Оллье департаменті: Францияның тарихы мен географиясы

Department in Auvergne Rhône Alpes, France
the French department

Allier (/UK/'/æ//l//i//eɪ/ ALeeay, /US//æ//l/'/j//eɪ//, //ɑː//l/'/j//eɪ/ a(h)lYAY, alje; ) is a department in the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône et Loire and Loire to the east, Puy de Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south west. Named after the river Allier, it had a population of 334,872 in 2021. Moulins is the prefecture; Montluçon and Vichy are the subprefectures. Its INSEE and post code is 03. Before 2018, the inhabitants of the department did not have a demonym. The inhabitants of the department have officially been known in French as Bourbonnais since 2018, a reference to the historic province of Bourbonnais. Until then, the unofficial term Elavérins had been used.

Allier department is composed of almost all of the former Duchy of Bourbonnais. It is part of the Auvergne Rhône Alpes.

The history of Allier corresponds to the Duchy of Bourbon (Bourbonnais) with which it shares almost the entire territory. Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais. In 1940, the government of Marshal Philippe Pétain chose the town of Vichy as its capital. Vichy also became the department's second sub prefecture in 1940, since the department now found itself split by the demarcation line between the occupied and (relatively, at least initially) free zones of France.

Valérie Hatsch is prefect of Allier since 28 March 2022. Jean Luc Marx, the prefect of Lot, was named the prefect of Allier on 1 June 2011, replacing Pierre Monzani who was appointed Prefect of Seine et Marne on 25 May 2011. Monzani had been prefect of Allier since 14 January 2009. Born on 12 May 1958 in Villerupt (Meurthe et Moselle), he holds a civil service agrégation in history and a DEA in history and civilization. A former student of the École Normale Supérieure (Saint Cloud) and of École nationale d'administration (ENA), since August 2006 he has been director of INHES (National Institute of Advanced Security Studies).

The industries most represented are the food industry, wood and furniture, chemical, foundries and metalworking, rubber, machinery and electrical equipment, automotive, weaponry, textiles, building, and the spas. According to studies by INSEE agriculture would be about 7 to 8% of departmental gross domestic product.

The pâté aux pommes de terre is one of the specialities of the Allier, as well as of the neighboring Limousin region. The river Allier is one of the rare places in Southern Europe where the freshwater grayling (Thymallus thymallus), known in French as ombre des rivières, occurs in a natural habitat. This fish is much valued in French gastronomy for its fine and delicate texture and is best eaten along with a light wine. Pompe aux grattons or brioche aux griaudes, a kind of brioche like bread with cracklings, is a specialty of the Bourbonnais. Saint Pourçain AOC wine is produced in Allier and the oak from the forest of Tronçais is one of the most favoured in the construction of wine barrels.

In 2020 the quantity of dwellings in the department which were second homes was 7.2%. The table below shows the main communes of Allier with second homes and which exceed 10% of total housing. The department has attracted many foreigners, English, Belgian, Swiss, and Dutch, and they have acquired many second homes. Therefore many communes have become "European", such as Pouzy Mésangy, which today has many English and Swiss residents. +Communes with population over 1,000 and more than 10% of second homes in 2019 Town Municipal population Percentage ofsecondary homes Néris les Bains 30.3% Cérilly 16.4% Ébreuil 14.5% Bourbon l'Archambault 13.5% Buxières les Mines 13.5% Le Mayet de Montagne 10.0%