Mazamet (French pronunciation: [mazamet]; Languedocien: Masamet) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.
It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolitan area.
Mazamet is situated on the northern slope of the Montagne Noire and on the Arnette, a small tributary of the Thoré, which forms the commune's northern border.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 16,171 | — |
| 1975 | 14,440 | −1.60% |
| 1982 | 12,840 | −1.66% |
| 1990 | 11,481 | −1.39% |
| 1999 | 10,544 | −0.94% |
| 2007 | 10,055 | −0.59% |
| 2012 | 10,093 | +0.08% |
| 2017 | 10,013 | −0.16% |
| Source: INSEE[3] | ||
The town made its wealth during the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was the world center of the wool industry. At its height, the town imported more than 100,000 tonnes of wool annually from the Southern Hemisphere. After processing, numerous establishments were involved in wool-spinning and in the manufacture of leather goods, gloves, blankets, hosiery and clothing for the troops. Mazamet was the biggest center of the wool pulling industry in Europe.[4][5] In 1906, 95% of French workers in the industry were employed in Tarn.[6][7] While the vast majority of Mazamet's wool industry ended in the early 1990s, the town still has a residual high-end leather industry with leather being purchased by a number of Paris & London fashion houses.[citation needed]
Today, Mazamet is known for tourism, thanks to its natural setting at the foothills of the Montagne Noire mountain range and being close to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Albi, Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi.[citation needed]
The town has a 65 km (40 mi) cycle path, plus numerous other cycling + walking routes.[citation needed]
In May 1973, a national road safety awareness campaign that took place on May 17, 1973 in Mazamet, called "Mazamet, ville morte" ("Mazamet, dead city"). The 16,610 inhabitants of the city laid down on the streets for a few minutes to symbolize the 16,500 people killed in road accidents in France the previous year
Mazamet was the start for Stage 14 in the 2007 Tour de France, finishing on the top of Plateau de Beille. The stage was won by Alberto Contador, who later went on to win the Tour. In 2018, Mazamet welcomed the race once again as it passed through on route to Carcassonne.
MAZAMET, FRANCE Development of Mazamet, France, as a world center for handling and treating sheepskins
France is the world's most important center for the wooleå sheepskin trade. Exports of wool ... The wool pulling industry is located chiefly at Mazamet.
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