Arboretum de Villardebelle

VILLARDEBELLE

The Village

Villardebelle is a village with 69 inhabitants. It lies in the Corbieres, near the Pyrenees mountains. Size : 1330 hectares. Highest altitude : 855 meters, lowest altitude : 400 meters.

Panorama

207 Years Old

At the very center of the village, there is a Platanus planted in the year 1792. Platanus 207 years old

Inscriptions

French text	Translation
Villardebelle Site classé Ce Platane a été planté par le Curé constitutionnel Marcou le 21 septembre 1792 pour la Proclamation de la 1ère République.	Villardebelle Classified Site This Platanus was planted by the constitutional parish priest Marcou on the 21st of september 1792 for the Proclamation of the First Republic.
The second inscription reads
"Toutes les histoires sont l'histoire du passé : l'histoire de la Révolution est l'histoire de l'avenir. La Révolution a conquis en avant. Il y a dans tout ce qu'elle nous a apporté encore plus de terre promise que de terrain gagné..." Victor Hugo Villardebelle 29 juillet 1989	"All stories are the history of the past : the story of the Revolution is the history of the future. The Revolution conquered forward. There is in all what it has brought us still more promise land than won field..." Victor Hugo Villardebelle 29 juillet 1989

Roman Church

The Roman Church was built in the XIIe century. It means that the village is at least one thousand years old. Belcastel and Buc

Belcastel and Buc

On the road from Limoux to Villardebelle, the Commune of Belcastel and Buc. The village of Buc is at the center of the image, while Belcastel (Beautiful-Castle) is a crumbling ruin at the top of a small hill (hardly visible just below the horizon one third from the left border).

Le Pont Rouge

On the road from Limoux to Villardebelle, the place called Pont-Rouge (Red-Bridge), because of the red color of the earth on the arid slope. The color is due to the high level of iron oxyde in the soil. Le Pont Rouge