Moulin-Mage in Moulin-Mage - EN : Tourism tarn

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Facing the majestic Montalet, the highest point in the Tarn, this small village, located at the crossroads of Murat and Barre between the Tarn and Aveyron departments, is thought to take its name from the Occitan "Molin Magèr", meaning "the great mill".

The only significant mill identified to date stands below the road leading to Fontblanque and Barre. Is it really the famous "great mill" from which the village takes its name? Nothing is certain.

Like most neighbouring villages, the land around Moulin-Mage has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, as shown by the many statue-menhirs carved by the first Neolithic farmers, including the impressive Vacant Menhir. Later, the Romans passed through the area, building the famous road linking Béziers to Cahors.

However, several more centuries passed before Moulin-Mage became an independent municipality. Until the end of the 19th century, it was merely a hamlet belonging to the commune of Barre. Around 1900, the long-awaited road was finally completed and the arrival of the Petit Train led to the separation of Cabannes from Barre and the official creation of the municipality of Moulin-Mage.

The village is also known for several unusual features, including its rabbit warrens, widely used during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Built into field embankments, covered with earth and fitted with lockable metal doors, these structures were in fact rabbit traps. Walkers can still occasionally come across some of them in the woods, abandoned since the 1970s.

In more recent years, Moulin-Mage has proudly celebrated one of its former postmen, who became a national television celebrity after appearing on the French quiz show Questions pour un champion in 2015.

Don't miss: Notre-Dame Church in Moulin-Mage (1836), Saint-Hilaire Church in Cabannes (1837) and the Vacant Menhir.