Join me today as I bike to Rouillac, a small town in southwest France near Cognac. Following the grade of the former narrow-gauge rail line from Angoulême, we’ll make a stop at “Les Bouchauds,” an archeological site that features the well-preserved ruins of a Gallo-Roman amphitheater in the village of Saint Cybardeaux.
In Rouillac, we’ll learn about the history and local economy. The town center features a monthly fair, with many local shopkeepers and artisans. In addition, I explain several historical details about Roman times, the 19th century and World War 2.
00:00 – 00:30 Introduction
00:30 – 00:55 Welcome
00:55 – 01:17 Cultural question
01:17 – 02:00 Getting good grades
02:00 – 07:28 Gallo-Roman amphitheater Les Bouchauds
07:28 – 09:30 Rouillac Town Center
09:30 – 10:08 Chemins de fer économiques des Charentes
10:08 – 10:45 World War 2, D-Day and Rouillac
10:45 – 13:27 Rouillac Today
13:27 – 15:00 Conclusion
More information can be found at my website: gacsservices16.com
#france #geohistory #history #wwii #worldwar2 #usa #charente #cognac #historyhit #english #railway #railroad #romanhistory #churches #medieval #templars
[Music] hi guys welcome to this episode of touring back roads France today I’ll be visiting the town of hak in chahun which is known for a bu a Gallow Roman Amphitheater it’s local Commerce and fair and a lot of local history which I invite you to come and explore with me as we tour this lovely town and this beautiful summer day 3 2 1 before we venture into town you’ll have to guess what the magic number is for the date of the Town Fair it’s once a month always on the same date I’ll give you a hint it’s between 1 and 31 stick around until the end of the video and if you haven’t figured it out by then I’ll give you the answer my journey into hak today began by following the trail of the former Narrow Gauge rail line starting near yasak if you bike the full distance it’s about 10 Mi one way at the time of filming it appears that some sections have not been maintained very well this year so a lot of rainfall and overgrown sections so it is definitely necessary to have a mountain bike or an off-road bike with standard tires as the trail isn’t really adapted to faster road bikes it’s also off limits to motorized vehicles from there it’s mostly a downhill ride with a much steeper incline than you would find on a line built for standard gauge so it’s not just because I’m a teacher that I’d say it has good grades [Applause] [Music] the population of Oak is just under 3,000 inhabitants today but its borders and composition have continually changed over the centuries and even the Millennia to explore its history we have to start first with the Roman Empire and the Roman roads leading towards the Atlantic coast and present day Sant then called Midol lanum santum from present dayon known then as lunam this route was called the Via agria in the area there are many archaeological sites and ruins from the period one of which is situated about 2 miles outside W yak’s town center next to the Village of sardu known as Leu it was a Gala Roman Amphitheater situated along the Via agria frequented by Travelers and locals for centuries during the height of the Roman Empire after the decline of Rome and subsequent conversion of the population to Christianity the site was largely abandoned with much of the stone used for other projects situ situated on a Hilltop and built into a natural embankment facing north it fell into Oblivion over the centuries as the forest slowly reclaimed the site it wasn’t until the mid 19th century when a local historian and land owner Jean G surmised that a few visible Stones were not as local Legends described them the realm of fairies and Spirits or the leftovers of an abandoned medieval Fortress why would an defensive Fortress be built near the bottom of a hill it soon became his work he bought the land and began digging by 1881 the site had been put on the list of historic monuments in France the archaeological discoveries around the area followed in suth but it took a heavy financial and emotional toll on gonier who took his own life in 1894 and is buried next to the ruins throughout the 1970s ‘ 80s and ’90s the digs continued revealing the site as it is today it allowed historians and researchers to piece together the puzzles learning about Roman culture trade and even religious Customs what we might think of as a venue for entertainment was actually much more than that temples high up on the hill were dedicated to Roman gods such as mercury the god of travel being located along major thoroughfares citizens would stop here to gain good favor luck and Fortune as they continued on their way the surrounding areas were occupied by Villas Commerce and agriculture the theater served as a focal point for the citizenry allowing performances over the age used by Roman emperors as a form of communication and even propaganda in addition to their spiritual components it must have been a fascinating place to be back then thanks to the efforts of Scholars a lot more is known today and we’re still learning