separated the dioceses of Auch and Aire. Thus, the parish of Estang fell under the jurisdiction of the archpriestship of Mauléon, itself part of the diocese of Aire. To the south flows the Midour River. In bygone days, to travel from Estang to Le Houga, one had to cross this stream at Monguilhem and continue via Toujouse. The Cassini map shows this single route (the direct route, via Monlezun-d'Armagnac, is a later addition).
The Loumné, a left tributary of the Douze, rises within the commune.
Climate Several studies have been conducted to characterize the climatic types to which the national territory is exposed. The resulting zoning varies depending on the methods used, the nature and number of parameters considered, the territorial coverage of the data, and the reference period. In 2010, the commune's climate was classified as an altered oceanic climate, according to a study by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) based on a method combining climatic data and environmental factors (topography, land use, etc.) and data covering the period 1971-2000. In 2020, the predominant climate was classified as Cfb, according to the Köppen-Geiger classification, for the period 1988-2017, namely a temperate climate with cool summers and no dry season. Furthermore, in 2020, Météo-France published a new typology of the climates of metropolitan France, in which the commune is exposed to a modified oceanic climate and is located in the Aquitaine-Gascogne climatic region, characterized by abundant rainfall in spring, moderate rainfall in autumn, low sunshine in spring, hot summers (19.5 °C), weak winds, frequent fog in autumn and winter, and frequent thunderstorms in summer (15 to 20 days). It is also located in zone H2c under the 2020 environmental regulations for new construction.
For the period 1971-2000, the average annual temperature was 12.9 °C, with an annual temperature range of 14.6 °C. The average annual rainfall was 942 mm, with 11.4 days of precipitation in January and 6.7 days in July. For the period 1991-2020, the average annual temperature observed at the nearest Météo-France weather station, located in the commune of Le Houga 12 km away as the crow flies, was 13.8 °C, and the average annual rainfall was 875.9 mm. The maximum temperature recorded at this station was 41.1 °C, reached on 18 June 2022; the minimum temperature was -12.4 °C, reached on 27 January 2007.
Natural environments and biodiversity Natura 2000 Network The Natura 2000 network is a European ecological network of natural sites of ecological interest, developed under the Habitats and Birds Directives, and consisting of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs). A Natura 2000 site has been designated within the municipality under the Habitats Directive: the "Midou and Ludon river system," covering an area of 6,542 hectares, a site exhibiting a relatively significant diversity of habitats, despite a low representation of habitats of Community interest.
Natural areas of ecological, faunal and floral interest The inventory of natural areas of ecological, faunal, and floral interest (ZNIEFF) aims to cover the most ecologically significant areas, primarily to improve knowledge of the national natural heritage and provide decision-makers with a tool to help them integrate environmental considerations into land-use planning. Two type 1 ZNIEFFs are identified within the municipality: the "woods and heaths of La Clotte, La Tauziole, and Labadie" (792 ha), covering four municipalities in the department, and the "Lauron pond and woods" (22 ha), covering three communes in the department. Two type 2 ZNIEFFs are also identified:
"La Douze and related habitats" (11,575 ha), covering 29 communes, 26 of which are in the Gers department and three in the Landes department; the "Midou hydrographic network and associated environments" (6,344 ha), covering 43 communes, including 37 in Gers and six in Landes.
Urban planning Typology As of 1 January 2024, Estang is categorized as a rural commune with dispersed housing, according to the new seven-level municipal density grid defined by INSEE in 2022. It is located outside urban units and outside the influence of cities.
Land use
Land cover in the commune, as shown in the European biophysical land cover database Corine Land Cover (CLC), is characterized by a significant amount of agricultural land (69.8% in 2018), a decrease compared to 1990 (71.2%). The detailed breakdown in 2018 is as follows: heterogeneous agricultural areas (38.1%), forests (24.9%), arable land (16.1%), permanent crops (15.7%), areas with shrub and/or herbaceous vegetation (2.7%), and urbanized areas (2.6%). Changes in land cover and infrastructure within the commune can be observed on various maps of the territory: the Cassini map (18th century), the General Staff map (1820-1866), and IGN maps and aerial photographs for the current period (1950 to the present).
Communication routes and transport On its outskirts, the two roads connecting Auch to Mont-de-Marsan (via Eauze) and Cazaubon to Aire-sur-l'Adour converge. The town of Aire-sur-l'Adour is 25 km away, and the canton's main town, Cazaubon, is 9 km away. Mont-de-Marsan, the capital of the Landes department, is the main center of attraction.
The Compagnie du Midi railway company refused to route the railway line (Agen/Mont-de-Marsan via Port-Sainte-Marie and Nérac) through Estang rather than Labastide-d'Armagnac. Estang is therefore a village without a train station, a service provided by bus (the map of the departmental bus network subsidized in 1929 by the Gers General Council lists Estang as one of the stops). Gers is an important department for pilgrims on the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago), and the Via Podiensis (the Le Puy route) passes four leagues from Estang, bypassing it to the south.
Major risks The territory of the commune of Estang is vulnerable to various natural hazards: weather-related (storms, thunderstorms, snow, extreme cold, heat waves, or drought) and earthquakes (very low seismicity). A website published by the BRGM allows for a simple and quick assessment of the risks to a property located either by its address or by its plot number.
The shrinkage and swelling of clay soils can cause significant damage to buildings in the event of alternating periods of drought and rain. 30.9% of the commune's area is at medium or high risk (94.5% at the departmental level and 48.5% at the national level). Of the 461 buildings counted in the municipality in 2019, 132 are at medium or high risk, representing 29%, compared to 93% at the departmental level and 54% at the national level. A map of the national territory's exposure to clay soil shrinkage and swelling is available on the BRGM website.
Furthermore, to better understand the risk of ground subsidence, the national inventory of underground cavities allows for the identification of those located within the commune.
The commune has been declared a natural disaster area due to damage caused by floods and mudslides in 1985, 1997, 1999, 2003, and 2009. Regarding landslides, the commune has been declared a natural disaster area due to damage caused by drought in 1989, 2002, and 2017, and by landslides in 1999.
Estang is located in seismic zone 1 (very low seismicity).
Name The Latin word stagnum (stagnant water) could be the etymological basis for the village's name: the waters of the Houn Sante made the area on either side of the village (currently partly occupied by the football field) marshy. However, another plausible origin is the alteration of the word "estanquet'", referring to the rest stop that the Haget Abbey provided for pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela. In the 19th century, major earthworks initiated by Mayor Paul Dubédat made it possible to cross this marsh, creating a beautiful vista from Place Saint-Martial to Notre-Dame, which is called Avenue Saint-Martial in reference to the old church.
History Prehistory The prehistory of Estang is limited to evidence of human occupation. A polished stone axe was discovered near some bones (including a sizable mammal jawbone). The find was made at an old quarry (now filled in) located in the area known as liberté. Does this suggest the presence of a camp in a rock shelter within the future quarry. This camp was subsequently buried by the eluvium of tawny sand.
Before the Roman period, Armagnac was divided among three tribes: the Elusates (Eauze), the Sotiates (Sos), and the Tarusates (Tursan - Aire). Extending into the far west of the department, the Tarusates (people of the Adour and Tursan valleys) encompassed nine communes in the canton of Cazaubon, including Estang, within their territory.