Mont-Dore

Mont-Dore
Commune
Mont-Dore with the Puy de Sancy in the background
Mont-Dore
Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
Mont-Dore
Coordinates: 45°34′38″N 2°48′35″E / 45.5772°N 2.8097°E / 45.5772; 2.8097Coordinates: 45°34′38″N 2°48′35″E / 45.5772°N 2.8097°E / 45.5772; 2.8097
Country France
Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Puy-de-Dôme
Arrondissement Issoire
Canton Le Sancy
Government
  Mayor (2001) Jean-François Dubourg
Area1 35.87 km2 (13.85 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 1,504
  Density 42/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 63236 /63240
Elevation 897–1,883 m (2,943–6,178 ft)
(avg. 1,050 m or 3,440 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Mont-Dore[1] (Mont Dòr in Auvergnat, and Mont-Dore-les-Bains), in common usage Le Mont-Dore, is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France.

Geography

Mont-Dore is located in the Massif Central, on the right bank of the Dordogne River not far from its source, and 50 km (31 mi) by road S.W. of Clermont-Ferrand. The Monts Dore close the valley towards the south.

Thermal springs

The baths

The thermal springs of Mont-Dore, now numbering twelve, were known to the Romans. Sodium bicarbonate, iron and arsenic are the principal ingredients of the waters, which are used both for drinking and bathing. Hot baths are characteristic of the treatment; they are believed to be efficacious for tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma, and nervous and rheumatic paralysis. Due to the elevation and exposure of the valley, the climate of Mont-Dore is relatively severe, and the season only lasts from 15 June to 15 September. The bath-house was rebuilt in 1891-1894.

Ski resort

Mont-Dore is a ski resort with runs on the slopes of the Puy de Sancy and the Puy Ferrand. Thirty runs account for 42 km of downhill skiing, served by a number of lifts of different types. There are also 25 km of cross-country trails.

Sights

In the town park, along the Dordogne, relics of the old Roman baths have been collected. The surrounding country, with its fir woods, pastures, waterfalls and mountains, is very attractive. To the south is the Puy de Sancy (1,886 m), the loftiest peak of central France.

See also

References

  1. INSEE, code officiel géographique
  • INSEE commune file
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mont-Dore-les-Bains". Encyclopædia Britannica. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 763.


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