Massiac

Massiac (French pronunciation: [masjak]; Occitan: Maciac) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.

Massiac
Commune
Massiac seen from the Alagnonnette valley
Coat of arms
Location of Massiac
Massiac Show map of France Massiac Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°15′07″N 3°11′53″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Cantal
Arrondissement	Saint-Flour
Canton	Saint-Flour-1
Intercommunality	Hautes Terres
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Didier Achalme[1]
Area 1	34.78 km2 (13.43 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	1,801
• Density	52/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	15119 /15500
Elevation	511–1,005 m (1,677–3,297 ft) (avg. 540 m or 1,770 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1962	1,741	—
1968	1,756	+0.9%
1975	1,884	+7.3%
1982	1,838	−2.4%
1990	1,881	+2.3%
1999	1,857	−1.3%
2008	1,833	−1.3%

Local history

In the 17th century, Massiac was ruled by the feudal lord Gaspard d'Espinchal, a notorious murderer, kidnapper, and nobleman who was pursued and prosecuted by the Riom Court of Justice during the 1665-6 "Grands Jours", a national inquest into criminality in the Auvergne highlands.^[3] Historians have described him as a "real-life Dracula."^[4]

See also

• Communes of the Cantal department