Revel, Haute-Garonne

French commune
nomcommune=Revel
région=Midi-Pyrénées
département=Haute-Garonne
arrondissement=Toulouse
canton=Revel
insee=31451
cp=31250
maire=Alain Chatillon
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=
longitude=2.00472222222
latitude=43.4594444444
alt moy=210 m
alt mini=179 m
alt maxi=381 m
hectares=3,531
km²=35.31
sans=7,985
date-sans=1999
dens=226
date-dens=1999

Revel is a commune of the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.

General information

Revel is a town of approximately 8000 inhabitants situated roughly 35 miles (54 kilometres) to the east of Toulouse. Other notable nearby towns are Carcassonne and Castelnaudary to the south, Castres to the east, and Albi to the north-east.
The most notable physical feature of Revel is its central square, which is partially covered by a 14th century roof, supported by wooden pillars and topped by a distinctive bell-tower. Every Saturday morning, a market is held in the square and surrounding streets in which a variety of goods, but especially food and clothing, is on sale.
Revel is arguably best known for two products: furniture, and a mint liqueur named Get 27, which has been manufactured in the town since the 18th century. Cabinet-making is a speciality of the area, and many cabinet makers are trained at the local lycée, which specialises in technical training, and admits pupils from across the region on a residential (boarding) basis during the week. Furniture shops and warehouses are a feature of Revel and the surrounding area.
Revel’s lycée is located on the east side of the town, on the Route de Sorèze, and is named after Vincent Auriol (1884-1966), the socialist politician who was born in the town and who was the first President of the Fourth Republic of France between 1947 and 1954.Just south of Revel, where the land begins to slope upwards into the Montagne Noir regional park, is the Lac Saint Ferréol, a man-made lake dating from the 17th century which is linked to the Canal du Midi, and for some time has been enjoyed by local residents and tourists as a place for walking, sunbathing, picnicking etc. A number of hotels, cafés, restaurants and private homes can be found close to the north shore of the lake.Public transport to and from Revel is sparse. At one time, Revel was linked to Toulouse by rail, but the only remnant of this facility is the derelict railway station to the north-west of the town. The nearest town with a rail link (to Toulouse or the south coast) is Castelnaudary. A coach service between Revel and Toulouse runs on an infrequent basis. Another distinctive building is the large, Gothic-style town church of Notre-Dame, just south of the central square.

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