Sumène, Gard Département, Occitanie, France

🇫🇷 Sumène is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Exposed to a Mediterranean climate, it is drained by the Hérault, the Rieutord, the Argentesse, the Recodier, the Garenne stream and various other small rivers. Included in the Cévennes, the municipality has a remarkable natural heritage: a Natura 2000 site (the "gorges de Rieutord, Fage and Cagnasse"), a protected area (the regional nature reserve of Combe Chaude) and five natural areas of ecological, faunal and floristic interest. Cantonal capital until 2015, the municipality is now integrated into that of Vigan. It is also a member of the community of municipalities of the Cévennes of Gangeoises and Sumenoises, bringing together thirteen municipalities in the departments of Gard and Hérault. It is located south of the natural region of the Cévennes. The municipality is also located in the peripheral area of the Cévennes National Park, as well as at the confluence of two rivers, the Rieutord and the Recodier.

Geography: Location Sumène is located in the Occitanie region, formerly Languedoc-Roussillon, west of the Gard department and south-west of the natural region of the Cévennes.

The municipality is located, as the crow flies, 552.3 km south-east of Paris, 54 km north-west of Nîmes, 43.1 km north of Montpellier, 8.9 km east of Le Vigan and 5.1 km north of Ganges.

Geography: Relief The area of the municipality is 3,659 hectares; its altitude varies between 175 and 933 meters. The territory of the municipality of Sumène is located in a low mountain area in the south-west of the Cévennes massif, at the southern end of the Massif Central. The summit named the highest in the municipality is the Montagne de la Fage, to the east, which rises to 922 m. The other main peaks located on the territory of the municipality are the Ranc de Banes, located south-east of the municipality, at an altitude of 713 m, the Sugar Loaf, at 792 m, the Twins, to the west, at 515 m and 525 m and, to the north, the Castanet Pinoch and Piecam, on the communal border with Saint-Roman-de-Codières, respectively at 594 m and 797 m.

The soil of the municipality consists, in the centre and west of shale, to the south-east of limestone, where there are many caves and, north of granite.

Geography: Hydrography The municipality is located in the Rieutord valley, a left tributary of the coastal river Hérault. The Rieutord, which crosses the territory of the municipality from north to south, is, downstream of the village, very often dry, with underground flows to its confluence in Ganges. However, the floods of the Rieutord can be torrential, especially during Cevennes episodes, as shown by one of its memorable floods, which occurred on September 30, 1958, just after a Cevennes episode8. Its tributary, the Recodier, crosses the village from north-east to southwest. The confluence point of the two rivers is located in the capital of the municipality.

The Hérault runs along the territory of the municipality to the north-west and marks the boundaries with the municipalities of Roquedur and Saint-André-de-Majencoules.

There are also some streams, to the north and east of the territory, such as the Ayres Creek, the Cayla stream, the valat of Coste Male, the valat of the Gours, the ravine of the Wood, part of the Soulié ravine, which also crosses the municipality ofMoulès-et-Baucels, a very small part of the Garenne stream, its tributary, which also crosses Moulès-et-Baucels, as well as a small part of the Argentesse, formed by many streams from the Fage mountain, marking the boundary of the territory to the east, with La Cadière-et-Cambo.

Finally, there are also, on the territory of the municipality, two groundwater measurement stations from natural sources: the source of Theron, in Cézas, and the source of the Poujades; as well as another station, from an artificial drilling, at the Ranc de Banes.

Transport From Ganges, Sumène is accessible by the departmental road D4 (in the Hérault department), then by the D11 (in the department of Gard). Northwest of Sumène, the D11 joins the departmental road D999 (former national road 99) which gives access to the Vigan.

The D317 connects Sumène to the municipality of La Cadière-et-Cambo through the hamlets of Sounalou and Cézas.

The municipality of Saint-Roman-de-Codières is also accessible via the D153 and the D20 connects the village to Saint-Martial via the hamlet of Sanissac.

Finally, the D11A provides access to the hamlets of Pinoch and Castanet.

The CCC2 coach line of the Edgard transport network (Ganges - Sumène - Saint-Roman-de-Codières connection) allows connections to Ganges to reach Nîmes or Le Vigan or Montpellier (line 108 of the Hérault Transport network).

The nearest train station is Alès, located 53.8 km by road and 34 km as the crow flies. The Montpellier and Nîmes railway stations are respectively located 52.4 km away and at 54.5 km of Sumène, by the road network.

The nearest airports are Montpellier and Nîmes, respectively located 70.6 km away and 74.2 km of Sumène, by the road network.

A greenway project, on the route of the old railway line, connecting Ganges to Vigan, via Sumène, is being studied but not yet concretized, due to economic problems. A first section of greenway linking Sumène to Ganges was built and opened in 2018, it measures 4.5kms and has 5 viaducts and several tunnels.

Industrial heritage Eighteen monuments of the municipality are included in the general inventory of the cultural heritage of France: mineral product preparation plant (coal agglomeration plant) of the Sumène mines, spinning (silk spinning) called Veuve Mollis spinning, silk and nylon knittery factory called Suménoise Bonnetery, Cannat silk knetry factory, iron, zinc, and lead mine of the Two Twins, SITEC nylon sty factory, La Séda silk and nylon knetry factory, Monna silk and nylon knitted fabric factory, currently La Coste, spinning (silk spinning) called Mauries Spinning, Tarteron silk spinning, silk spinning, stitery factory, then Dussol ganttery, Bonneru silk spinning, silk spinning Balms; then Massal cardboard, Soulanou coal mine, silk stuff spinning Martin, spinning mill, mill (silk spinning mill, silk mill mill) called Journet spinning mill, spinning mill, mill (silk spinning, silk mill) called Ducros Spinning and wheat mill, spinning mill and silk mill of Calvières, then Ducros.