Tourist Office Features

The Tourist Office of Lavoûte-Chilhac district (Ribeyre, Chaliergue, Margeride) includes 13 communes gathered in community. They lie over 20,000 hectares ranging from 460 metres to 1000 metres elevation ; www.cc-lavoutechilhac.com
The various heritage and architectures offer a landscape very rich in history and diversity (120 villages or helmets scattered in the valleys, forests, prairies or perched on hills). 2,283 inhabitants inject dynamism into a tourist economy owing to the support of shopkeepers, craftsmen and farmers. They do represent a human potential both respectful of its traditions and open to modernism (all services, all commerces).
In these « pure profile of Gothic ribs » premises ( XIIth chapel ) the attendants provide you with welcome, information, orientation and propose activities, discoveries, animations…

A few words of history

At the beginning water and volcanoes activities shaped the landscape of this part of Auvergne.
The discovery of « worked pebbles» (Chilhac) remain the witnesses of man's presence on this soil.
The river Allier settled its bed, became « salmo salar » birthplace, the salmon, permitted to develop trade owing to the flat boat and river fleets as well as winding splendid « voltes ». During the first millennium and in one of them, Odilon, 5th Cluny abbey built a monastery at Lavoûte-Chilhac, in front of Mercoeur's castle on the opposite bank.