Souls

4 points of interest

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  History

  The municipality of Bréau-Salagosse

  The municipality of Bréau-Salagosse consists of two distinct villages. The older one of the two is Salagosse. Bréau was not founded until the 7th century when part of the population of Salagosse, feeling hemmed in, decided to settle on a sunny slope lower down in the valley. Separated in 1669, the two parishes reunited in 1818. The name of Salagosse probably comes from Feragus, the nickname of a local man-at-arms, meaning “sharp iron”. Its inhabitants are known as salabousards.

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  Flora

  Altitudinal vegetation zones

  The path ranges from 700 to 1,250m in altitude and clearly shows the changes in vegetation as you climb. Vegetation zones have been defined based on altitude; they are given the name of the predominant plant species.

  The first, the holm oak zone, stops at around 500m. It occurs mainly on schist or limestone. From 500 to 900m is the zone of deciduous oaks and sweet chestnut. From 1000m to 1500m is the beech zone; here you are in the Aigoual state forest. The final vegetation zone, above 1500m, is treeless and only concerns a small circle around the Aigoual summit.

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  History

  Foresters’ houses

  When you arrive at the forest road, you turn left onto it. On the right used to be Le Minier forester’s house. Many foresters’ houses were scattered throughout the mountains where the forest rangers lived with their families. But living in such isolation was difficult, and school age children had to board. Gradually, these isolated houses were abandoned; the rangers now live in the villages.

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  Flora

  A wild zone rich in game

  On the downhill section, the path goes through a wild area rich in game, which, in the Middle Ages, belonged to the Baron d’Hierle. On 2 March 1361, the municipality of Bréau persuaded him to make concessions for Le Minier mountain range : “the men-at-arms, burghers and villagers will have the right to freely hunt bears and wild boar, to graze their livestock, to seed and cut the wood necessary for domestic use. In exchange for which, the Baron will receive the profits of easements, tax income and right to delegate” (designate consuls…).