Over and out

Fabrezan lost about half of its population within a century. Today about 1200 people live here, not enough to keep this little shop going. New supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl attract more and more customers - and so there is no future for small businesses and shops like this. - Fermeture définitive..

An Intermarché and a Lidl in the outskirts of Jonzac made it impossible for the Epicerie Centrale to survive.

No "grand creme" in Ygrande..

In 1827 the villages La Rochebeaucourt and Argentine merged to La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine. Mid 19th century La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine was a prosperious village with a population of about 1200. Meanwhile the number of people living here has sunken to about 300. The exodus has left marks. Empty shops line the streets. Gone forever.

In 1827 the villages La Rochebeaucourt and Argentine merged to La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine. Mid 19th century La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine was a prosperious village with a population of about 1200. Meanwhile the number of people living here has sunken to about 300. The exodus has left marks. Empty shops line the streets. Gone forever.

The city of Mende (pop. ~ 12000) is situated in the high valley of the Lot, within the area of the "Grands Causses" (limestone plateaus). One of these plateaus is the "Mont Mimat". The historic city center is all around the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Privat. The center is bordered by boulevards which took the place of the ancient walls. It looks like Julien has already left Mende already some time ago.

In 1827 the villages La Rochebeaucourt and Argentine merged to La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine. Mid 19th century La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine was a prosperious village with a population of about 1200. Meanwhile the number of people living here has sunken to about 300. The exodus has left marks. Empty shops line the streets. Gone forever.

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille is known by musicians as this is the place of the "Festival du Monastier" (aka "Festival de Cuivres"), a great meeting centered around "brass". 40 concerts - in 7 days - in a town with a population of below 2000!! Many volunteers and a supporting community of music lovers make this festival possible. But walking through the town, the marks of the rural exodus are clearly visible. Le Puy en Velay with its large supermarkets is not even 20kms north, so many shops (and this HOTEL) went out of business.

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille is known by musicians as this is the place of the "Festival du Monastier" (aka "Festival de Cuivres"), a great meeting centered around "brass". 40 concerts - in 7 days (!!) - in a town with a population of below 2000. Volunteers and a supporting community of music lovers make this festival possible. But walking through the town, the marks of the rural exodus are clearly visible. Le Puy en Velay with its large supermarkets is not even 20kms north, so the many shops (and this Hotel-bar) went out of business.

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille is known by musicians as this is the place of the "Festival du Monastier" (aka "Festival de Cuivres"), a great meeting centered around "brass". 40 concerts - in 7 days (!!) - in a town with a population of below 2000. Volunteers and a supporting community of music lovers make this festival possible. But walking through the town, the marks of the rural exodus are clearly visible. Le Puy en Velay with its large supermarkets is not even 20kms north, so the many shops here went out of business.

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille is known by musicians as this is the place of the "Festival du Monastier" (aka "Festival de Cuivres"), a great meeting centered around "brass". 40 concerts - in 7 days (!!) - in a town with a population of below 2000. Volunteers and a supporting community of music lovers make this festival possible. But walking through the town, the marks of the rural exodus are clearly visible. Le Puy en Velay with its large supermarkets is not even 20kms north, so the many shops here went out of business.

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has all kinds and styles of restaurants, eateries and deli-shops. But not all shops do survive. What the rural exodus does in small villages, the fierce competition does here. This shop in Nippes obviously could not exist any longer being meanwhile encircled by supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Netto. No future!

Linz am Rhein is a town with a population of about 6000, but obvioulsy hit by the rural exodus and the change in customer behavior. The fierce competition with supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl leaves its marks in the town center.

This was surely the center of the village times ago. A pub to the left and a grocery/butchery to the right. Meanwhile more and more bottled beer is drunken "at home" - and sold in crates. And the grocery could not compete with Aldi and Lidl. So the 700 villagers now need a car to shop.

Hagemeyer closed down some time ago. The grocery (and butchery) could not compete with Aldi and Lidl. The cigarette vending machine seems to be the last sign of economic activity. Meanwhile it may have left Reelkirchen as well, as the customer base has shrunken, when more and more old smokers died.

A Roman settlement, named "Aeminium" existed here. When the neighbouring town "Conimbriga" got conquered and destroyed by the Suebes in 468, the survivors moved to "Aeminium" - and renamed it. The Visigoths under King Wittiza named the town "Eminio" later. In 714 the town was conquered by Muslim troops, who changed the name again. Coimbra was finally recaptured in 1064 by King Fernando de Castilla y León. Coimbra became the second capital of the Kingdom of Portugal (after Guimarãesin) 1139, a status that moved to Lisbon in 1256. The University of Coimbra, founded by Denis of Portugal (aka "Dom Dinis") in 1290, is one of the oldest in Europe. Two shoe stores ("sapataria") in a narrow lane obviously could not exist side by side.

I had visited Gournay-en-Bray to see the former collegiate church Saint Hildevert five years ago. At that time I had found a very nice "Atelier de Reparation Electronique". I was really shocked, when I saw now, what had happened. It´s gone! Lost for ever! PIP

Oria was known as Hyria in classical times and was a Roman colony, when - as legends tell - St. Peter passed through here, preached the Gospel and consecrated the first bishop. After the fall of the Roman Empire Oria shared the fate of all towns in Southern Italy. Looted by Langobards and Ostrogoths. In 880 it fell into Byzantine hands, in 924 the Saracens set the city on fire and in 977 and was completely destroyed by Saracen troops. Norman Humphrey of Hauteville ("Unfredo di Altavilla") conquered Oria in 1062. Oria had one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. Jewish scholarship in Oria included the study of philosophy, the Talmud, languages such as Greek and Latin, and medicine and natural sciences. Today Oria has a population of about 15.000, obviously not enough to keep this shop going.