From fountain to fountain

The municipality of Villar d'Arène is built on a land crossed by several streams. The first inhabitants created catchments and pipelines Seven fountains supply the village with water.

There are various fountains along the alleys of the village. In the past, all the villagers got the water they needed from these fountains and every fountain had its specific use. The houses didn't get running water until 1954, but some stables had wells the animals could drink from during the long winter months. The 7 fountains in the village are named : "Fontjirle", "Fonton", "du Four", "de la cime", "de la forge", "de la place" et "Lavoir Saint-Martin". They have different shapes and depths, depending on their location and use: washing places, low fountains, used to water the vegetable patches or to let the animals drink, and high basins for domestic use. The fountain on the village square was probably built the same year as the church, the idea of a square as the centre of village life is dates back to the urban planners of the 19th century. The fountain is at one side of the square, rather than in the middle, supposedly because the mayor who lived on the corner wanted to see it and hear the murmur of the water from his house... Follow the "Au fil des fontaines" (from fountain to fountain) heritage route through the village to learn more about its architecture and traditions.