archaeological digs continue on the site certain parts of the structure have been reinforced and are better understood after many decades of study for example the exit stairs and ramps found at each side are called vomit which is where we get the modern word vomit why would they be named that way imagine the theater is at capacity with over 7,000 Spectators present when the show was finished an overhead view of the masses of people spewing out into the corridors would have given the sensation of the theater throwing up its digested food that’s where the name comes from as one of the largest gallar Roman sites in France a lot more information can be learned by visiting the museum most of all experiencing The View out over the hills and the vestiges dating from 2,000 years ago is a humbling reminder of Humanity’s Ingenuity intelligence and perseverance so if you’re in wak put this stop at the top of your [Music] list [Music] for for [Music] [Music] for [Music] dating from the 12th century the town’s Romanesque Church features a dome and an octagonal transcept similar to the Cathedral of Florence in Italy after the completion of the Cathedral of urm in 1130 this style of church construction was widely developed throughout the shahon region a historical monument since 1910 the church is still actively used and a center for Christian worship services in the area the town hosts a farmers market on Wednesdays and Saturdays with a large number of local shops that cater to specific goods and services as you stroll through the streets you’ll notice that the town is built around several squares or Plus in French including La coma laier LA victoro and LA to General L these squares allow architectural visibility and provide an open F to the small town giving it the Airs of an important provincial location I definitely suggest stopping at the tourism office which is located on PL they have a free brochure with a walkable itinerary highlighting some of the buildings in town some of the old hotels near the former Railway stations are interesting as well as the large warehouses where CNAC and wine was stored it’s clear that ruak was an important transportation and travel hub in the 19th and 20th Centuries with its monthly Fair two Rail lines and bustling economy today however changes in transportation give it a truly Backroads feel the cultural center called lanet or the 27 includes the local library Auditorium Meeting Hall and restaurant it has no less than two events per week including concerts and meetings a yearly English Film Festival named after British resident Ana seir is held last weekend in [Music] April during the 19th century Rak was an important switching point for two lines on the sh which ran West from angul as well as Northeast to egg in addition to passenger traffic valuable Freight such as conac or wine traversed these Rail lines which braved the somewhat formidable grades presented by the regional topography defined by extensive river valleys and impressive Hills facing increasing competition from the automobile the lines were abandoned in the 1950s but not before leaving their mark on local history on the 8th of June 1944 2 days after the Ally Landing in Normandy American and English aircraft carried out strafing missions across France one of the local trains was intercepted by three fighter planes Who Bore down on the locomotive killing both the engineer and a mechanic on board stories such as such as this one which I found on a small sign along the bike trail are certainly numerous across France from the time of World War II although not found in history books or in documentaries they do give us insight into the daily lives of the previous generations who lived here and the daily struggles that they [Music] faced Hoak today is a vibrant local community with a lot of hidden gems festivals and events I wanted to stop in some of the local businesses in the area there are many to choose from and I haven’t had time to talk to a lot of them yet one that might be a good stop for cyclists traveling in the region is the mea which is a Distillery and producer of CNAC Peno and wines grown from several grape varieties in their [Music] Vineyards for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] see for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] if you are paying close attention during the video then I don’t don’t have to tell you that the magic number for wak is 27 as the locals know this is the date of the Town Fair which brings in all sorts of vendors and has officially been a tradition in the town since 1806 I tried to get more information about why that number was chosen but no one really has a definitive answer if I ever do find out I’ll let you know in a later episode in an upcoming episode we can certainly revisit the town and delve deeper into some more details see what this area has to offer and how we can cross the language barrier to learn more about it coming soon summer festivals outdoor bulon meeting elected officials and the Templars in shahal I hope you enjoyed this episode there’s much more to follow