History of Levézou and its names

The legend (and some historians) says that the Lévézou was named after the chief of a tribe called "Levezonium levencisca", from the Lot-et-Garonne county, who was chased away by the Sarrazins. They arrived here around the seventh century, and named the place Levezou. From as early as the tenth century, traces of the Seigneurs du Lévézou (Lords of Lévézou) can be tracked in Castelmus and Castelnau, and later on in the twelfth century, in the Castle of Vézins, where their descendants still welcome you.

The name Pareloup comes from "Paro lo Loup", which means in the Occitan dialect "protect yourself from the wolf". It is a reminiscence of a time when wolves lived in the woods and moors of Lévézou... Don't be scared, these animals don't live around here any more!

Geography and geology

The high plateau of Lévézou, at approximately 900 m. high, is an old hercynian massif, formed by crystalline rocks such as gneiss, schist and granite.

Separated from the Aveyron Valley by a fault, its grounds form a thermal, geological and sociological barrier between Millau and Rodez. The Lévézou plateau is surrounded by the Palanges forest and the Lagast forest and overlooks the Tarn.

Nature and landscapes

The high area around Vezins is the land of spring water and herds, where the land is rough but charming, and where you can find some peat bogs. Peaks are as high as 1128 m. for the Mont Seigne, and 1155 m. for the Pic du Pal.

Around Pont de Salars, the land and its great lakes are close to the Ségala county.

Economy and tourism

The Lévézou economy is essentially based on farming and extensive cattle breeding. Farmers share their passion throughout farms visits. The craft industry stands out with its local know-how and its creativity. The Lévézou economy also depends on the hydroelectric production of the county's three main dams: Pareloup, Villefranche de Panat and Pont de Salars.

Water system and dams

The Lévézou water system was designed around 1950, covers a surface of 5 000 hectares, spreaded over 5 lakes :
-  the Pont de Salars lake
- the Bages lake
- the Gourde lake
- the Pareloup lake, the biggest artificial lake in southern France (1239 ha.)
- the Villefranche de Panat lake.

The Pont de Salars township spreads from the Bage dam and the Pont de Salars lake, which collects the Viaur waters. Through a gallery, millions of cubic meters of water flow into the Vioulou in the Pareloup Lake, which is at 800 m. The huge water mass is then treated in the turbine plant of Alrance, and flows on to feed the Villefranche de Panat lake and the Saint-Amans reservoir, and ends up in the plant of Pouget in Truel, on the banks of the Tarn. From Pont de Salars to Truel, the water undergoes a change in altitude of 450 m.