Lot (department)

Updated on Sep 22, 2024

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Country France Subprefectures FigeacGourdon Department number 46 Area 5,217 km² Prefecture Cahors Canton 17		Region Occitanie Time zone CET (UTC+1) Arrondissements 3 Population 173,758 (2013) Capital Cahors

Destinations Cahors, Rocamadour, Figeac, Souillac - Lot, Martel - Lot Points of interest Padirac Cave, Pont Valentré, Rocher des Aigles, Pech Merle, Château de Castelnau‑Bretenoux

Lot ([lɔt]; Occitan: Òlt) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot River.

Map of Lot, France

History

Lot is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Quercy. In 1808 some of the original southeastern cantons were separated from it to form the department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It originally extended much farther to the south and included the city of Montauban.

Geography

Lot is part of the region of Occitanie and is surrounded by the departments of Corrèze, Cantal, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, and Dordogne.

Communes in Lot

For a full list, see Communes of the Lot department. Settlements in the Lot include:

Cahors - The prefecture (capital) of the department, Cahors is a medieval cathedral town known internationally for its production of Cahors wine. It lies in a wide loop of the Lot River and is famous for its medieval bridge, the Pont Valentre.

Figeac - a medieval town where Champollion, the first translator of Egyptian hieroglyphics, was born. Figeac is a sub-prefecture of the department.

Gourdon - a medieval hilltop town with a well preserved centre. There are many prehistoric painted caves nearby, notably the Grottes de Cougnac. Gourdon is also a sub-prefecture of te department.

Lot in popular culture

French singer-songwriter Léo Ferré lived in the Lot for a while.

At Home in France, by Ann Barry; a humorous account of owning a vacation cottage in Lot

References

Lot (department) Wikipedia

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