Aurillac, Administrative center in Cantal, France
Aurillac is a prefecture town in the Cantal region within the southern Massif Central. The town sits on the banks of the Jourdanne at roughly 622 meters above sea level and spreads across several hills marked by a mix of older residential areas and newer districts.
In 898, Count Gerald founded a Benedictine monastery that became the starting point for the town. The monastery grew into a center of scholarship and drew students and monks from different regions during the medieval period.
The International Festival of Street Theatre transforms the old town each August, when performers from many countries take over squares and lanes with their acts. Locals and travelers move between stages during these weeks, watching shows outdoors and soaking up the festival atmosphere that fills the center.
The railway station links the town to Clermont-Ferrand in the north and Toulouse in the south, while the airport offers direct flights to Paris. The town center is easy to walk around, and most shops cluster in the lanes near Place du Square.
The town still houses several workshops that produce umbrellas using traditional craftsmanship, continuing an industrial history that started here in the 19th century. Visitors can watch the production process in some of these workshops and follow the careful work of craftsmen who bend frames and stretch fabrics.
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