Roussillon is noted for its large ocher deposits found in the clay surrounding the village.
Roussillon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region in southeastern France. Roussillon lies within the borders of the Parc Naturel Regional du Luberon. It is noted for its large ochre deposits found in the clay surrounding the village. Ochres are pigments ranging from yellow and orange to red. One of the former ochre quarries can be visited via the "Sentier des Ocres" (Ochre Path), a walk of either 30 or 60 minutes through the old workings. Roussillon is famous for the rich deposits of ochre pigments found in the clay near the village. The large quarries of Roussillon were mined from the end of the 18th century until 1930. Thousands of people found work in the quarries and factories. Nowadays the mining of ochre is prohibited here, in order to protect the sites from degradation or even complete destruction. Because during the 18th century the demand rose for pigments to be used in the textile industry, the mining of ochres in Roussillon intensified. Numerous quarries and ochre factories, some of which can still be seen today, were situated near the village. During the 20th century, mining techniques were modernized, which meant that more profitable ochre mines became exploitable. This resulted in a gradual closing-down of ochre mines in and around Roussillon. From the 1980s, tourism has replaced ochre industry as a source of income.
Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: France, Provence, Vaucluse, Roussillon
Photo credit: © Jochen Rehm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: beauty, blue, color, europe, france, horizontal, interest, ocher, place, provence, roussillon, shadow, sky, southern, summer, tree, vaucluse
